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Researcher named for endowed chair Adding to its list of internationally acclaimed researchers, MUSC has named Richard Swaja, Ph.D., Endowed Chair in Regenerative Medicine under South Carolina’s Research Centers of Economic Excellence (RCEE) program.   Swaja is the seventh researcher drawn to MUSC since the endowed chair program began. He will continue his work launched at other prestigious research institutions.   Swaja’s research will focus on tissue engineering, a long-established research strength at MUSC. Specifically, two of Swaja’s ongoing projects involve development of tissue engineering implants and development of scaffolds to support regenerated cells. The goal of the work is to reorganize cells to grow them into tissues and later into organs.   To create a strong research team, Swaja is working to attract other top talent to South Carolina. Ultimately, the group of scientists will work together as a “center of excellence” to drive research discoveries with strong commercial-ization potential.   “The promise of Dr. Swaja’s work extends far beyond South Carolina. It truly has international implications,” said MUSC President Raymond S. Greenberg, M.D., Ph.D. “The Research Centers of Economic Excellence program has enabled us to recruit someone not only with superior scientific expertise, but also with the entrepreneurial skills to translate research into commercial products that can improve lives. Dr. Swaja can lead our research efforts and can help South Carolina companies commercialize the new technology to benefit the state’s economy.”   In addition to serving as an endowed chair, Swaja also was named director of the S.C. Bioengineering Alliance. The Bioengineering Alliance is a collaborative effort among all three of the state’s research universities.   “I believe that South Carolina’s climate is ripe for a statewide bioengineering program. Fortunately, we are not starting at zero. We have good facilities and good people in place and we have already seen substantial research advancements here,” Swaja explained. His broad vision for the Bioengineering Alliance includes developing a nationally-recognized bioengineering education program in the state to train workers, increase technology transfer, and enhance South Carolina’s economy.   “Our goal is to see bioengineering in South Carolina do well—to support the regional economy and develop meaningful scientific resources. At the same time, we want to improve health care and quality of life,” Swaja said.      Before coming to South Carolina in October, Swaja most recently served as the senior advisor for Biomedical Engineering in the National Institute of Health’s Office of Extramural Research. He received his doctorate in Nuclear Science from Carnegie Melon University in 1973. From 1968 to 1980, he worked as a senior scientist at the Westinghouse Bettis Atomic Power Laboratory in areas associated with nuclear physics, reactor design and testing, emergency planning and health physics. In 1980, he joined the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), where he conducted research in radiobiology, radiation dosimetry, materials and health effects. From 1988 to 1999, Swaja managed research and development programs at ORNL in areas concerned with environmental pollutant detection and characterization, pollutant transport modeling, human health risk assessment, computational simulation and dosimetry, nuclear medicine, photonics, visual information system and life cycle analysis. He has served as the editor of the Health Physic Society’s Web site; established the International Center for Dosimetric Modeling and Computation; served as technical program chair for a series of international conferences on radiation protection and dosimetry from 1984 to 1994; and served as consultant and U.S. representative to several international scientific committees and foreign nations for activities in health, physics, radiation protection, environmental risk assessment and emergency planning.   The S.C. Research Centers of Economic Excellence program was established by the South Carolina General Assembly in 2002. The legislation authorizes the state’s three public research institutions—MUSC, the University of South Carolina and Clemson University—to use S.C. Education Lottery funds to create centers of excellence in key research areas that will advance South Carolina’s economy. The state funds must be matched dollar-for-dollar with non-state monies in order to be utilized. The program also supports RCEE-endowed professors, world-renowned scientists who lead the centers of excellence. By investing in talent and technology, the Research Centers of Economic Excellence endowment is designed to help fuel the knowledge economy, resulting in higher paying jobs, a stronger economy, and an improved standard of living in South Carolina.     Friday, Dec. 1, 2006 Catalyst Online is published weekly, updated as needed and improved from time to time by the MUSC Office of Public Relations for the faculty, employees and students of the Medical University of South Carolina. Catalyst Online editor, Kim Draughn, can be reached at 792-4107 or by email, catalyst@musc.edu. Editorial copy can be submitted to Catalyst Online and to The Catalyst in print by fax, 792-6723, or by email to catalyst@musc.edu. To place an ad in The Catalyst hardcopy, call Island Publications at 849-1778, ext. 201.