Cynthia Schwartz, M.S.

Cynthia Schwartz will be a M1 medical student at The Ohio State University College of Medicine in August 2014. She studied Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering at The Ohio State University for her undergraduate degree and obtained her MS in Bioengineering at the University of Kansas. She grew up mostly in Powell, Ohio.

Scholarship: Barnes Medical Student Research Scholarship

Amount: $3000

Abstract:

The adult human body cannot repair skeletal segmental defects of greater than roughly one inch in size. One promising treatment involves insertion of a seeded, resorbable, polymeric scaffold, designed to position cells in the defect site, facilitating host bone ingrowth. Innovations in additive manufacturing have provided a capability to construct scaffolds to guide the infusion of new tissue. This study examines how scaffolds change both mechanically and geometrically during resorption, as simulated in a bioreactor. If resorption does not occur by the time the defect site is fully infused with new bone tissue, the bone will not remodel. Remodeling is a prerequisite of the newly formed bone gaining sufficient strength. This research will contribute understanding of chemical and mechanical processes that would bring about scaffold resorption in vivo. Testing will monitor the changes in chemical properties, structural properties, and the scaffold’s interior architecture through a simulated period of accelerated degradation.

Recent Publications

S. Wilson, S. Kieweg, B. Krishnan, A. Hodes, C. Schwartz, and C. Weiner, "Developing an understanding of the mechanics of obstetrician-applied forces during delivery with shoulder dystocia." Neonatal Brachial Plexus Palsy Conference, May 13-14, 2014, Detroit, Michigan, USA

Schwartz, C, S. Kieweg, C. Weiner, and S. E. Wilson, "Obstetrician Hand Pressures During Mock Deliveries.", Proc. ASME 2013 Summer Bioengineering Conference, Sunriver Oregon, SBC2013-14127.