Ayda Karimi Dastgerdi​

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Project title

Optimization of Paediatric Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction Surgery Using a Sequentially Linked Finite Element-Musculoskeletal Modelling Approach​

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Supervisors

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Associate Professor David Saxby, Griffith Centre for Biomedical and Rehabilitation Engineering (GCORE), Menzies Health Institute Queensland

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To see the sparkle in the eyes of a person who just received help, to sense the smile in the face of a person who is released from pain, and to embrace a person whose illness has recently been healed, is the greatest pleasure one can experience. Ayda has sensed this urge to help other people in their life and activities since she was a kid. People who created tools to help other human beings were always her heroes. So as a matter of speech, she was born to become a biomedical engineer!

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Ayda studied Biomedical Engineering-Biomechanics for both her master and bachelor at University of Isfahan and Amirkabir University of Technology (AUT), respectively. The interdisciplinary nature of her major has made it possible for her to acquire knowledge in both engineering and biological principles. This experience, as well as her time as a research assistant at AUT, further encouraged her to pursue a career in research.

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Ayda’s PhD project is dedicated to the optimization of paediatric ACL surgeries. The optimal graft choice for ACL reconstruction remains controversial and it continues to be an active area of research. With the variations in insertion sites, graft pre-tension, graft type, and technique, the surgeons have many options to consider when reconstructing the ACL. The aim of her project is to use a sequentially linked Musculoskeletal-Finite Element model of the knee joint as a tool for optimizing ACLR surgery.