Suzanne Eskin, Ph.D.

Suzanne "Suzie" Gaston Eskin, principal research scientist in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University, passed away on March 27 after a long battle with Lewy Body Disease. Eskin came to the Department in 2003 after relocating to Atlanta with her husband, and fellow research professor Larry V. McIntire.

For more than 21 years, her research at Georgia Tech led to important insights on how blood flow affects the function of the body’s vasculature, particularly in disease states such as atherosclerosis and stroke. Eskin was a pioneer in the development of human cell culture models that could recapitulate important aspects of a tissue’s response to injury and disease. 

Her mentorship of students has prompted many to pursue academic careers, exploring the role and effects of hemodynamic forces on disease states such as atherosclerosis, thrombosis, inflammation, and the response of tissues to biomaterials. 

For these reasons, Eskin was named a Regents' Researcher by the Georgia Board of Regents in 2011, a title representing the highest academic status bestowed by the University System of Georgia to recognize those who have a substantial, significant, and ongoing record of scholarly achievement that has earned high national esteem over a sustained period.

Eskin was born on November 26, 1939 in Houston, Texas.  She attended Lamar High School in Houston and earned her BS and MA in Biology from Rice University.  She went on to earn a PhD in Zoology from the University of Texas at Austin.