SEMINAR

DEPARTMENT OF BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING

Computational Tools for the Evaluation of Biomechanically Based Treatments of Knee OA

Rajshree Hillstrom, PhD, MBA, New York University

Abstract

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the number one cause of disability in the world, costing $486.4 billion/year in the USA alone.  Dr. Hillstrom will introduce her holistic approach to investigating OA from the epidemiological, in vivo, in vitro and in silico approaches.  Then she will focus on the development and validation of her finite element knee model.  Finally, she will show how the model was used to investigate the effectiveness of different surgical treatment methods including high tibial osteotomy, partial meniscectomy and internally unloading the medial knee compartment. 

Biography

Rajshree Hillstrom, PhD, MBA, is an Industry Professor of Biomedical Engineering at New York University (NYU), Visiting Scientist at the Hospital for Special Surgery and Visiting Professor at Columbia University. Prior to joining NYU, Dr Hillstrom was Associate Professor of Medical Engineering at Anglia Ruskin University (UK) and directed the Medical Engineering Research Group, where she developed the BEng Medical Engineering and MSc Engineering Management programs, and designed and led the development of a state-of-the-art movement analysis laboratory (for in vivo research), a biomechanics/biomaterials laboratory (for in vitro research) and a computational simulation suite (for in silico research) to advance research in osteoarthritis. 

Dr Hillstrom’s extramural research collaborations with investigators from the Hospital for Special Surgery, Mid-Essex Hospitals Trust, Harvard University, Boston University, and Columbia University has led to a number of international awards and funded grants. Dr Hillstrom has been the Principal Investigator on 20 OA-related grants, including a three-year study from Versus Arthritis to investigate a less invasive approach towards treating knee OA.  She was the primary supervisor for 10 PhD students and 10 research fellows/associates. Dr R Hillstrom’s research has focused upon computational modeling of human joints by finite element methods to predict the effects of surgical reconstructions on joint stress in the knee, hip, tooth and big toe.