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As Queensland's major centre for spinal injuries and trauma, Princess Alexandra Hospital is proud to have a partnership with the Queensland University of Technology's (QUT) Faculty of Build Environment and Engineering to advance research in this area.
The Faculty of Built Environment and Engineering is one of the largest at QUT, representing over 6,000 undergraduate and postgraduate masters, research and corporate education students across 17 design, engineering and urban development disciplines. It is key to QUT s strategy to be a leader in the development of courses and research in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
Disciplines are housed within three schools:
The Faculty has a comprehensive research agenda which includes five major focus areas:
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QUT Built Environment and Engineering offers a variety of scholarships and bursaries to support and encourage students. Scholarships can help further education by providing financial aid, mentoring and other benefits which assist study and career progression. QUT offers a variety of scholarships to students commencing their course from high school or a gap year, current and international students. Students must apply to be eligible for scholarships.
Professor Mark Pearcy
QUT Built Environment and Engineering
Institute of Health and Biomedical Engineering
Professor Pearcy leads the discipline of Medical Engineering in the School of Engineering Systems at QUT. He has conducted research over the last thirty years in spinal mechanics, fracture fixation and healing, total joint replacement design, lubrication of artificial joints, the relationship between the biological response to wear particles and implant loosening, and many other areas of biomedical engineering.
In 2004 Engineers Australia College of Biomedical Engineers honoured Professor Pearcy with the David Dewhurst Award for Biomedical Engineering Excellence for his outstanding service to the profession. Professor Pearcy took up the role as QUT s Foundation Professor of Biomedical Engineering in 1996.
Research
Professor Pearcy has been instrumental in developing the QUT's Orthopaedic and Trauma Queensland research group. This consists of five externally funded research groups:
Areas of Research
Within the broad field of Medical Engineering, Professor Mark Pearcy is involved in the following areas:
Visit the QUT website for more information about Professor Mark Pearcy.
Associate Professor Clayton Adam
QUT Built Environment and Engineering
Institute of Health and Biomedical Engineering
Within the broad field of Medical Engineering, Associate Professor Adam and his research team have defined three main research areas:
Spine biomechanics
Spine biomechanics is the study of motions and forces in the human spine, investigated in order to gain a better understanding of various spinal disorders and to develop optimal treatments. Associate Professor Adam s team use both experimental testing and computer simulation to explore the deformations and stresses in spinal tissues during physiological loading, and to understand how various diseases affect the mechanics of spinal tissues.
Scoliosis progression and treatment
Scoliosis is a type of spinal deformity in which the spine develops a sideways S-shaped curve and an unnatural rotation of the ribcage (rib hump). Although not usually life threatening, scoliosis cases that progress can result in a disfiguring deformity of the spine and ribcage. Through the Paediatric Spine Research Group, Associate Professor Adam's team are developing:
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Bone is a living material that constantly replaces old tissue with new in a process called remodeling. The main function of remodeling is to repair microscopic cracks formed in bone during physical activity. These cracks affect the strength and stiffness of bone, and certain types of cracks can trigger rapid bone loss; yet surprisingly little is known about how they form and grow during physical loading. This project will combine mechanical testing, high resolution imaging, and computer modeling to quantify the mechanics of microdamage in trabecular bone, the porous bone most susceptible to osteoporosis. The project will provide new understanding of the role of microcracks in osteoporosis and other skeletal disorders.
Visit the QUT website for more information about Associate Professor Clayton Adam.
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