A Tribute to Professor Kahp‐Yang Suh (1972 – 2013)
Authors: Deok‐Ho Kim, Ali Khademhosseini, Luke P. Lee
Journal: Advanced Healthcare Materials (2016)

This issue of the Advanced Healthcare Materials is dedicated to the memory of a pioneer in bio-inspired healthcare materials, Prof. Kahp-Yang Suh. Prof. Suh did creative and groundbreaking work in the field of multi-scale bio-inspired and biomimetic materials and devices for the development of the next generation of healthcare systems, for example, gecko nanohairs adhesives, microfabricated biomimetic sensors, microscale tissue engineering, renal tubule system, and kidney proximal tubule on a chip. In this issue, Prof. Kahp-Yang Suh's friends and past colleagues pay tribute to his legacy in a series of articles inspired by his vision and his example. Professor Kahp-Yang Suh (1972 – 2013) was an outstanding, innovative scientist in the field of multi-scale bio-inspired materials and devices. Kahp-Yang Suh was born in Seoul, South Korea in 1972. After obtaining his PhD degree under the supervision of Prof. Hong H. Lee from the School of Chemical and Biological Engineering at Seoul National University (SNU) in 2002, he moved to MIT for postdoctoral research with Robert Langer, working on the merger of micro/nanotechnologies with tissue engineering and lab on a chip. He began his independent career in 2004 as an Assistant Professor in the School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at SNU. Professor Suh was chosen as one of the ‘Innovators Under 35’ by the MIT Technology Review in 2004 based on his innovative method for patterning proteins and cells directly onto glass or plastic surfaces or within microfluidic channels without complicated preparation. He also won a number of other awards, including Best Graduate Student Award by the Brain Korea (BK) 21 Program of the Korean Government (2005) and Young Professor Award by College of Engineering of SNU (2007), Korean Biochip Society's Young Researcher (2008), and Korea Academy of Science and Technology's Presidential Young Scientist (2009). He published over 200 journal articles over his short academic life in the areas of nanotechnology, materials science, and bio-inspired systems. His research focuses on multi-scale manufacturing and integration for biomedical applications, including gecko nanohairs adhesives,1 biomimetic sensors,2, 3 microfluidic organs-on-chips,4, 5 the interaction of microfluidic systems with patterned biomaterials,6, 7 and micro/nano-structured materials for cell and tissue engineering.8, 9 As a tribute to Prof. Kahp-Yang Suh, this issue has been put together by guest editors Professors Ali Khademhosseini (Harvard University), Deok-Ho Kim (University of Washington), and Luke P. Lee (University of California at Berkeley). The guest editors would also like to acknowledge the editorial staff of Advanced Healthcare Materials, in particular Lorna Stimson, for their advice, dedication and handling of this issue. November 14, 2015 November 23, 2015 Deok-Ho Kim is a Professor in the Department of Bioengineering at the University of Washington. He received his PhD in Biomedical Engineering from The Johns Hopkins University in 2010. His active research in the areas of micro/nanotechnologies, biomaterials, and tissue engineering has been recognized with many awards including the Samsung Humantech Thesis Award, the Harold M. Weintraub Award in Biological Sciences, the American Heart Association National Scientist Development Award, the KSEA Young Investigator Award, and the BMES-CMBE Young Innovator Award. Ali Khademhosseini is Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Director of the Biomaterials Innovation Research Center at Brigham and Women's Hospital. He is also a faculty member at the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology as well as an associate faculty member at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering and a Junior PI at Japan's World Premier International-Advanced Institute for Materials Research at Tohoku University. His laboratory has pioneered numerous technologies and materials for controlling the architecture and function of engineered vascularized tissues. Luke P. Lee is the Arnold and Barbara Silverman Distinguished Professor at the University of California at Berkeley. He received both his BA and PhD from UC Berkeley. His work at the interface of biological, physical, and engineering sciences for medicine has been recognized by many honors that include the IEEE William J. Morlock Award, NSF Career Award, Fulbright Scholar Award, and the HoAm Prize. His current research interests are quantum electron transfers in living organisms, molecular diagnostics of infectious and neurodegenerative diseases, and in vitro neurogenesis.