Kevin Cleary, Ph.D., named as Sheikh Zayed Professor of Bioengineering
Dr. Cleary joins a distinguished group of Children’s National physicians and scientists who hold an endowed chair.
Children’s National Hospital named Kevin Cleary, Ph.D., as the Sheikh Zayed Professor of Bioengineering through philanthropic support from the people of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Dr. Cleary serves as Technical Director of the Bioengineering Initiative within the hospital’s Sheikh Zayed Institute for Pediatric Surgical Innovation. He also is professor of Pediatrics and Radiology at The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences.
About the award
Dr. Cleary joins a distinguished group of Children’s National physicians and scientists who hold an endowed chair. Children’s National is grateful to generous donors who altogether have funded 48 professorships.
Professorships support groundbreaking work on behalf of children and their families. They foster new discoveries and innovations in pediatric medicine. These appointments reflect the recipient’s achievements and the donor’s commitment to advancing knowledge.
Under Dr. Cleary’s leadership, the Bioengineering Initiative fosters innovation via collaboration across the hospital. It fuels the development of minimally-invasive robotics that improve outcomes for children. For example, Dr. Cleary’s team is collaborating with the Division of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation to develop PedBotHome. This video game-based robotic ankle device helps children with neurological impairments such as cerebral palsy do rehabilitation exercises at home.
“I am deeply honored by this endowed professorship,” says Dr. Cleary. “It will enable me to continue to fulfill our mission of providing more precise and less invasive solutions to improve children’s health. The Sheikh Zayed Institute will continue to be a hub for technology development and innovation.”
The people of the UAE created the professorship endowment through philanthropy. The UAE’s vision and generosity will ensure that Dr. Cleary and future holders of this professorship will have the opportunity to make strategic and timely investments. This will advance the field of bioengineering and improve children’s lives.
About the donors
Children’s National takes pride in four decades of medical collaboration with the UAE. This relationship inspired a philanthropic partnership yielding more than $215 million to advance children’s health worldwide. The UAE’s generosity reflects the longstanding commitment of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, president of the UAE and ruler of Abu Dhabi.
About the Sheikh Zayed Institute for Pediatric Surgical Innovation
In 2009, the UAE generously funded the creation of the Sheikh Zayed Institute for Pediatric Surgical Innovation at Children’s National. The government of Abu Dhabi made the gift in honor of His Highness Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nayhan. Sheikh Zayed founded the UAE and served as the country’s president from 1971 until his death in 2004.
The Institute seeks to make pediatric surgery more precise, less invasive and pain free. It drives progress for children by translating breakthrough discoveries into new treatments and medical inventions. These include support for a technology that seeks to objectively measure pain through a handheld device and the first use of high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) to treat childhood nerve tissue tumors.
The Sheikh Zayed Professorship in Bioengineering is a continuation of the UAE’s investment within the Sheikh Zayed Institute.
