Brian Aguado ’13 MS, ’15 PhD has always valued commitments to research, diversity, and being part of a supportive community. Those qualities are some of the main reasons why he chose Northwestern and are qualities that are clearly evidenced in his career journey. An Assistant Professor at UC San Diego, Dr. Aguado runs the Aguado iBiomaterials Research Group which focuses on the study of sex differences in cardiovascular disease using biomaterial technologies. He dedicates time to cultivating a positive and supportive lab environment for his students with the hopes they'll take those practices with them as they progress in their careers. Most recently, Dr. Aguado co-founded LatinXinBME, a social media initiative dedicated to building a diverse and inclusive community of Latinx biomedical engineers and scientists to support each other personally and professionally through their careers.

On this episode of Northwestern Intersections, Dr. Aguado shares how he first became interested in sex as a biological variable, how the studies done in his lab suggests that sex chromosomes influence the way cardiovascular disease presents in men and women and underscores the importance of using precision biomaterials. He tells how an equity-based approach to biomedical engineering allows us to more effectively treat women and other populations who have been historically excluded in research. He will also share how he is building an inclusive and supportive environment in his lab, and in the field through online communities like LatinXinBME.