Dr. Panitch received a BA from Smith College in Biochemistry and a BS in Chemical Engineering and a PhD in Polymer Science and Engineering from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. She completed postdoctoral training at the University of Zurich and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology. She was a faculty member at Arizona State University and Purdue University prior to joining the University of California, Davis. She currently serves as the Executive Associate Dean and the Associate Dean for Academic Personnel and Planning at the University of California, Davis. She is a member and Fellow of the Biomedical Engineering Society, the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineers (AIMBE) and the National Academy of Inventors. Dr. Panitch specializes in biopolymer design and controlled release. Her research interests include the design and synthesis of biomaterials for drug delivery and the development of biomimetic therapeutics for vascular, cartilage, dermal, neural and fibrotic diseases.