Bio

“Integrating biological and mechanical approaches, we study bone and how it interacts with other tissues like vasculature, muscles and nerves to improve therapies for musculoskeletal diseases and injuries.”

The overall goal of Dr. Cole’s Orthopaedic Mechanobiology Lab is to determine mechanisms underlying the prevalent bone deficits and deformities with various clinical conditions, including stroke, nerve injury at birth, and pediatric scoliosis. Their long-term goal is to develop novel therapies to treat or even prevent bone loss or musculoskeletal dysfunction in these scenarios. Her lab characterizes changes in the structure and function of bone, muscle, and vasculature using high-resolution computed tomography, materials characterization techniques (e.g., microscopy, spectroscopy, nanoindentation, mechanical testing), cellular/molecular assays, and finite element modeling. Their work lies at the nexus of regenerative medicine and rehabilitation engineering, determining the factors that lead to compromised bone tissue and then developing new strategies to restore not only tissue properties but also overall musculoskeletal function.

Research Interests

Bone mechanics and regeneration
Musculoskeletal development
Bone-vascular interactions
Stroke, Obesity, Aging
Brachial plexus injury

Awards

NC State Michael Dickey Outstanding Research Mentor Award, 2023
Faculty Fellow, North Carolina Alliances for Graduate Education and Professoriate (AGEP-NC), 2021-2023
NC State Alumni Association Outstanding Teacher Award, 2021
NC State Outstanding Teacher Award, 2020-2021
Wake County Public School System School-to-Career Superintendent’s Mentoring Award, 2019
World Changer Award for K-12 STEM outreach, NC State College of Engineering, 2018
Junior Faculty Research Award, American Society of Biomechanics, 2017
NIH TIGRR (Training in Grantsmanship in Rehabilitation Research) Fellow, 2017
K12 Scholar, Interdisciplinary Rehabilitation Engineering Research Career Development Program in Movement and Rehabilitation Sciences, 2015-2016
F32 NIH Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) Individual Postdoctoral Fellowship, 2008-2010
Harold M. Frost Young Investigator Award, American Society for Bone and Mineral Research, 2009
New Investigator Award, International Conference on the Chemistry and Biology of Mineralized Tissues, 2007
Young Investigator Award, American Society for Bone and Mineral Research, 2007
Selected Endocrine Fellow, 2nd Annual Fellows Forum in Metabolic Bone Diseases, 2007

Courses Taught

BME 444/544: Orthopaedic Biomechanics
BME 438/538: Bone Mechanobiology