Michael S.Sacks

About
Michael Sacks is a world authority on cardiovascular modeling and simulation, particularly on developing patient-specific, simulation-based approaches for the understanding and treatment of heart and heart valve diseases.

Sacks was technical editor of the Journal of Biomechanical Engineering, an inaugural fellow of the Biomedical Engineering Society, a fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, and a fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering. He has received several awards, including the Van C. Mow Medal from the ASME Bioengineering Division, the 2008 Chancellor’s Distinguished Research Award of the University of Pittsburgh, the 2008 Richard Skalak Distinguished Lectureship from Columbia University, and the 2008 SKT Lectureship from the City College of New York. In December 2006, Sacks was selected as one of the “Scientific American” 50 leaders in science and technology.

Michael Sacks’ research focuses on the quantification and modeling of the structure-mechanical properties of native and engineered cardiovascular soft tissues. He is a leading authority on the mechanical behavior and function of the native aortic and mitral heart valves, including the development of the first constitutive models for these tissues using a structural approach. He is also active in the biomechanics of engineered tissues and in understanding the in vitro and in vivo remodeling processes from a functional biomechanical perspective.

Sacks’ research also includes multi-scale studies of cell/tissue/organ mechanical interactions in heart valves. He is particularly interested in determining the local stress environment for heart valve interstitial cells. Recent research has included developing novel constitutive models of right ventricular myocardium that allow for the individual contributions of the myocyte and connective tissue networks.

Educational Qualifications
B.S., Engineering Mechanics, Michigan State University
M.S., Engineering Mechanics, Michigan State University
Ph.D., Biomedical Engineering, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas

Select Awards & Honors

• Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES) fellow
• American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) fellow
• American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) fellow
• Van C. Mow Medal Award – American Society of Mechanical Engineers
• Chancellor’s Distinguished Research Award – University of Pittsburgh

Related Websites
Willerson Center for Cardiovascular Modeling and Simulation
Oden Institute for Computational Engineering & Sciences

Select Publications