Week 2

This week my project and meetings got kicked off and I'm excited for what the summer has in store. Early this week I met with Dr. Rodeo and his lab, and they were all so welcoming and willing to explain their research and get me setup. For the summer, I'll be working on analyzing MRI images of the meniscus before and after application of load, and comparing deformation patterns in patients with meniscectomy. Rodeo's lab developed a cool boot system that allows them to apply controlled loads to patients in an MRI. I'll also be learning about the animal surgeries that his team does in mouse and rat models of ACL tears and some that have external fixation. This will be really good experience since we've collaborated together previously and used these animal models for OA before. On the more clinical side, I got to shadow Dr. Rodeo in the clinic and in surgery too, which was really cool. I think the most striking thing compared to following doctors last week that specialized in replacements is that he sees such a wide variety of cases and some are incredibly complicated. Injuries and aches range from replacements in older patients to teenagers with ACL tears, congenital bone and meniscus malformations, and a slew of knee issues and effusions. During surgery I got to see an OATS procedure, pec repair, a arthroscopic ACL repair with patellar graft, which were all really neat. I like watching the arthroscopic procedures most because you can actually see what's going on and can ask questions better tuned to what's going on. I think a grant I wrote for Larry's tissue engineering class could actually have clinical utility (!), and I'm thinking of trying to specifically learn more about synovial tissue while I'm here! Overall this was a great week! I'm really grateful for how welcoming Dr. Rodeo and his lab have been and for entertaining all my questions!