Bio
Amy Throckmorton, PhD, is Professor in the School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems at Drexel University. She leads an interdisciplinary, federally funded research program that innovates and develops life-saving therapeutic devices and new treatment strategies at the intersection of pediatric medicine and engineering. Her primary area of research is experimental and computational biofluid mechanics applied to the development of medical devices for patients suffering from heart failure. Dr. Throckmorton recently held a Visiting Professorship of Mechanical Circulatory Support in the Department of Cardiac Surgery at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. Dr. Throckmorton serves as an Associate Editor of the IEEE Transactions of Biomedical Engineering, Cardiovascular Engineering and Technology, Artificial Organs, and the ASAIO Journal. She is also a member of the Center for Scientific Review (CSR) Bioengineering, Technology and Surgical Sciences (BTSS) Review Panel. Her strong track record of extramural funding consists of grant awards from the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, American Heart Association, Hartwell Foundation, International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation, Medtronic, U.S. Department of Education, Thomas Jefferson University, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. She has more than 85 publications, 100 national and international conference presentations, 6 patent awards, and 20 honors for research and teaching, including a prestigious 2020 Distinguished Career Lindback Teaching Award and Fellow of the Executive Leadership in Academic Technology, Engineering and Science (ELATES) Program.
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