Undergraduate Research Position

In my research at the University of Pittsburgh, I investigate risk factors for acute type A aortic dissection (TAAD), a highly lethal cardiovascular condition. Current clinical practice largely relies on aortic diameter to determine surgical intervention, but many patients dissect at diameters below the recommended threshold, making this metric an unreliable predictor of risk. My work focuses on comparing diameter-based indices, such as the aortic size index and height index, with biomechanical parameters including aortic stiffness, strain, and distensibility. By analyzing imaging and hemodynamic data from patients with bicuspid and tricuspid aortic valves (BAV, TAV, respectively) as well as those who experienced dissection, our study demonstrates that biomechanical markers provide stronger predictive value than diameter alone. These findings highlight the importance of shifting toward biomechanics-based strategies to improve patient-specific risk assessment and ultimately save lives.

I shared this work at the 2025 Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES) Annual Meeting, where my abstract was accepted for presentation. Presenting at BMES gave me the opportunity to engage with the broader bioengineering community and further explore how engineering principles can be applied to solve critical challenges in medicine.