Charles P. Ho, PhD, MD
Director

Imaging has become a vital part of orthopaedic and sports medicine for diagnosis, treatment, and postoperative evaluation. In 2008, the department of Imaging Research was established and a director was named, making the department the newest area of research at the Institute and taking its place beside Basic Science Research, Clinical Research, and the Biomechanics Research Laboratory.

The Institute entered a strategic alliance and research collaboration with Siemens Medical Solutions USA. The Institute acquired state-of-the-art 3.0 Tesla (T) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technology with the Siemens Verio system. This technology provides the Institute’s researchers and the Clinic’s doctors and patients better access to advanced medical imaging. Patients are now able to get a more comprehensive picture of what is going on within a joint or body part, receive a more accurate diagnosis, get more focused treatment, and learn how well they respond to that treatment.

The 3T Verio has an advanced imaging system with twice the field strength of conventional MRI scanners, and it can improve substantially the imaging resolution, quality, and speed of conventional scanners. The 3T system was installed in December of 2008 and has been in use since that date.

Part of the agreement with Siemens includes plans to test and validate new software developed specifically for the type of research being conducted at the Institute. Clinically validating this process will be an important contribution to orthopaedic and sports medicine around the world. Siemens also agreed to fund this country’s first clinical sports medicine imaging research fellowship at the Institute.

The focus of Imaging Research in 2008 was to begin incorporating imaging data into the Institute’s clinical database. Imaging had been employed as an integral part of patient care at the Clinic, but the data it produced had not been collected and systematically entered into the Institute’s database until this year (2008). Now all clinical scans systematically become research scans as well.

The first initiative with the new research focus involved MRI of the knee, and the Institute began collecting data during 2008 even before the 3T was installed. The MRI data on every patient now becomes a part of the database. The database development that began in 2008 established the framework that will include scans on other joints of the body, such as the shoulder, hip, and foot and ankle.

The data collected by using the 3T also allowed the Institute to investigate specific areas related to imaging research. In one such study, a Clinic Orthopaedic Fellow conducted a study to determine the optimal positioning for scanning the elbow. There has been an ongoing debate, but no consensus, regarding the position that would provide the best view of the joint, as well as the most stable, reproducible, and comfortable position for the patient. Our research concluded that the best position, to meet these objectives, is one in which the patient lies on his/her back, elbow at the side, with palm down. The research began in 2008 and the conclusions were presented in 2009.

In summary, the highlights of Imaging Research during 2008 were (1) the establishment of the department, (2) the appointment of a director, (3) the strategic alliance and research collaboration forged between the Institute and Siemens Medical Solutions USA, (4) the installation and operation of the 3T MRI technology, and (5) the beginning of a process that will allow every scan taken in the Clinic to be entered into the clinical database for scientific research conducted by the Institute.

Erin Lucas, M.Sc., Research Engineer

Erin Lucas is a Biomedical Engineer who was recruited to join the Steadman Philippon Research Institute in January, 2011 as a Research Engineer. Erin’s research interests are in all aspects of orthopaedic injury including the mechanisms of injury, injury prevention, and repair and rehabilitation. Erin strongly believes in a multidisciplinary research environment where surgeons, radiologists, physical therapists, clinical researchers, and engineers all collaborate on measures to improve patient care. Erin is currently developing a new clinical tool for detecting early osteoarthritis in close collaboration with the surgeons at the Steadman Clinic, the Steadman Clinic radiologist and director of the imaging department, and researchers and engineers in both the clinical research and biomechanics departments.  

Erin obtained her Master of Applied Science degree in Biomedical Engineering at the University of British Columbia within the Orthopaedic Injury Biomechanics Group. Erin worked at the International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries (ICORD), and her research involved measuring the mechanical deformation of the spinal cord during a spinal cord injury using high-speed fluoroscopy. The application of this work was to improve the basic science understanding of spinal cord injuries from a mechanical standpoint and to improve existing models of the spinal cord used for developing preventative devices such as helmets.

Erin attended Virginia Tech for her Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering, where she took many courses in biomechanics. Erin’s initial plans were to continue to medical school after her engineering degree, but throughout her degree she became very interested in the engineering side of medicine. After graduating from Virginia Tech, Erin worked as a Design Engineer for Lockheed Martin. Erin was highly involved with the design of various components for US Naval ships as well as with the design and development of a new carbon nanotube composite material. She gained invaluable experience as a mechanical engineer at Lockheed Martin as she was involved in the design process from concept to completion. During this time, Erin also volunteered with an organization where she designed components for disabled individuals to help improve their quality of life. This ultimately pulled her back into biomedical engineering. Erin then accepted a research internship at the Prince of Wales Medical Research Institute in Sydney, Australia where she researched the potential for injury due to the misuse of child restraints. This internship confirmed her desire to pursue orthopaedic injury research and she continued on to graduate school.

Outside of work Erin stays active and enjoys skiing, biking, running, swimming, and backpacking. She loves the outdoorsy lifestyle that Vail offers and is looking forward to exploring the Rocky Mountains.