Recipient of the Dr. Marc and Mrs. Senenne Philippon Research Scholarship

Lindsay-HessThis summer at the University of Pittsburgh’s Musculoskeletal Research Center, I worked with Ms. Jonquil Mau under the guidance of Dr. Woo on a project involving the biomechanical evaluation of a rotator cuff repair using Magnesium-based suture anchors in a goat model.  The purpose of using Magnesium-based suture anchors as a viable alternative for rotator cuff repair is that it has good biocompatibility, controllable degradation, the potential to promote bone formation, desirable mechanical properties, and eliminates MRI interference.  Based on our results, we concluded that the Magnesium-based suture anchors are suitable for rotator cuff repair. Over the twelve week internship, I learned an abundance of new information and a variety of new skills.  As this was my first research experience, I learned about the general research process.  Within the projects that my fellow interns and I worked on, I studied the anatomy of the shoulder and the knee.  I learned about rotator cuff repair and ACL repair surgeries and techniques from the literature, and I also learned how to carefully read and analyze this literature to present the information to my peers. Furthermore, I learned how lab procedures work, how to dissect, pot, and test the specimen, and how to analyze the results from the testing.  Moreover, I was taught how to use SolidWorks to design a custom suture anchor driver to perform the surgeries in our project.  Finally, I learned how to present the results of my research to my peers in a symposium and how to write a report of my research.