McKay Orthopaedic Research Laboratory > Elliott Lab > Jesse Beckstein

Jesse Beckstein

Graduate Student in Bioengineering
University of Pennsylvania

HOMETOWN
Grafton, NY

EDUCATION
B.S. Biomedical Engineering 2004, University of Rochester

AREAS OF SPECIAL INTERESTS
Jesse has been working towards her Ph.D. in the McKay lab since March 2005. She is interested in IVD mechanics at the motion segment level. She is developing protocols to test IVD mechanics in torsion, flexion, extension and lateral bending. Once established, Jesse will look at the effects of cyclic fatigue loading and nucleus pulposus alteration on the mechanics of the IVD for each loading modality. She also hopes to investigate the topic of annular tears, including why, where and how they develop.

PUBLICATIONS

1. Beckstein JC, Sen S, Schaer TP, Vresilovic EJ, Elliott DM. Comparison of Animals Used in Disc Research to Human Lumbar Disc: Axial Compression Mechanics and Biochemical Composition. Spine 2007 IN PRESS.

CONFERENCE PAPERS

1. Beckstein JC, Espinoza Orías, AA, Cloyd JM, Boxberger JI, Vresilovic EJ, Elliott DM. Axial and torsion disc mechanics for several animals compared to the human disc. 53rd Annual Meeting of the Orthopaedic Research Society, San Diego, CA, February 11-14, 2007.