Georgia Tech is preparing the next generation of leaders in biomedical engineering thanks to a new program – the Graduate Leadership Program within the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Tech and Emory University.

This program teaches Georgia Tech graduate students to be strong leaders who can readily communicate their research agendas beyond the pragmatics of scientific techniques and experimental outcomes.

So far, 16 students have completed the training and this year, 15 students are enrolled.

 “Ultimately success is dependent not just on technical skills, but also one’s ability to lead by setting the agenda and having the self-confidence to execute at a high level,” said Professor of Biomedical Engineering Ravi Bellamkonda who conceived the program in 2008 as part of an National Institutes of Health T32 Training Grant.

The program consists of an off-campus, followed by seven mentored meetings where participants explore four central concepts: self-awareness, leadership motivated by service to others, values-based leadership and the power of the individual as an agent for positive change. 

Developed in collaboration with Wendy Newstetter, director of Learning Sciences for the Coulter Department and Professor Terry Blum, director of the Institute for Leadership and Entrepreneurship, the Georgia Tech Graduate Leadership Program appears to be the first program of its kind designed specifically for graduate students in engineering.