Grace O'Connell

Last updated

Grace D. O'Connell
Alma mater University of Pennsylvania, University of Maryland
Scientific career
FieldsMechanical engineering, Bio-engineering
Thesis  (2009)
Doctoral advisor Dawn Elliott

Grace D. O'Connell is an American biomechanical engineer known for her research on the biomechanics of the human spine, on the degeneration and regeneration of spinal tissue, and on the comparison of its properties with the spines of animals used in the study of lumbar disc disease. [1] She is an associate professor of mechanical engineering at the University of California, Berkeley, where she also held the Don M. Cunningham Chair in Mechanical Engineering. [2] [3]

Contents

Education and career

O'Connell was a high school student at Upper Darby High School in Pennsylvania. [4] After being inspired by a high school engineering class, and also taking flying lessons as a high school student, [1] O'Connell began an aerospace engineering program at Virginia Tech [5] and then transferred to the University of Maryland, College Park, graduating in 2004. She earned a Ph.D. in bioengineering in 2009 from the University of Pennsylvania, [2] supervised by Dawn Elliott. [6]

She was a postdoctoral researcher with Clark Hung [6] at Columbia University from 2009 to 2013 before joining the University of California, Berkeley faculty. [2] She has also held an adjunct faculty position in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of California, San Francisco since 2017. [5] At Berkeley, she was promoted to a tenured associate professorship in 2019. [6] In 2021 she was named as associate dean for inclusive excellence in the UC Berkeley College of Engineering. [7]

Outreach

O'Connell is a member of the National Society of Black Engineers and the Society of Women Engineers. [5] As a woman of color in engineering, she has been sensitive to the challenges faced by minorities in engineering and has worked to improve the diversity of the field. [4] Her work in this area has included serving as an advisor for the Berkeley Society of Women Engineers and Black Engineering and Science Student Association, and leading the Berkeley Girls in Engineering Program. [5]

Recognition

O'Connell was the 2019 recipient of the Y. C. Fung Young Investigator Award of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, named for her "pioneering work in multiscale mechanics of musculoskeletal soft tissues". [8] [9] She was named as a Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering in 2021 "for outstanding contributions to understanding biomechanical degeneration and failure of fiber-reinforced biological tissues by creating integrated computational and experimental approaches". [3]

Upper Darby High School named her to their alumni wall of fame in 2021. [4] In 2022, O'Connell received the early career distinguished alumni award from the College of Engineering at the University of Maryland. [10]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Biomedical engineering</span> Application of engineering principles and design concepts to medicine and biology

Biomedical engineering (BME) or medical engineering is the application of engineering principles and design concepts to medicine and biology for healthcare purposes. BME is also traditionally logical sciences to advance health care treatment, including diagnosis, monitoring, and therapy. Also included under the scope of a biomedical engineer is the management of current medical equipment in hospitals while adhering to relevant industry standards. This involves procurement, routine testing, preventive maintenance, and making equipment recommendations, a role also known as a Biomedical Equipment Technician (BMET) or as clinical engineering.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Biomechanics</span> Study of the mechanics of biological systems

Biomechanics is the study of the structure, function and motion of the mechanical aspects of biological systems, at any level from whole organisms to organs, cells and cell organelles, using the methods of mechanics. Biomechanics is a branch of biophysics.

Yuan-Cheng "Bert" Fung was a Chinese-American bioengineer and writer. He is regarded as a founding figure of bioengineering, tissue engineering, and the "Founder of Modern Biomechanics".

Upper Darby High School (UDHS) is a four-year public high school located in Upper Darby Township in Delaware County, Pennsylvania. It is part of the Upper Darby School District. Established in 1895, it is the oldest high school in Delaware County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">C. Daniel Mote Jr.</span> American mechanical engineer

Clayton Daniel Mote Jr. is the President Emeritus of the National Academy of Engineering. He served as the president of the NAE from July 2013 to June 2019. He also served as President of the University of Maryland, College Park from September 1998 until August 2010. From 1967 to 1991, Mote was a professor in mechanical engineering at the University of California, Berkeley, and served as Vice Chancellor at Berkeley from 1991 to 1998. Mote is a judge for the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Biological engineering</span> Application of biology and engineering to create useful products

Biological engineering or bioengineering is the application of principles of biology and the tools of engineering to create usable, tangible, economically-viable products. Biological engineering employs knowledge and expertise from a number of pure and applied sciences, such as mass and heat transfer, kinetics, biocatalysts, biomechanics, bioinformatics, separation and purification processes, bioreactor design, surface science, fluid mechanics, thermodynamics, and polymer science. It is used in the design of medical devices, diagnostic equipment, biocompatible materials, renewable energy, ecological engineering, agricultural engineering, process engineering and catalysis, and other areas that improve the living standards of societies.

Kyriacos A. Athanasiou is a Greek Cypriot-American bioengineer who has contributed significantly to both academic advancements as well as high-technology industries. He is currently a Distinguished Professor at the University of California, Irvine. He joined UCI from the University of California, Davis where he also served as the Chair of the Biomedical Engineering department. Before joining the University of California in 2009, he was the Karl F. Hasselmann Professor at Rice University. He has published hundreds of scientific articles detailing structure-function relationships and tissue engineering approaches for articular cartilage, the knee meniscus, and the temporomandibular joint.

Evan Flatow, M.D. is an American orthopaedic surgeon-scientist. As of 2023, he is President of Mount Sinai West, part of the Mount Sinai Health System. He published more than 400 book chapters and peer-reviewed articles. Flatow is indicated as principal or co-principal investigator for nine research grants and listed on six patents for influential shoulder implant systems.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Van C. Mow</span>

Van C. Mow is a Chinese-born-American bioengineer, known as one of the earliest researchers in the field of biomechanics.

Lori Ann Setton is an American biomechanical engineer noted for her research on mechanics and mechanobiology of the intervertebral disc, articular cartilage mechanics, drug delivery, and pathomechanisms of osteoarthritis. She is currently the Department Chair as well as the Lucy and Stanley Lopata Distinguished Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis.

Marjolein Christine Hermance van der Meulen is an American engineer who currently serves as James M. and Marsha McCormick Director of Biomedical Engineering and Swanson Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Cornell University and is a Senior Scientist in the Research Division of the Hospital for Special Surgery.

Caitríona Lally is a professor of Bioengineering in Trinity College, Dublin. She has been a qualified mechanical engineer since 1997. She did a PhD in cardiovascular biomechanics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christopher J. Hernandez</span> American engineer and scientist

Christopher J. Hernandez is an American engineer and scientist who currently serves as professor at the University of California, San Francisco in the departments of Orthopaedic Surgery and Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences.

Beth Ann Winkelstein is the Interim Provost and the Eduardo D. Glandt President’s Distinguished Professor at the University of Pennsylvania. Winkelstein has established an active research program that is recognized for elucidating the mechanisms of subfailure cervical spine injuries and the cellular events surrounding the etiology of chronic pain. She is further recognized for longstanding contributions to the discipline of biomechanics and for mentoring many students that have followed into research active careers.

Elizabeth G. Loboa is an American biomedical engineer, inventor, researcher and academic administrator currently serving at Southern Methodist University (SMU) as provost and vice president for academic affairs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lakiesha Williams</span> American biomedical engineer

Lakiesha Williams is a biomedical engineer and an Associate Professor at the University of Florida. Williams specializes in traumatic brain injury and biomechanics. Specifically, her work involves the modelling and mechanics of soft tissue, and how outside influences affect their structure. Much of her work on repetitive brain trauma involves utilizing preclinical models to study the long term neurodegenerative effects of damages. She grew up in New Orleans, with her dad working as a carpenter. Williams went on to become a first generation college student, college graduate, and now, an Associate Professor.

Beth L. Pruitt is an American mechanical engineer. Upon completing her master's degree in manufacturing systems engineering from Stanford University, Pruitt served as an officer in the United States Navy. She is a full professor of mechanical engineering at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Farshid Guilak is an American engineer and orthopedic researcher. He is the Mildred B. Simon Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at Washington University in St. Louis and director of research at Shriners Hospitals for Children. He is also on the faculty of the departments of Biomedical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering & Materials Science, and Developmental Biology at Washington University.

Elizabeth T. Hsiao-Wecksler is an American biomechanics researcher specializing in human gait and balance, and in the design of devices for assisting in gait and posture. She is a professor and Willett Faculty Scholar in the Department of Mechanical Science & Engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Dawn M. Elliott is an American biomedical engineer whose research concerns the biomechanics of connective tissue including the tendons, menisci, and intervertebral discs. She is Blue and Gold Distinguished Professor of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Delaware, adjunct professor of orthopaedic surgery at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, and the former president of the Biomedical Engineering Society.

References

  1. 1 2 Glazer, Amanda (September 26, 2019), "Understanding the Mechanics: An Interview with Grace O'Connell", Berkeley Science Review, retrieved 2023-01-04
  2. 1 2 3 "Grace D. O'Connell, PhD", Berkeley Biomechanics, University of California, Berkeley, retrieved 2023-01-04
  3. 1 2 Dr. Grace O'Connell to be inducted into medical and biological engineering elite (PDF), AIMBE, February 15, 2021, retrieved 2023-01-04
  4. 1 2 3 Alumni Wall of Fame, Upper Darby School District, retrieved 2023-01-04; Grace O'Connell, Class of 2000 (PDF), Upper Darby School District, retrieved 2023-01-04
  5. 1 2 3 4 Curriculum vitae (PDF), University of California, San Francisco, 2018, retrieved 2023-01-04
  6. 1 2 3 Blake, Amber (November 24, 2020), Grace O'Connell, PhD, Orthopaedic Research Society, retrieved 2023-01-04
  7. ↑ "Grace O'Connell", Equity in Graduate Education Resource Center, University of Southern California, retrieved 2023-01-04
  8. ↑ Y. C. Fung Young Investigator Award, American Society of Mechanical Engineers, retrieved 2023-01-04
  9. ↑ ME Assistant Professor Grace O'Connell to Receive 2019 Y.C. Fung Early Career Award, Berkeley Mechanical Engineering, January 11, 2019, retrieved 2023-01-04
  10. ↑ https://eng.umd.edu/news/story/introducing-the-early-career-distinguished-alumni-society
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.