Jay D. Humphrey is John C. Malone Professor and former Chair of the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Yale University. He received the Ph.D. degree in Engineering Science and Mechanics from The Georgia Institute of Technology and completed a post-doctoral fellowship in Cardiovascular Research at The Johns Hopkins University. He authored the book Cardiovascular Solid Mechanics: Cells, Tissues, and Organs, co-authored the book Style and Ethics of Communication in Science and Engineering, co-edited the book Cardiovascular Soft Tissue Mechanics, and authored or co-authored chapters for over 30 other books or encyclopedias as well as over 400 archival technical papers. He served as Chair of the United States National Committee on Biomechanics and was founding co-Editor In Chief for the international journal Biomechanics and Modeling in Mechanobiology. He is Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (Bioengineering Division), the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineers, and the International Academy of Medical and Biological Engineering.

Sherry L. O'Rourke is a Technical Field Engineer at Medtronic Inc. in the Cardiac Rhythm Disease Management Division. She received the B.S. and M.S. degrees in Biomedical Engineering from Texas A&M University and co-authored an archival paper on the biomechanics of the lens capsule of the eye, which is important in understanding device design for cataract surgery. Since graduation she has spent her professional life dedicated to designing, developing, and teaching programs to help physicians, residents, and nurses ensure that patients receive the maximum benefit from pacemakers and implantable defibrillators that are designed for those suffering from chronic heart disease.