Dawn M. Elliott is an American biomedical engineer whose research concerns the

biomechanics Biomechanics is the study of the structure, function and motion of the mechanical aspects of biological systems, at any level from whole organisms to organs, cells and cell organelles, using the methods of mechanics. Biomechanics is a branch ...

connective tissue Connective tissue is one of the four primary types of animal tissue, along with epithelial tissue, muscle tissue, and nervous tissue. It develops from the mesenchyme derived from the mesoderm the middle embryonic germ layer. Connective tissue ...

including the

tendon A tendon or sinew is a tough, high-tensile-strength band of dense fibrous connective tissue that connects muscle to bone. It is able to transmit the mechanical forces of muscle contraction to the skeletal system without sacrificing its ability ...

s, menisci, and

intervertebral disc An intervertebral disc (or intervertebral fibrocartilage) lies between adjacent vertebrae in the vertebral column. Each disc forms a fibrocartilaginous joint (a symphysis), to allow slight movement of the vertebrae, to act as a ligament to hol ...

s. She is Blue and Gold Distinguished Professor of Biomedical Engineering at the

University of Delaware The University of Delaware (colloquially UD or Delaware) is a public land-grant research university located in Newark, Delaware. UD is the largest university in Delaware. It offers three associate's programs, 148 bachelor's programs, 121 m ...

, adjunct professor of orthopaedic surgery at the

Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania The Perelman School of Medicine, commonly known as Penn Med, is the medical school of the University of Pennsylvania, a private research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1765, the Perelman School of Medicine is the oldest me ...

, and the former president of the

Biomedical Engineering Society BMES (the Biomedical Engineering Society) is the professional society for students, faculty, researcher and industry working in the broad area of biomedical engineering. BMES is the leading biomedical engineering society in the United States and was ...

Education and career

Elliott majored in

mechanical engineering Mechanical engineering is the study of physical machines that may involve force and movement. It is an engineering branch that combines engineering physics and mathematics principles with materials science, to design, analyze, manufacture, ...

as an undergraduate at the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

, graduating in 1988. She earned a master's degree in engineering mechanics at the

University of Cincinnati The University of Cincinnati (UC or Cincinnati) is a public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio. Founded in 1819 as Cincinnati College, it is the oldest institution of higher education in Cincinnati and has an annual enrollment of over 44,00 ...

in 1995, and completed a PhD in biomedical engineering at Duke University in 1999. She was a professor of orthopaedic surgery and bioengineering at the University of Pennsylvania for 12 years, before joining the University of Delaware in 2011 as founding chair of the Department of Biomedical Engineering. She was elected as president of the

in 2017, for the 2018–2020 term.

Recognition

Elliott was named as an ASME Fellow in 2012, and as a Fellow of the

American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering The American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) is a non-profit organization founded in 1991, and headquartered in Washington. It represents 50,000 medical and biomedical engineers, and academic institutions, private industry, ...

in 2013, "for outstanding contributions to the field of biomechanics, elucidating the mechanical factors that contribute to intervertebral disc degeneration". In 2015 the

American Society of Mechanical Engineers The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) is an American professional association that, in its own words, "promotes the art, science, and practice of multidisciplinary engineering and allied sciences around the globe" via "continuing ...

gave Elliott the Van C. Mow Medal. In 2019 she was named as the inaugural winner of the Adele L. Boskey, PhD Award of the Orthopaedic Research Society.

References

External links

Elliott research group
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Elliott, Dawn Year of birth missing (living people) Living people American bioengineers 21st-century American women engineers 21st-century American engineers University of Michigan alumni University of Cincinnati alumni Duke University alumni Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania faculty University of Delaware faculty Fellows of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers Fellows of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering