Two Berea Alumni Named College Trustees
Rocky S. Tuan and Betty H. Olinger were elected to the Berea College Board of Trustees at the Board’s April meeting. Both are alumni of Berea College.
Dr. Rocky Tuan
Dr. Tuan, of Pittsburgh, PA, is the Founding Director of the Center for Cellular and Molecular Engineering at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine where he also serves as the Arthur J. Rooney, Sr. Chair Professor and Executive Vice Chairman of the Department of Orthopedic Surgery, with a joint appointment as Professor in the Department of Bioengineering.
Tuan directs a multidisciplinary research program, which focuses on orthopaedic research as a study of the biological activities that are important for the development, growth, function and health of musculoskeletal tissues, and the translation of this knowledge to develop stem cell and biomaterials based technologies that will regenerate and/or restore function to diseased and damaged skeletal tissues, particularly related to trauma and injuries. He also is Co-Director of the Armed Forces Institute of Regenerative Medicine, a nationwide research consortium committed to the development of regenerative therapies for battlefield injuries.
A native of Hong Kong, China, Tuan completed his undergraduate degree in Chemistry from Berea College. He received his Ph.D. from Rockefeller University in New York and conducted his Research Fellowship at Harvard Medical School’s Department of Orthopedic Surgery and Medicine at Children’s Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital, respectively, in Boston.
Dr. Tuan’s career has included professorial appointments at the University of Pennsylvania, Thomas Jefferson University, George Washington University and Georgetown University, as well as leadership position at the National Institutes of Health. At the University of Pittsburgh, Tuan was honored with an appointment as Distinguished Professor of Orthopedic Surgery in 2014, and received the Chancellor’s Distinguished Research Award in 2015. He is also a recipient of the Carnegie Science Award in 2016. Dr. Tuan has published over 450 research papers, has lectured extensively, and is currently Editor of the developmental biology journal, BDRC: EMBRYO TODAY, and Founding Editor of STEM CELL RESEARCH AND THERAPY.
“If ‘Home is Where the Heart Is,’ then being elected to Berea’s Board of Trustees is truly like coming home! It is both an honor and a privilege to have the opportunity to give back to the institution that provided me with the most transformative experience of my career,” Tuan said. “I look forward with purpose to being an active member of Berea’s community as it furthers its Great Commitments in the 21st century.”