The Alan J. Hunt Memorial Lecture was endowed in 2013 in loving memory of Professor Alan J. Hunt, whose passion for research and mentorship helped define the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Michigan.
U-M BME welcomed Dr. Sridevi Sarma for the Alan J. Hunt Memorial Lecture on Friday, November 7. Dr. Sarma, Vice Dean for Graduate Education and Professor at Johns Hopkins University’s Institute for Computational Medicine, discussed “How Do We Measure the Health of the Brain?”—a blend of systems theory, physics, and data science shaping the future of neurological diagnosis. About 100 faculty, staff, students and Hunt family members attended the annual event, which was followed by a reception.
Unlike routine diagnostics for conditions like hypertension or high cholesterol—where a single number can indicate risk—brain health remains elusive, with no universal quantitative benchmark. Addressing this gap, Dr. Sarma introduced the Brain Entropy Index (BEI), her lab’s innovative measure integrating thermodynamics, statistical modeling, and multimodal brain imaging (EEG, fMRI, MEG). The BEI offers a holistic indicator of brain function, reliably classifying healthy and diseased states and charting a course toward a universal screening tool for neurological disorders.
The Alan J. Hunt Memorial Lecture was endowed in 2013 in loving memory of Professor Alan J. Hunt, whose passion for research and mentorship helped define the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Michigan. Each year, this lectureship hosts a distinguished scholar whose scientific achievements honor Alan’s legacy. The community is grateful for contributions supporting the Alan J. Hunt Memorial Lecture Endowed Fund, which can be made online: https://giving.umich.edu/basket/fund/796858. The Hunt Memorial Lecture continues to inspire U-M BME faculty, students, and the university campus.