Amir Manbachi

Amir Manbachi is an Associate Professor of Neurological Surgery and Biomedical Engineering at Johns Hopkins University, with joint appointments in Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine. He co-directs the HEPIUS Innovation Lab, pioneering the development of wearable and implantable ultrasound devices for spinal cord injury treatment.

Education:

• B.Sc., University of Toronto, 2008
• M.Sc., University of Toronto, 2010
• Ph.D., University of Toronto, 2015

Dr. Manbachi's research centers on medical ultrasound for neurosurgical applications, including imaging, tumor ablation, and neuromodulation. He is renowned for developing ultrasound-guided spine surgery techniques and implantable devices for spinal cord injury, such as the MUSIC and ACMI systems.

His recent publications (2022-2024) highlight a trend towards translational research, moving from computational models to human studies, with a focus on blood flow monitoring, AI-assisted imaging, and closed-loop therapeutic systems for spinal cord injury.

Dr. Manbachi has received numerous accolades, including:

• AIUM's 2024 Peter Arger Excellence Award
• Hisako Terasaki 2024 Young Innovator Award
• Baltimore Business Journal's 40 under 40 (2022, 2023)
• FDA Breakthrough Device Designation for MUSIC (2023)
• University of Toronto Inventor of the Year (2015)

He has mentored over 170 students and leads a $13.48 million DARPA-funded project to develop next-generation medical devices for spinal cord injury, with additional support from the Johns Hopkins ICTR and Maryland Innovation Initiative.

Co-directing the HEPIUS Innovation Lab, Dr. Manbachi manages a multidisciplinary team of 70+ experts across Johns Hopkins campuses, driving innovation in ultrasound technology and neurotrauma care.