Dr. Bassingthwaighte was elected a member of the National Academy of Engineering in recognition of his contributions to integrative physiology and bioengineering using transport theory and computational methods. He was a fellow of both the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) and the International Federation for Medical and Biological Engineering (IFMBE).
He served as President of the Biomedical Engineering Society and the Microcirculatory Society, chaired the Cardiovascular Section of the American Physiological Society, and was the Editor-in-chief of the Annals of Biomedical Engineering. He has been honored by BMES, the American Physiological Society, Maastricht University in the Netherlands, the Netherlands Biophysical Society, Cardiovascular Systems Dynamics Society, Microcirculatory Society, and McGill University, among others. He has authored over 300 peer-reviewed publications and two books, along with many lectures and contributions to other books.