Pamela VandeVord is the director of research and scholarship for the Virginia Tech Institute for Critical Technology and Applied Science (ICTAS) and a professor of biomedical engineering in the College of Engineering. She has a bachelor’s degree in physiology from Michigan State University, a master’s in biomedical sciences from Wayne State University, and a Ph.D. in biomedical engineering from Wayne State University. Before stepping into her role with ICTAS, she served as the associate dean for research in the College of Engineering.

1. What made you interested in engineering?

While working on my undergraduate degree, I became interested in applied medicine and understanding how medical devices work, which led me to biomedical engineering.

I enjoy thinking about how to solve medical challenges from an engineering perspective, whether it's making devices last longer, improving quality of life for individuals, or even discovering new materials that can be used in drug delivery systems.

2. Can you share an achievement from your career?

The Iraq War had just started when I was a junior faculty member at Wayne State University. Soldiers were getting injured by the use of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs). People didn't understand how these explosive devices could injure the brain, yet our combat soldiers were being diagnosed with traumatic brain injuries. Our team was asked to start studying that mechanism of injury, and this began my journey into a career in military medicine. Through the research we have conducted over the past two decades, we have helped provide data to make better protective gear for military personnel. We've also provided data to show what potential medical treatments can be used to help people recover from injuries caused by IEDs.

I have a strong passion for helping improve the quality of life for our soldiers and veterans. Much of my faculty career has been focused around helping to protect them from injury and recover from any injuries they sustain.

3. What is your favorite part of your job as director of research and scholarship for ICTAS?

With my role in ICTAS, I get to engage with the university as a whole to help support the research enterprise.

I enjoy helping the university grow toward its research priorities and support the faculty applying for large collaborative grants that involve multiple partners coming together to solve complex societal problems.

4. What do you like most about serving on CECE’s Advisory Board?

I enjoy seeing how Virginia Tech is involved in growing economic development in Virginia communities. I'm a very curious person, so I like learning how we are investing in our regional and local communities and assisting with their growth. We also want to extend our outreach, always keeping into account the global perspectives.

5. In the future, what projects would you like to work on with CECE?

In my current role, I work to bridge researchers with important and relevant societal problems to solve. As community needs are identified, I would like to match our faculty expertise to some of the challenges or opportunities with the goal of growing our community and economic development sites.

6. What is the best advice you have ever received?

Be positive and persistent.

A situation is never helped by negativity. A lot of times when you're trying to solve problems, things don't work out as expected, and there are always new challenges that arise before a solution can be achieved.

Solutions are not always successful on the first try. You may fail the first time, but by refining your thoughts, staying positive and moving forward, your persistence will pay off.

7. What is a book you read recently that you would recommend?

Invisible Women by Caroline Criado Perez is one of the last books I read.

It speaks to how data is used to make decisions, but the majority of data in our society is based on males, especially in the case of healthcare and treatment designs. The book focuses on the pattern of gender inequity in our data and the consequences it can have on women. It is important to realize there is no one-size-fits-all approach, and we need to be more inclusive in our designs.

8. What is your favorite place to travel for vacation?

I'm from Michigan, and I love to go there and visit relatives. Also, I recently went to Italy. I love the food, and it was just beautiful there. I would love to go back there one day.