So what is "Orthopedic Engineering"? Is it sort of like the bionic man? Well, no it is not quite that glamorous or futuristic yet, but the advances in our knowledge of musculoskeletal biomechanics biologic and synthetic biomaterials, and implant design, development and performance certainly serve as one of the foundations of bionics. Consider that in 1988 an estimated 11 million individuals in the US had some form medical implant and 50% of these were orthopedic devices. Imagine the number of individuals who wear high-tech sneakers. Think of the increases in athlete performance over the past fifty years. All of these examples involve from some form of "Orthopedic Engineering." This talk describes the history of the discipline, subspecialties within the profession, types of implants and their materials, the role of the engineer and some of the emerging technology. Samples of orthopedic implants are exhibited.

About the Speaker: Karen E. Warden is a doctoral candidate at Case Western Reserve University specializing in spinal biomechanics. She has been active in the field for the past ten years in academic, industrial, and consulting capacities, has co-authored numerous peer reviewed publications and received research and achievement awards. Ms. Warden is currently a consultant in Cleveland, Ohio. Karen's activities include development of mechanical testing protocols for the evaluation of implants, generation and review of FDA submissions, management and coordination of mechanical experimentation, product development assistance, scientific support research for marketing documents and project management. Karen received a BSME in 1981 from the Department of Engineering, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV and in 1985 a MEBE, from the Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA.

Time:

6:00 - 6:30 p.m. "No-host" cocktails

6:30 - 7:15 p.m. Presentation

7:15 - 7:30 p.m. Questions and answers

7:30 - 8:30 p.m. Dinner

Cost:

$30.00 Members

$35.00 Non-Members

$15.00 Students