Nemours Biomedical Research

Robert Akins, Jr., PhD, FAHA

Robert Akins Jr.

Co-Director, Center for Pediatric Clinical Research and Development
Senior Scientist / Lab Head, Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine Research
College of Health Sciences

Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children
Nemours Biomedical Research
1600 Rockland Road
Wilmington, DE 19803

Phone: (302) 651-6811
Fax: (302) 651-6897
E-mail: rakins@nemours.org

Education
Ph.D., Cell and Molecular Biology, University of Pennsylvania, 1992
B.A., Biochemistry, University of Pennsylvania, 1984

Biography:
Dr. Akins received his BA and PhD degrees from the University of Pennsylvania. He completed postdoctoral training at Thomas Jefferson University and the Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children. He joined the Nemours faculty in 1995, and has been the Head of Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine Research since 1997. As Senior Scientist and Head of Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine Research at Nemours Biomedical Research, Dr. Akins' laboratory focuses on the development of advanced therapies to treat acquired and congenital diseases of muscle. He has a particular interest in the application of advanced biomaterials to direct the functional regeneration of diseased muscular tissues. Current projects address diseases that profoundly impact human health and include developing biosynthetic implants to treat pediatric and adult cardiovascular diseases and devising regenerative strategies to improve skeletal muscle innervation in children with physical disabilities.

In his role as Scientific Director of the Center for Pediatric Clinical Research and Development, Dr. Akins works to develop mentoring programs, training opportunities, and collaborations for clinical investigators and to facilitate the development of externally-funded, translational research programs at Nemours.

Dr. Akins currently serves on the editorial boards of the journals DNA & Cell Biology and Clinical Medicine - Pediatrics. He is an adjunct professor in Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Delaware. Dr. Akins serves on advisory boards for Mollenium, Inc. (since 2001), The PMD Foundation (since 2008), and the University of Delaware's Quantitative Biology training program (since 2009). He is an inaugural Fellow of the American Heart Association Council on Cardio-Thoracic and Vascular Surgery (since 2002). He is the founding chair of the Institutional Biosafety Committee at Nemours/Alfred I duPont Hospital for Children, and is the program chair for the Nemours Symposia on Pediatric Medical Research, which he established in 2001. He currently holds four patents in the areas of protein detection and separation.

RECENT PRESS

Health experts to address issues in education, research, practice
January 26, 2012--DHSA will hold its inaugural Global Health Symposium on Saturday, Feb. 4 at CCHS. The program will focus on education, research and practice, with presentations on topics ranging from refugee health clinics and relief medicine to anthropological approaches to the study of global health.
Christiana Care issues a call to men to prevent domestic violence
January 24, 2012--Christiana Care, a National Community Center of Excellence in Women's Health, has been working for years to help women who are victims of domestic violence at an annual event that offers resources, education and support.
After Holiday Eating Marathon, Jefferson Dietitian Offers 10 Tips to Get Back on Track and Kick Start New Year's Weight Loss Resolution
January 4, 2012--Celebrating the New Year goes hand-in-hand with creating resolutions to get healthy and trim - especially after weeks of holiday marathon eating. Dietitian Emily Rubin, R.D., L.D., with the Division of Gastroenterology at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, says you can stay committed to being healthy and fit by following these 10 tips.
Procedure saves teen after rare carotid trauma
January 4, 2012--Neurointerventionalist Gregg Zoarski, M.D.'s recent surgical grand rounds lecture on carotid artery injuries focused on how to repair traumatic injuries to these vital vessels that supply blood to the brain.
Medical students delighted with Delaware branch campus Christiana Care is participating in Jefferson Medical College’s Delaware Branch Campus program, underscoring the transformative role the health system plays in medical education.
December 23, 2011--This achievement specifically spotlights our core competency in providing clinical education to third- and fourth-year medical students. Christiana Care has a long-standing relationship in providing first-rate medical education to students from Jefferson, one of the country's top-rated medical collleges.
Healthy Kids Delaware (HKD) Network celebrated its one-year anniversary earlier this month.
December 22, 2011--Earlier this month the Healthy Kids Delaware (HKD) network celebrated its one-year anniversary. The Healthy Kids Delaware network has been working to address health and wellness needs of children throughout New Castle County.
Interprofessional Care for the 21st Century: Redefining Education and Practice
December 14, 2011--Registration is now open for Jefferson InterProfessional Education Center's (JCIPE) 2012 conference: Interprofessional Care for the 21st Century: Redefining Education and Practice. The conference will be held on May 18-19, 2012 at Dorrance H. Hamilton Building, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA. The purpose of this conference is to showcase scholarly work and works in progress advancing interprofessional education and/or practice. This conference reflects on innovative implementation and evaluation strategies of the interprofessional competencies.
Nemours participates in Partnership for a Healthier America Summit
December 8, 2011--The Partnership, of which Nemours is a founding member, has a mission of supporting First Lady Michelle Obama's Let's Move! campaign by working with the private sector to fight childhood obesity. The theme that emerged at the summit, a gathering of leaders from business and industry, academia, nonprofits and government, was: "Make the healthy choice the easy choice."
DHSA plans workshop on collaborative education for clinicians and scientists
December 8, 2011--DHSA will host "Creating Clinical and Research Teams for the Future: Workshop on Collaborative Education for Clinicians and Scientists" on Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2012, at the Ammon Education Center of Christiana Hospital. This workshop focuses on developing skills to write educational grants. The program will include information on how to obtain educational grant funding, set goals and evaluate an educational program, and develop an application for the DHSA Education Pilot Award.