Program: PhD in Biomedical Engineering
Year in Program: 3
Ever since I tore my anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in high school, I’ve been fascinated by the application of basic mechanical theory to the complex and wondrous system that is human physiology. UBC allows me to explore such concepts in an innovative way using advanced research methods. I really like the interdisciplinary nature of biomedical engineering at the Orthopaedic and Injury Biomechanics Group lab I work in as I get to learn from mechanical engineers, orthopaedic surgeons, and computational experts on a regular basis. Applied research is important to me and the potential to improve people’s lives while solving problems creatively is something I feel privileged to have the opportunity to pursue.
I actually hadn’t given much thought to earning a PhD before seeing a position for my thesis project posted on an international biomechanics forum while I was job hunting. It happened to be in a program at UBC, which I knew little about at the time. The more I learned, however, the more it appealed to me. The applied nature of my project combined with being supervised by experts in the field at a globally renowned institution was definitely attractive. The Vancouver location sealed the deal for me in terms of the proximity to nature, the West Coast lifestyle, and the chance to live in Canada!
My research involves exploring novel designs to develop an orthopaedic device to prevent hip fracture, which is the leading cause of injury-related death in the elderly. The device will be implanted surgically inside of the femur bone to strengthen it against forces experienced when someone falls to the side, the most common way this injury occurs. I plan to test the efficacy of this device using a previously developed test rig that simulates a sideways fall, and will travel to Switzerland to learn how to run computational models to optimize designs and predict fracture at the Swiss Federation Institute of Technology in Zurich. I aim to supplement the existing test rig with a custom high-speed x-ray system, allowing a hip fracture to be visualized as it occurs for the first time in such a realistic model.
I would love to visit all seven continents during my lifetime – and yes, that absolutely includes Antarctica. Earning a patent would be cool too.