Directory

Lauren Watkins, PhD is a Biomedical Engineer and Research Scientist in the Biomedical Engineering and Imaging Research department at Steadman Philippon Research Institute. She received her BS and MS in Biomedical Engineering at Purdue University, where she focused on tissue engineering for bone regeneration. She then completed her PhD training in Bioengineering at Stanford University. As a PhD student, she worked with Feliks Kogan, Marc Levenston, and Garry Gold to develop new strategies for imaging of joint structure and function in knee osteoarthritis. Her research interests are focused on quantitative MRI and PET imaging techniques to look at changes in bone and cartilage related to osteoarthritis onset and progression.

At SPRI, her goal is to use her expertise in bone and cartilage imaging to monitor therapies and treatments that restore or maintain musculoskeletal function. She plans to integrate imaging with biomechanics and regenerative medicine for comprehensive assessments of orthopaedic disorders and treatments. She helps design, initiate and investigate imaging outcomes of federally funded and industry-sponsored clinical studies.

Honors and Awards
2020: Summa Cum Laude Merit Award, International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine
2020: Top-Scoring Musculoskeletal Abstract, International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine
2018-2020: Travel Award, International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine
2019-2020: Travel Award, Stanford Bio-X
2019: Poster Award, Stanford Bio-X Interdisciplinary Initiates Seeds Grands Symposium
2016-2019: William K. Bowes Jr. Graduate Fellow, Stanford Vice Provost for Graduate Education
2015: Mark and Pamela Lamp Graduate Scholar, Purdue University
2011-2015: Trustees Scholar, Purdue University


Selected Publications

1. L Watkins, J MacKay, B Haddock, V Mazzoli, S Uhlrich, G Gold, F Kogan. “Assessment of quantitative [18F] Sodium fluoride PET measures of knee subchondral bone perfusion and mineralization in osteoarthritic and healthy subjects,” Osteoarthritis and Cartilage 29 (6), 849-858.
2. JW MacKay, L Watkins, G Gold, F Kogan. “[18F] NaF PET-MRI provides direct in-vivo evidence of the association between bone metabolic activity and adjacent synovitis in knee osteoarthritis: a cross-sectional study,” Osteoarthritis and Cartilage 29 (8), 1155-1162.
3. LE Watkins, EB Rubin, V Mazzoli, SD Uhlrich, AD Desai, M Black, GK Ho, SL Delp, ME Levenston, GS Beaupre, GE Gold, F Kogan. “Rapid volumetric gagCEST imaging of knee articular cartilage at 3 T: evaluation of improved dynamic range and an osteoarthritic population,” NMR in Biomedicine 33 (8), e4310.