- Name: Clare Fitzpatrick, Ph.D.
- Institution: Boise State University
- Department: Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering
- Phone: 208-426-4027
- Email: clarefitzpatrick@boisestate.edu
- Website: https://www.boisestate.edu/coen-mbe/directory/clare-fitzpatrick/
Summary: Research at the Computational Biosciences Laboratory (CBL) at Boise State University focuses on applying computational models to understand the mechanisms of disease, injury and degeneration, and designing targeted treatment options and surgical interventions to address clinical issues and athlete performance. We work in close collaboration with surgeons and experimentalists to gather data to develop and validate our models, and then use these models to predict how our body will behavior during different activities, or how it may change as a result of injury or surgical intervention. The overall objective of this work is to improve quality of life and functional performance.
Minimum classes: N/A
Projects: The Computational Biosciences Laboratory is working to utilize computational models on a subject-specific basis to optimize surgical treatment for individual patients. Ongoing or upcoming projects in our group include: (1) data collection and subject-specific finite element model development of younger and older populations, and application of these models to understand the relationship between knee joint stability and whole-body musculoskeletal factors. (2) Development of a comprehensive multiscale neuromuscular model of the lower limb, with connectivity between tissue and whole-body function during dynamic activities for realistic investigations of musculoskeletal disease and treatment. (3) Application of computational models to develop a systems-level approach to understanding the initiation and progression of osteoarthritis. Students will assist with biomechanical/biological data collection, learn how to reconstruct a 3D model of patient anatomy from medical images, how to predict muscle forces / tissue stresses during activities from experimental data, and how to create and analyze finite element models of the knee and lower limb.