Musculoskeletal Research

Alison Bean, MD, PhD, focuses on understanding the molecular mechanisms of musculoskeletal tissue injury and repair, using this knowledge to guide the development of novel regenerative rehabilitation therapies to improve physical function.
 
Brendan McNeish, MD, is interested in the underlying causes of mobility disability in cancer survivors. Specifically, he is interested in investigating how neuromuscular and cognitive capacities change with cancer and treatment as well as how they are associated with changes in balance, gait, falls, and quality of life.
 
Amrita Sahu, PhD, is interested in applying bioengineering approaches to solve age-related declines in skeletal muscle and cognitive capacity. Her research focuses on developing regenerative medicine based therapeutics for enhancing skeletal muscle and cognitive health using rehabilitation approaches.
 
Gwendolyn Sowa, MD, PhD, focuses her research in deciphering the biology of intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD) and subsequent development of biological and biomechanical therapies guided by the basic science of the disease process. She currently performs molecular laboratory based, translational, and clinical research, investigating the effect of motion on inflammatory pathways and the beneficial effects of exercise.Projects include:
  • Alternative treatments for disc degeneration: effects on matrix homeostasis
  • Comparison of manual vs. mechanical chiropractice manipulation methods
  • Identification of biomarkers predictive of response to spinal injections
Yetsa Tuakli-Wosornu, MD, MPH, is the founding director of the Sports Equity Lab, a research group delivering athlete-centered content that tackles inequities in sport such as discrimination, social exclusion, disability stigma, harassment, abuse, and neglect, using translational bio-psychosocial science.