Congratulations to Ellie Karren, this year’s BME and PCoE Outstanding Undergraduate Researcher! As an undergraduate Biomedical Engineering major, Ellie worked under BME Career line Associate Research Professor, Ben Ellis, for nearly two years. Utilizing world-renowned open-source software FEBio, developed and supported at the University of Utah under BME faculty Jeff Weiss, Ellie performed complex computational finite element (FE) biomechanics modeling on cervical spine fusion models. Specifically, she focused on the craniocervical junction (CCJ), a complex transitional spine region between the base of the skull and the top (cervical) segments of the spine near the skull. Ellie aimed to provide detailed biomechanical assessment of the cervical spine after craniocervical junction surgical fusion using FE analysis in order to identify risks for adjacent segment disease. She hypothesized that increasing the levels of spine fusion would lead to reduced CCJ range of motion, increases in disc stress, and increased facet forces. Her modeling results provided new insights into cervical spine biomechanics after fusion.
Ellie and supervisor Ellis are the first to perform comprehensive biomechanical evaluation of the entire cervical spine following CCJ fusion. She exploited her facile expertise in Python coding to create new spine-specific computational modules and data handling packages in FEBio. This has in turn provided significant speed advantages in running complex FE models of the spine. This has significant clinical implications for neurosurgeons and their patient’s undergoing fusion and a major factor for Ellie’s nomination as BME’s Outstanding Undergraduate Researcher.
Ellie’s mentor, Graduate Research Assistant, James Anderson spoke highly of her work, “Ellie has engaged fully in the research process since day one, and has continued to go above and beyond expectations to this day. Her hard work has given us a substantial amount of data that will help surgeons better treat patients. Her talent with python has really improved our workflow and made our research much easier and more efficient.”
Ellie was considered in the annual Price College of Engineering Outstanding Undergraduate Researcher award and won. She now moves on to be considered on the University level.