Dr. Stephen Waldman

As a member of iBest (external link) , Stephen Waldman is part of a community of biomedical researchers working together to solve some of today’s most pressing health care problems. For Waldman, cartilage damage is one such problem. The connective tissue does not repair easily on its own or through surgery, so he and his team members are engineering new cartilage instead. It’s remarkable research intended to bring relief to patients in need of joint resurfacing, as well as spine, ear and tracheal repair.

As accomplished as Waldman is in the lab, he is just as dedicated to his students. “I try to provide a training environment specific to each student’s goals,” he says. “From their academic and industry pursuits, to medical school admission.”

He’s also committed to ensuring they’re well-rounded enough to think through problems from every angle. In his tissue engineering course, for example, Waldman’s students tackle issues around ethics and stem cell therapy, often changing their positions over the course of the semester. “Not everything is about right and wrong—it’s context specific,” he explains. “Identifying and exploring the issues is how we build a more socially-minded engineer.”