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Phd Projects at the Australian School of Advanced Medicine PhD projects at the Australian School of Advanced Medicine Join Macquarie’s world-leading researchers and learn from the best. The Australian School of Advanced Medicine (ASAM) is the first medical school in Australia to offer credentialled sub-specialty, post-fellowship training. Its location adjacent to the Macquarie University Hospital, Australia’s only private hospital on a university campus, affords its researchers and teachers a unique level of support. Macquarie’s medical precinct has attracted a visionary group of researchers, both basic and clinical, who translate their science into the hospital’s clinical setting. Students with an excellent record of undergraduate achievement are encouraged to apply to undertake a Master of Research or PhD in a number of exciting research fields at ASAM. Please visit our website medicine.mq.edu.au for further information. Research Projects at ASAM Cardiovascular, Cardiothoracic and Biomechanics Molecular Cancer Professor Tristan Yan, Professor Mark Baker, Professor of Proteomics Professor of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery Professor Helen Rizos, Professor, Professor Alberto Avolio, Precision Cancer Therapy Professor of Biomechanical Engineering Professor Richard Kefford, Professor, Cancer Medicine Professor Itsu Sen (Yi Qian), Professor in Biomechanics A/Prof Richard Appleyard, Head of Surgical Skills Neuroscience Training and Surgical Biomechanics Professor Mark Connor, Professor of Pharmacology Professor Jacqueline Phillips, Genetics and Infection Professor of Neuroscience Professor Simon Foote, Dean A/Prof Ann K Goodchild, Associate Professor, Systems A/Professor Brendan McMorran, and Signalling Neuroscience Group Associate Professor in Host Response to Malaria Dr Simon McMullan, Senior Lecturer Dr Gaetan Burgio, Senior Research Fellow, Genetics A/Prof Anand Deva, Associate Professor Cosmetic Neurosurgery and Plastic Surgery Professor Marcus Stoodley, Professor of Neurosurgery A/Prof Karen Vickery, MQVC Innovation Fellow and Scientific Director, Surgical Infection Research Group Ophthalmology and Vision Science Professor Stuart Graham, Professor of Ophthalmology Medical Education and Vision Science Professor Kirsty Forrest, Director of Medical Education Professor Wendy Rogers, Professor of Clinical Ethics Professor John Cartmill, Professor of Surgery Motor Neurone Disease Professor Roger Chung, Professor of Neurobiology and Neurochemistry Professor Gilles Guillemin, Professor of Neurosciences A/Prof Julie Atkin, Associate Professor of Neurochemistry and Cell Biology A/Prof Ian Blair, Associate Professor (CORE) The Australian School of Advanced Medicine 1 Cardiovascular, Cardiothoracic PhD Research Projects and Biomechanics 1. Computer Modelling of Neuromodulation Using computational modelling tools, we study Associate Professor neuromodulation to be able to better understand Richard Appleyard the mechanisms of neural stimulation and how the stimulation is affecting nearby tissue. Understanding Head of Clinical Skills Training and neuromodulation will help reduce chronic pain and Surgical Biomechanics improve quality of life for those affected by it. The Australian School of Advanced Medicine, Macquarie University Finite element modelling is a numerical approach, which can be used to solve bioelectric field problems BE (Hons), PhD (University of Sydney) with complex geometric features and tissue properties. The project uses ABAQUS as the finite element Contact Details package to simulate how electric fields are generated with human tissue in order to better understand the T: +61 (0)2 9812 3535 interaction of electric pulses with biological tissues in E: [email protected] the brain and spine. Professional Overview 2. Development of a Bone Remodelling Algorithm with Application to Knee Joint Arthroplasty A/Prof Appleyard is a Mechanical Engineer and has specialised in Biomedical Engineering for over 20 years. It is well accepted that bone adapts to mechanical As Director of the Surgical Skills Laboratory, he has stimuli by remodelling and hence redistributing research interests in surgical biomechanics, implant its’ density. Bone density distribution surrounding design and surgical planning. A/Prof Appleyard knee replacements (in both the femur and tibia) is has worked with number of major orthopaedic of interest to clinicians as it is a reliable predictor of companies and prominent surgeons on a wide variety clinical success after joint replacement surgery. Based research projects. This has lead to six patents and on Wolff’s law, the bone adapts to load decreases as 49 journal papers. a result of stress and strain shielding; hence resulting in bone resorption. This can lead to implant loosening and failure of the implant. Using computational Areas of Research Interest modelling to predict the long-term outcome of knee A/Prof Appleyard’s interest is in the biomechanics replacements is of great benefit to clinicians and of orthopaedics, and, more generally, in surgery. implant developers alike. The following are his main research areas: Mechanisms of Neuromodulation in human tissue – This study involves creating a three-dimensional using finite element modelling techniques to better patient-specific knee joint model using imaging data understand the behaviour of electrical stimulation and running finite element (FE) simulations using on human tissue. published load profiles. This allows us to predict the bone remodelling behaviour in the distal femur and Behaviour of bone following prosthesis implantation proximal tibia following a knee replacement. The effect of shoulder prosthesis design on shoulder kinematics- reverse vs anatomical designs The aim of this project is to further develop the existing bone remodelling algorithm such that it Validity of Dual Energy CT in applies to knee joints following arthroplasty (both Orthopaedic Applications uni and primary). The algorithm will be validated Macquarie University has a well equipped using existing clinical DEXA (dual energy xray biomechanics laboratory with an INSTRON biaxial absorptiometry) images and will be used to predict testing machine, 3D motion tracking system, the density distribution in the bone following cameras, transducers and data collection systems. knee arthroplasty. The biomechanics laboratory is one of a few in the world that can use human tissue for basic research. The Further information about the project can be group works closely with the Mechanical Engineering obtained from Dr Danè Turner (daneh.turner@ department on a range of research projects. mq.edu.au) or A/Prof Richard Appleyard ([email protected]) 2 The Australian School of Advanced Medicine Publications Cardiovascular and 1. Askari E, Flores P, Dabirrahmani D, Appleyard Thoracic Surgery R. Study of the friction-induced vibration and contact mechanics of artificial hip joint. Tribology International 70, 1-10 (2014) Professor Tristan Yan 2. Askari E, Flores P, Dabirrahmani D, Appleyard R. Professor of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery Nonlinear vibration and dynamics of ceramic on The Australian School of Advanced Medicine, ceramic artificial hip joints: a spatial multibody Macquarie University modelling. Nonlinear Dynamics 1-13 January (2014) BSc, MBBS (University of New South Wales), 3. Dabirrahmani D, Bokor D, Appleyard R. A novel MS (University of Sydney), MD (University of New South in-vitro testing method for reverse shoulder Wales), PhD (University of New South Wales). FRACS implants. Annals of Biomedical Engineering (2013) 4. Dabirrahmani D, Hogg M, Walker P, Biggs D, Gillies Contact Details RM. Isometric Graft Placement of a Synthetic T: +61 (0)2 9850 2779 Ligament. Computers in Biology and Medicine E: [email protected] (2013) 5. Schneider T, Dabirrahmani D, Gillies RM, Appleyard Professional Overview R. Biomechanical characteristics of the first Professor Tristan Yan is a Consultant Cardiothoracic metatarsophalangeal (MTP) joint following total Surgeon, Professor of Cardiovascular and Thoracic joint arthroplasty. Foot and Ankle International. Surgery at the Macquarie University Hospital and March (2013) Associate Clinical Professor at the University of Sydney, Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Royal Prince 6. Lustig, SL., Oussedik, S., Tam, S., Dabirrahmani, Alfred Hospital in Sydney, Australia. He was trained at D., Appleyard, R., Parker, DA.A comparison of the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital and St Vincent’s Hospital temperature rise generated in bone by the use of in Sydney and then obtained a Cardiothoracic Surgery standard oscillating saw blade and the “Precision” Fellowship from the Royal Australasian College of saw blade. Journal of Medical Devices (2012) Surgeons. Following advanced specialty fellowships in the United States, England, Scotland and Germany, he is fully trained in major thoracic aortic surgery, minimally invasive cardiac surgery, and minimally invasive thoracic surgery. He has authored or co-authored more than 180 articles and textbook chapters, with an h-index of 32 and approximately 4000 citations. Professor Yan’s research involvement and leadership extends to international projects. He is the Chairman of CORE Group International, and responsible for establishing and organizing the world’s largest multi-institutional Aortic ARCH Registry, consisting of more than 12,000 patients. He is also the founder and the Editor-in-Chief of the Annals of Cardiothoracic Surgery. Areas of Interest Professor Tristan Yan is dedicated to surgical innovations. He applies the latest pioneering techniques
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