Personnel

Investigators

Gina Bertocci, PhD, PE; Director, Canine Biomechanics Lab. Dr. Bertocci is a Professor in Bioengineering, Mechanical Engineering and Pediatrics, and is the Endowed Chair of Biomechanics. Dr. Bertocci's academic training is in Mechanical Engineering and Bioengineering. She completed her PhD in Bioengineering from the University of Pittsburgh in 1997. Her research has focused on injury biomechanics and rehabilitation biomechanics in the fields of child abuse, wheelchair transportation safety, and canine cruciate disease. This work has utilized computer simulation to investigate injury risk by characterizing the effects of injury on biomechanical structures and evaluating subject-specific musculoskeletal characteristics that may influence injury potential. Dr. Bertocci established the Canine Biomechanics Laboratory to compliment the Injury Risk Assessment and Prevention Laboratory (for which Dr. Bertocci is also Director) in 2006 following a cranial cruciate ligament injury in one of her dogs. She is therefore interested in working towards gaining an understanding of factors that influence cruciate ligament rupture and efficacy of canine stifle (knee) surgical stabilization procedures. She is also interested in veterinary pressure ulcer prevention, canine mobility, and evaluation of canine biomechanics and recovery following spinal cord injury associated with intervertebral disk herniation. See Dr. Bertocci's full CV.

Email: g.bertocci@louisville.edu

Phone: (502) 852-0296

Nathan Brown, PhD, is a Research Engineer in Bioengineering at the University of Louisville. He has worked in the Canine Biomechanics Lab at the Injury Risk Assessment and Prevention (iRAP) Lab since 2007 and received his PhD in Mechanical Engineering in December 2012. His PhD dissertation was titled "Development of a canine stifle computer model to evaluate cranial cruciate ligament deficiency and surgical management," which used 3D computer modeling to investigate ligament loads and stability in the canine knee. He will use the canine knee computer model to further investigate orthopedic surgeries and braces that stabilize the cranial cruciate ligament deficient canine knee. Nathan’s primary research focus is to utilize computer modeling to simulate neuromusculoskeletal biomechanics. Nathan also contributes to pediatric bone health and fall dynamics investigations. He currently teaches BE581 - Advanced CAD and Manufacturing and BE630 - Biomechanical Computer Modeling and Simulation of Human Movement.

Email: npbrow02@louisville.edu

Phone: (502) 852-0279

Gregory States, B.S., is a Master's student in Bioengineering at the University of Louisville who has been working in the Canine Biomechanics and Injury Risk Assessment and Prevention (iRAP) labs since August 2013. His primary project is the development of a musculoskeletal model of Dachshund pelvic limbs in order to quantitatively define recovery following naturally occurring spinal cord injury. Greg plans to pursue a Ph.D in bioengineering, and potentially a doctorate in physical therapy.

Collaborators

Dena Howland, PhD, OT, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Neurological Surgery and is the Rebecca F. Hammond Endowed Chair for Spinal Cord Injury Research in the Kentucky Spinal Cord Injury Research Center at the University of Louisville. Dr. Howland is also the Director of the Laboratory of Neural Repair, Plasticity and Functional Recovery and is distinguished as a Research Career Scientist in Rehabilitation, Research and Development with the Department of Veterans Affairs. Dr. Howland's research focuses on understanding the response of the spinal cord to injury and identifying approaches to enhance repair, plasticity and motor recovery.

Gwendolyn Levine, DVM, Diplomate ACVP (Clinical Pathology), is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Veterinary Pathobiology at Texas A&M University. Dr. Levine characterizes normal and abnormal gait in dogs with neurologic injury using clinical assessment scores, motion capture systems, and force platforms. She is also interested in biomarkers in neurologic and orthopedic disease.

Jon Levine, DVM, Diplomate ACVIM (Neurology), is an Associate Professor in Neurology/Neurosurgery and Surgery Section Chief in the Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences at Texas A&M University. Dr. Levine has research expertise in naturally-occurring canine spinal cord injury, particularly in the performance of pre-clinical trials, spinal cord MRI, and discovery of injury biomarkers. He also has expertise in neuro-oncology.

Denis Marcellin-Little, DEDV, Diplomate AECVS, Diplomate ACVSMR, is a Professor of Orthopedic Surgery in the Department of Clinical Sciences College of Veterinary Medicine at North Carolina State University. Dr. Marcellin-Little has clinical expertise in total hip replacement, external fixation, treatment of bone deformities, and physical therapy. He is also interested in canine stifle biomechanics, cranial cruciate ligament disease, and surgical stabilization procedures for the cranial cruciate ligament-deficient stifle.

Patsy Mich, DVM, MS, Diplomate ABVP, Diplomate ACVAA, CCRT, specializes in veterinary orthotics and prosthetics and is a certified canine rehabilitation therapist and faculty member at the Canine Rehabilitation Institute, Inc. Dr. Mich is also an affiliate faculty member in the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at Colorado State University. She is interested in the impact of limb dysfunction or loss on biomechanics, mobility and long-term comfort, use of veterinary orthotics and prosthetics as pain management tools, clinical assessment of pain, and regional analgesia. Dr. Mich is co-owner and chief medical officer of OrthoPets, LLC in Denver, Colorado.