MechSE assistant professor Mariana Kersh was one of eight identified as a spotlight “young investigator” by the Journal of Biomechanical Engineering for her work in pioneering future study within biomechanics.

The journal released the issue to put a spotlight on the future of musculoskeletal engineering “by highlighting young investigators working on these critical frontiers, we describe research of emerging leaders and laboratories working in musculoskeletal biomechanics.”

The article covers work in several categories: advances in assessment of tissue function in vivo; integrating physiological processes and systems within context of mechanical function; sophisticated assessments of tissue structure and function, and emerging uses of rodent models to study musculoskeletal biomechanics.

Kersh’s research surrounds the mechanics of interworking shoulder components in the context of a rotator cuff tear (RCT). An RCT occurs when one or more of the rotator cuff tendons is torn.  They are extremely common, accounting for 4.5 million physician visits a year, though there is minimal understanding of the injury and the treatment that follows.  

Her work was placed into the subsection—integrating physiological processes and systems within the context of mechanical function—because it assesses a musculoskeletal system within the context of its physiological system. The research focuses on how the timing of rotator cuff tears affects the injury and how that injury impacts other components of the shoulder.

Kersh and her research group hope that by developing a deeper understanding of the mechanical effects of rotator cuff tears, they can optimize the treatment method of RCTs.