McKay Orthopaedic Research Laboratory > Elliott Lab > Dawn M. Elliott

Dawn M. Elliott, Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery
Associate Professor of Bioengineering

HOMETOWN
Monroe, Michigan

EDUCATION
Ph.D. Biomedical Engineering, 1999, Duke University
M.S. Engineering Mechanics, 1995, University of Cincinnati
B.S. Mechanical Engineering, 1988, University of Michigan

AREAS OF EXPERTISE
Biomechanics of collagenous soft tissues
Intervertebral disc function, degeneration, restoration

AREAS OF SPECIAL INTEREST
Dr. Elliott studies the biomechanical function of orthopaedic soft tissues in health, aging, degeneration, injury and healing. Her primary focus is the intervertebral disc, which supports and distributes loads and permits motions of the spine. She also studies other tissues including tendon, ligament, meniscus, and articular cartilage.

With age, the intervertebral disc undergoes progressive and irreversible degenerative changes that often lead to low back pain. Surgical treatment options are extremely limited and do not restore disc function. To describe the complex material behaviors of these tissues, including anisotropy, nonlinearity, inhomogeneity, and viscoelasticity, Dr. Elliott primarily uses mathematical models and mechanical tests. The mathematical models are applied to the study of human tissue as well as animal models which mimic human conditions. Mathematical models and mechanical tests, in combination with biochemical composition and microstructural measurements, lead to a better understanding of tissue function as well as the mechanisms for degeneration, injury and healing. In addition, the detailed knowledge of material behaviors gained through these methods is valuable in the development and evaluation of new treatments, such as surgical repair and tissue engineering.

RECENT PUBLICATIONS

1. Boxberger JI, Auerbach JD, Sen S, Elliott DM, An in vivo model of reduced nucleus pulposus glycosaminoglycan content in the rat lumbar intervertebral disc, Spine 33(2): 146-54, 2008
2. Elliott DM, Yerramalli CS, Beckstein JC, Boxberger JI, Johannessen W, Vresilovic EJ, The effect of relative needle diameter in puncture and sham injection animal models of degeneration, Spine 33(6): 588-96, 2008
3. Beckstein JC, Sen S, Schaer TP, Vresilovic EJ, Elliott DM, Comparison of animal discs used in disc research to human lumbar disc: axial compression mechanics and glycosaminoglycan content, Spine 33(6): E166-73, 2008
4. Nguyen AM, Johannessen W, Yoder JH, Wheaton AJ, Vresilovic EJ, Borthakur A, Elliott DM, Noninvasive quantification of human nucleus pulposus pressure with use of T1rho-weighted magnetic resonance imaging, J Bone Joint Surg Am 90(4): 796-802, 2008
5. Schroeder Y, Elliott DM, Wilson W, Baaijens FP, Huyghe JM, Experimental and model determination of human intervertebral disc osmoviscoelasticity, J Orthop Res, 2008
6. Espinoza Orías AA, Malhotra NR, Elliott DM, Rat Disc Torsional Mechanics: Effect of Lumbar and Caudal Levels and Axial Compression Load, The Spine Journal, in press
7. Nerurkar NL, Mauck RL and Elliott DM, Integrating theoretical and experimental methods for functional tissue engineering of the annulus fibrosus, Spine, in press (Awarded ISSLS Prize)