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Hani A. Awad, Ph.D.

Contact Information

Phone Numbers

Office: (585) 273-5268

Research Labs

My Laboratory interfaces Biomedical Engineering and Orthopaedics. We provide opportunities for state of the art training related to Tissue Engineering and Biomechanics.

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Locations

University of Rochester Medical Center
School of Medicine and Dentistry
601 Elmwood Ave, Box 665
Rochester, NY 14642

Faculty Appointments

Biography

My research focuses primarily on Musculoskeletal Tissue Engineering with an emphasis on challenging clinical problems and translational solutions. Our approach is to develop in vivo and in vitro models of musculoskeletal injury and clinically-translatable outcome measures to assess the efficacy of regenerative and tissue engineering solutions.

Professional Background

I completed my graduate work at the University of Cincinnati under the mentorship of Dr. David Butler, a leading expert in tendon and ligament injury and repair, and having later completed a post-doctoral fellowship with Dr. Farshid Guilak at Duke University, at one of the leading orthopaedic research laboratories in the country. In the Fall of 2004, I joined the faculty of the University of Rochester as an Assistant Professor in the Departments of Orthopaedics and Biomedical Engineering. My research focuses primarily on tissue engineering of load bearing connective tissues, including ligament and tendon, cartilage, and bone.

Research

My research focuses primarily on Musculoskeletal Tissue Engineering with an emphasis on challenging clinical problems and translational solutions.
Our approach is to develop in vivo and in vitro models of musculoskeletal injury and clinically-translatable outcome measures to assess the efficacy of regenerative and tissue engineering solutions.
Current research projects include:

1. Tissue Engineering of Massive Bone Allograft Union
2. Allografts and Gdf5 Gene Therapy in Flexor Tendon Tissue Engineering
3. Modulating Stem Cell Differentiation using Novel Allograft Scaffolds for Cartilage Repair
4. Fashioning a Superficial Zone-Like Layer in Bioreactor-Cultivated Tissue Engineered Cartilage
5. Evaluating models of human musculoskeletal disease and trauma

Credentials

Education

1993
BS | University of Jordan
Mechanical Engineering

1995
MS | University of Cincinnati
Engineering Mechanics/Biomechanics

1999
PhD | University of Cincinnati
Engineering Mechanics/Biomechanics

Post-doctoral Training & Residency

2000 - 2004
Bioengineering Laboratory (Mentor: Farshid Guilak), Department of Surgery - Division of Orthopaedic Surgery, Duke University

Awards

2007
Kappa Delta - Ann Doner Vaughan Award
Sponsor: ORS/AAOS

2005
Early Career Translational Research Award in Biomedical Engineering
Sponsor: Wallace H. Coulter Foundation

1998
Finalist, PhD Student Presentation Competition
Sponsor: ASME IMEC&E – Bioengineering Division

1997
Finalist, PhD Student Presentation Competition
Sponsor: ASME Bioengineering Division

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Patents

Title: Protecting and Repairing Cartilage and Musculoskeletal Soft Tissues
U.S. Serial #: 13/971,366
Filed: Aug 20, 2013
Invented By: Hani Awad, Susan Bukata, Regis O'Keefe, J. Edward Puzas, Randy Rosier, Erik Sampson, Michael Zuscik

Title: Protecting and Repairing Cartilage and Musculoskeletal Soft Tissues
U.S. Serial #: 13/124,002
Filed: Oct 13, 2009
Invented By: Hani Awad, Susan Bukata, Regis O'Keefe, J. Edward Puzas, Randy Rosier, Erik Sampson, Michael Zuscik

Title: Protecting and Repairing Cartilage and Musculoskeletal Soft Tissues
U.S. Serial #: FR09821118.8
Filed: Oct 13, 2009
Invented By: Hani Awad, Susan Bukata, Regis O'Keefe, J. Edward Puzas, Randy Rosier, Erik Sampson, Michael Zuscik

Title: Protecting and Repairing Cartilage and Musculoskeletal Soft Tissues
U.S. Serial #: DE09821118.8
Filed: Oct 13, 2009
Invented By: Hani Awad, Susan Bukata, Regis O'Keefe, J. Edward Puzas, Randy Rosier, Erik Sampson, Michael Zuscik

Title: Protecting and Repairing Cartilage and Musculoskeletal Soft Tissues
U.S. Serial #: GB09821118.8
Filed: Oct 13, 2009
Invented By: Hani Awad, Susan Bukata, Regis O'Keefe, J. Edward Puzas, Randy Rosier, Erik Sampson, Michael Zuscik

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Publications

Journal Articles

9/2018
Childs S, McVicker Z, Trombetta R, Awad H, Elfar J, Giordano B. "Patient-Specific 3-Dimensional Modeling and Its Use for Preoperative Counseling of Patients Undergoing Hip Arthroscopy." Orthopaedic journal of sports medicine.. 2018 Sep; 6(9):2325967118794645. Epub 2018 Sep 11.

4/19/2018
Schott EM, Farnsworth CW, Grier A, Lillis JA, Soniwala S, Dadourian GH, Bell RD, Doolittle ML, Villani DA, Awad H, Ketz JP, Kamal F, Ackert-Bicknell C, Ashton JM, Gill SR, Mooney RA, Zuscik MJ. "Targeting the gut microbiome to treat the osteoarthritis of obesity." JCI insight.. 2018 Apr 19; 3(8)Epub 2018 Apr 19.

4/11/2018
Freeberg MAT, Farhat YM, Easa A, Kallenbach JG, Malcolm DW, Buckley MR, Benoit DSW, Awad HA. "Serpine1 Knockdown Enhances MMP Activity after Flexor Tendon Injury in Mice: Implications for Adhesions Therapy." Scientific reports.. 2018 Apr 11; 8(1):5810. Epub 2018 Apr 11.

Books & Chapters

2003
Chapter Title: Assessment of function in Tendon and Ligament Repair
Book Title: Functional Tissue Engineering
Author List: Butler D, Dressler M, Awad H
Edited By: F Guilak, DL Butler, SA Goldstein, DJ Mooney
Published By: Springer-Verlag 2003 in New York, NY

2002
Chapter Title: Biomaterials for Cartilage Tissue Engineering
Book Title: Tissue Engineering and Biodegradable Equivalents
Author List: Awad H, Erickson G, Guilak F
Edited By: K-U Lewandrowski, DL Wise, DJ Trantolo, JD Gresser, MJ Yaszemski, DE Altobelli
Published By: Marcel Dekker Inc. 2002 in New York, NY

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