Alumni Award for Outstanding Young Bioengineer – Dr. Timothy Horrell

By Holly Hinson

A member of the inaugural class of the bioengineering department, Dr. Timothy Horrell was the first student to graduate from its Masters of Engineering program. After earning kudos as the Outstanding Bioengineering Graduate Student, Dr. Horrell continued his education by pursuing his dream of becoming a physician.

Horrell felt compelled to serve in the armed forces and was chosen as a recipient of the Health Professionals Scholarship Program through the United States Army. Upon graduation from medical school, he completed surgical training at the University of Kentucky and upon completion of his residency, Dr. Horrell began active duty as a general surgeon with the United States Army. Over the last three years, Dr. Horrell has served as a staff surgeon at Fort Campbell and deployed to both Iraq and Afghanistan.

“My goal was always to become a doctor, but engineering gave me a much different perspective on the field of medicine,” said Horrell. “It gave me a structure from which to frame problems, find solutions, execute them and then keep improving those solutions as situations adapt,” he said. “Surgery was the natural extension of that thought process I learned at Speed School, and put me in a unique position to work towards improving surgical care.

After completion of his active duty commitment, Horrell hopes to complete a fellowship in minimally invasive surgery, and to contribute to the training of residents as an academic surgeon.

“Being chosen for this award is an honor, and I cannot thank those who trained me here enough for all they did to guide me along my path.”

Horrell was presented the award during Speed School’s annual awards dinner at the Brown Hotel on Oct. 21, 2022.