Injury Research Intern (Spring 2015)

"While studying Biomedical Engineering at Drexel University in Spring of 2015, I had the pleasure of working with Dr. Aditya Belwadi at the Center for Injury Research and Prevention (CIRP). Under his mentorship I developed a quantitative visual analysis to assess the effectiveness of supplemental restraint systems (SRS) in mitigating injury in lateral crashes using data from anthropomorphic test devices (ATDs) and finite element models (FEMs). Such research allows us to comprehend the source of common injuries sustained by children involved in side impacts accompanied by deploying airbags allowing for improved standards of safety. Guidance from refined standards passed on to the community may provide parents with better information regarding their child’s safety so that more informed decisions can be made regarding SRS purchases. I also initiated a complete literature review for future projects of injury prevention during my time at CIRP.

After working with Dr. Belwadi and the wonderful staff of CIRP, I was inspired to continue my career with a focus on injury prevention research. This led me to my current position with the Injury Biomechanics Division (IBD) at the United States Army Aeromedical Research Laboratory (USAARL) through the contracting company Laulima Government Solutions. The IBD excels at research dedicated to injury prevention and protection of soldiers, as well as blunt and accelerative impact research. My current involvement in the many projects of IBD focuses on analyzing unique accelerative impact data that would be used to both validate computational models and further develop insight into head and neck impact response and injury thresholds. With the encouragement of Dr. Belwadi and the CIRP staff, I gained extensive knowledge regarding impact analysis and an enthusiasm for injury prevention research that has led me on an extraordinary career path."