Johnson Receives Withrow Teaching Excellence Award

April 25, 2023

IIT-affiliated faculty member, Dr. Brian Johnson, received the Withrow Teaching Excellence Award in Biomedical Engineering from the College of Engineering.

Students in the MSU College of Engineering nominate their favorite faculty members for the highly prized annual Withrow Teaching Excellence Awards. The teaching distinction is for distinguished service to the university and the student body. The honors are part of the annual Withrow Endowed Award program, which was established through a gift from Jack Withrow (BS, MECH EGR, ’54; MBA ’71) and Dottie Withrow (BA, speech therapy and elementary education, ’55). The awards were presented on Wednesday, March 22, during a banquet at the University Club.

Johnson is an assistant professor in the department of Biomedical Engineering and the department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, as well as an affiliated faculty member of the IIT. He is an interdisciplinary researcher who engages students in a broad range of biomedical engineering topics. His NIH-funded research applies digital manufacturing tools (primarily CAD, CAM, and CNC machining) to construct biomimetic models of human development and disease.

He leverages his experience patenting and commercializing technologies to cultivate entrepreneurial interests and skills in his students. He applies scientific teaching pedagogy he learned via a Howard Hughes Medical Institute teaching fellowship to develop an inclusive, goal-oriented, and engaging teaching philosophy that he applies in the classroom. 

He also drives students to be forward-thinking about their career goals by organizing career panels and encouraging students to identify the skills and experiences needed to pursue their own unique career interests. 

Congratulations to Dr. Johnson on this wonderful honor!

To read more about the Withrow Teaching Excellence Awards, please visit: https://www.egr.msu.edu/news/2023/03/20/eight-faculty-honored-distinguished-service-students.