Olson named interim chair of Marquette-MCW Biomedical Engineering Department

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April 14, 2016

Lars OlsonMILWAUKEE — Dr. Lars E. Olson has been appointed interim chair of the Marquette University and Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) Department of Biomedical Engineering.

Olson currently serves as associate professor and interim chair of Marquette's Department of Biomedical Engineering and is the director of the human powered nebulizer project. His appointment is effective July 1.

On March 28, Marquette and MCW announced the creation of a joint Department of Biomedical Engineering, which will bring together the engineering education and research expertise of Marquette and the medical research, technology and clinical expertise of MCW to provide an inclusive education model for the next generation of engineers, scientists and physicians. Marquette's longstanding Department of Biomedical Engineering will expand to the joint department with MCW in July, offering undergraduate and graduate degrees.

Olson joined Marquette University in 1993 as an assistant professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering and was promoted to associate professor in 2000. He has served as interim chair of Marquette's biomedical engineering department since 2013.

His fields of specialization include mathematical modeling, biomedical instrumentation and optics, cell engineering/cardiopulmonary physiology, computing and biological fluid and mass transport. His research interests include global respiratory health and large-scale computing. Olson is a co-founder of both a non-profit organization and a corporation devoted to making respiratory medical devices for the poor.

Olson has served as a thesis advisor to several Master's and PhD students since 1996. He was named the college's Outstanding Teacher of the Year in 1996 and 2003. He is a member of the Biomedical Engineering Society and the American Physiological Society.

Olson received his Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering from Tulane University in 1987, and his Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy degrees in biomedical engineering from Vanderbilt University in 1989 and 1993, respectively.

For more information, visit mcw.marquette.edu.

About the Medical College of Wisconsin

The Medical College of Wisconsin is the state's only private medical school and health sciences graduate school. Founded in 1893, it is dedicated to leadership and excellence in education, patient care, research and community engagement. More than 1,200 students are enrolled in MCW's medical school and graduate school programs in Milwaukee, and 26 medical students are enrolled at MCW-Green Bay. A regional medical education campus is scheduled to open in Central Wisconsin in 2016. MCW's School of Pharmacy will open in 2017 or 2018 with an initial class size of 60 students. A major national research center, MCW is the largest research institution in the Milwaukee metro area and second largest in Wisconsin. In FY 2014-15, faculty received approximately $158 million in external support for research, teaching, training and related purposes, of which approximately $139 million is for research. This total includes highly competitive research and training awards from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Annually, MCW faculty direct or collaborate on more than 3,200 research studies, including clinical trials. Additionally, more than 1,500 physicians provide care in virtually every specialty of medicine for more than 525,000 patients annually.

About Marquette University and the Opus College of Engineering

Marquette University is a Catholic and Jesuit university located near the heart of downtown Milwaukee, Wis., that offers a comprehensive range of majors in 11 nationally and internationally recognized colleges and schools. Our mission includes the search for truth, the discovery and sharing of knowledge, the fostering of personal and professional excellence, the promotion of a life of faith, and the development of leadership expressed in service to others. A Marquette education offers students a virtually unlimited number of paths and destinations and prepares them for the world by asking them to think critically about it. Along the way, we ask one thing of every student: Be The Difference.