Bio
Dr. Amy L. Throckmorton is Associate Professor and Director of the BioCirc Research Laboratory in the School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems at Drexel University. Prior to this position, in the Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering at the Virginia Commonwealth University, she served as Associate Professor and previously held the chaired Qimonda Assistant Professorship. She received her PhD and MS in Biomedical Engineering as well as a BS in Chemical Engineering from the University of Virginia. After working in the chemical industry, she served as a research assistant from 2000 to 2006 in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the University of Virginia. After receiving her PhD, she worked, as a postdoctoral fellow, on the development of blood-contacting medical devices in the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery at the Indiana University School of Medicine. She conducts research in experimental and computational fluid mechanics as related to the development of innovative treatment strategies for pediatric and adult patients suffering from heart failure secondary to acquired and congenital heart disease. Therapeutic modalities under development will augment flow and pressure in the: 1) cavopulmonary circulation (pulmonary circulatory support) in patients with single ventricle physiology, and 2) systemic circulation in patients with single ventricle or biventricular circulations as a bridge-to-recovery or transplant. This research addresses complex and unresolved hurdles in the field of congenital heart disease and mechanical circulatory support. Core areas of her research include the application of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) under steady and transient rotational flow conditions, hydraulic performance testing of prototypes for validation of CFD predictions, blood bag experimentation, and animal testing. This research combines broad expertise in engineering, pediatric cardiology, adult cardiology, congenital heart surgery, cardiothoracic surgery, and medical device design and manufacturing.
Patents
United States Patent and Trademark Office, Drexel University, Dual-Pump Continuous-Flow Total Artificial Heart, 9919085
United States Patent and Trademark Office, Drexel University, Impellers, Blood Pumps, and Methods of Treating a Subject, 10350341
World International Patent Office, University of Virginia
Axial-Flow Blood Pump with Magnetically Suspended, Radially and Axially Stabilized Impeller, WO/2005/030296
United States Patent and Trademark Office, Medforte Foundation / University of Virginia, Streamlined Unobstructed One-Pass Axial-Flow Pump, 7229258
Education
- Fellow, Cardiothoracic Surgery, Indiana University, 2007
- PhD, Biomedical Engineering, University of Virginia, 2006
- MS, Biomedical Engineering, University of Virginia, 2002
- Emergency Medical Technician, 2000
- BS, Chemical Engineering, University of Virginia, 1998
Research Interests
Computational and experimental fluid dynamics; cardiovascular modeling, including transient, fluid-structure interaction, and patient-specific anatomical studies; bench-to-bedside development of medical devices; artificial organs research; prediction and quantification of blood trauma and thrombosis in medical devices; design of therapeutic alternatives for patients with dysfunctional single ventricle physiology; human factors engineering of mechanical circulatory assist devices