David Pienkowski, Ph.D., M.B.A.

Brief Biosketch:

Dr. Pienkowski is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania were he earned an MSE in Bioengineering, a PhD in Materials Science and Engineering, and a MBA from the Wharton School. Prior to joining the faculty in Biomedical Engineering, Dr. Pienkowski worked for two small start-up biomedical companies involved with developing electromagnetic tissue stimulation products.

Dr. Pienkowski is currently Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Orthopaedic Surgery. He is also the Director of Research in Orthopaedics and facilitates collaborative research between students in Biomedical Engineering and faculty in Orthopaedic Surgery.

Current Research Interests:

Dr. Pienkowski has research interests in the following areas: 1) performance of Orthopaedic implants, 2) bone structure, and 3) biomechanics of human injury. Performance of human Orthopaedic implants chiefly involves a newly emerging study which seeks to understand how the processes accompanying total joint implants affect the clinical outcomes and patient satisfaction. The bone structure research endeavor seeks to gain new insights regarding how changes in bone turnover rate, caused by osteoporosis, aging, systemic diseases, or pharmaceutical therapies, alter bone structure and its fracture susceptibility. Human injury biomechanical research is manifested by an effort to understand the biomechanics of All Terrain Vehicle accidents, a modality of injury prevalent in Appalachia. All of these research endeavors currently involve graduate students in Biomedical Engineering.

Professional Affiliations:

• American Academy of Forensic Sciences: Engineering Sciences
• American Society for Bone and Mineral Research
• Orthopaedic Research Society
• Society of Automotive Engineers

Professional Activities:

• Section Editor: Journal of Orthopaedic Trauma
• NIH Small Business Innovation Research review panel

Current Graduate Research Opportunities:

Prospective graduate students seeking either the Masters or Doctor of Philosophy degrees in Biomedical Engineering are now being actively recruited to study in the following research fields:

1. outcome metrics and patient satisfaction accompanying total hip replacement

2. fracture toughness of bone with varying turnover rate

3. dimensional and thermal effects of multiwall carbon nanotubes in bone cement

4. finite element modeling of the distal radio ulnar joint.

Recent Peer-Reviewed Publications:

Marrs B, Andrews R, Pienkowski D. “Multiwall Carbon Nanotubes Enhance the Fatigue Performance of Physiologically Maintained Methyl Methacrylate – Styrene Copolymer.” Carbon 45 (10), 2098-2104, 2007

Castellvi AE, Huang H, Saigal S, Vestgaarden T, Clabeaux DH, Pienkowski D. Stress Reduction in Adjacent Level Discs via Dynamic Instrumentation: A Finite Element Analysis. Journal of the Spine Arthroplasty Society, 1 (2), 2007

Roche C, Mattingly B, Talwalkar V, Tylkowski C, Stevens DB, Hardy PA, Pienkowski D. Tarsal Shape, Size and Articulating Surface Morphology in Adolescent Surgically Treated Clubfoot and their contralateral Normal Foot. Journal of Pediatric Orthopaedics, 26(3), 329-335, 2006

Marrs B, Andrews R, Rantell T, Pienkowski D. Augmentation of Acrylic Bone Cement with Multiwall Carbon Nanotubes. Journal of Biomedical Materials Research, 77A(2): 269-276, 2006

Recent Book Chapters:

Written (with C. Tylkowski, V. Talwalkar, C. Roche, and B. Mattingly), "Three-Dimensional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Modeling of Normal and Surgically Treated Clubfeet," in Foot and Ankle Motion Analysis: Clinical Treatment and Technology, G.F. Harris, P.A. Smith, and R.M. Marks, Eds. CRC Press, Biomedical Engineering Series, New York, NY, Chapter 5, pp. 79 – 92, 2007

Recent Patent Activity:

Electromechanical Tourniquet for Battlefield Application. Provisional United States Patent Application Serial Number 61/045,440, filed 17 April 2008

Selected Recent Presentations:

Boland M, Bader J, Royalty R, Pienkowski D, Uhl T. Determination of Joint Reaction Forces in the Distal Radioulnar Joint Using Maximal Muscle Forces. Podium presentation #479 at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, 5 – 9 March 2008, San Francisco, CA (WINNER OF BEST ACADEMY HAND POSTER)

Pienkowski D. Appearances are Deceiving: Physical Handicaps do not Necessarily Imply Diminished Braking Capabilities. Orally presented at the 60 th Annual Meeting of the Engineering Sciences Section of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, 21 February 2008, Washington, DC

Malluche H. Porter D, Faugere MC, Pienkowski D. The Importance of Bone Quality in Patients with Renal Osteodystrophy. Poster (F-PO912) presentation at the Annual Meeting of the American Society for Nephrology, 31 October 2007, San Francisco, CA

Porter D, Faugere MC, Pienkowski D, Malluche H. “Gender Related Differences in Bone Mineral Quality” Poster presentation at the 29 th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research, 18 September 2007, Honolulu, HI

Marrs B, Sinnett-Jones P, Sinclair I, Andrews R, Pienkowski D. “Multiwall Carbon Nantoubes Affect the Fatigue Crack Propagation of Orthopaedic MMA-co-Sty.” Transactions of The International Conference on Carbon, 148, 2007.

Marrs B, Andrews R, Pienkowski D. Multiwall Carbon Nanotubes Enhance the Fatigue Performance of Methyl Methacrylate Copolymer. Poster presentation at the 2007 Meeting of the Society for Biomaterials, 19 – 20 April, 2007, Chicago, IL (NOMINATED FOR BEST STUDENT RESEARCH AWARD)

Porter DS, Faugere MC, Wang G, Rosenblum W, Pienkowski D, Malluche HH. Bone Turnover and Mineral Quality in Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD). Poster presentation at the 53rd Meeting of the Orthopaedic Research Society, San Diego, CA, 11 February 2007