Please join us for an in-person career panel discussion and site tour at the Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS), one of the leading orthopedic hospitals in the US, featuring a guided tour and career panelists. As part of this program, you will have an opportunity to learn about the career journeys of scientists, researchers, and engineers who work in the HSS implant retrieval lab and to participate in a tour of the lab where the HSS team collects, cleans, and stores joint replacement hardware that has been removed from patients, and utilize it for research. You’ll see firsthand how this work enables the HSS team to better understand implant performance and serves as an initial step toward improving implant design and materials selection.

Notes: Closed-toe shoes are required. This is a drop-off event, but parents/guardians are welcome to attend

YWIB Age Group

Grades 10-12

Speaker Bios

Isabella Gomez Hjerthen joined the Biomechanics Department at HSS in 2024 as a Post-Bac Researcher. Her work focuses on how quantitative imaging, knee laxity, and bony morphology relate to the risk of ACL injury and graft failure in ACL reconstruction. This includes developing patient-specific computational knee models and using motion capture to investigate joint biomechanics. Prior to joining HSS, Isabella received her undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering from Harvard University. At Harvard, she performed research in Dr. Shriya Srinivasan’s lab, developing a wearable device for spasticity-focused vibration therapy. Isabella was also part of Dr. Farrah Mateen’s Global Neurology Research Group at Massachusetts General Hospital, where her work aimed to understand the impact of neuromyelitis optical spectrum disorder (NMOSD) on the employment of patients living in 23 countries.

Grace Krebs joined the Biomechanics Department at HSS in October 2024. First, as a Laboratory Support Technician, she worked on the arthroplasty implant retrieval system. She collected and cleaned the total joint replacement components released from hospital-wide surgeries. Currently, Grace works as a Research Engineer, where her work focuses on conducting clinical cadaveric investigations.  She currently works on multiple projects across the hip, knee, and shoulder joints, targeting the soft-tissue contributions to overall stability post-joint replacement and investigating the material properties of currently marketed arthroplasty implant designs. Prior to HSS, Grace earned a bachelor's degree in biomedical engineering at Union College. During her time at Union, she studied under Dr. Amy Loya, where in collaboration with Albany Medical Center, designed a novel medical device to assist in pediatric intubation. While at Union College, Grace was a four-year varsity field hockey player and served as captain for her junior and senior years. Outside of her professional life, Grace enjoys playing guitar and going to see live music. She enjoys fitness and playing flag football in Central Park on the weekends!

Joseph Lipman has over 35 years of experience in medical research and device development. He has collaborated with multiple services at HSS, including Adult Hip and Knee Replacement, Foot and Ankle, Hand and Upper Extremity, Hip Preservation, Spine, and Sports Medicine. Through his work with these teams and the Biomechanics department, he has contributed to the development of implants for the knee, hip, elbow, wrist, and spine. These implants have been licensed to several orthopedic companies and are sold worldwide. He is a named inventor on twenty-six U.S. patents and has authored multiple publications in the medical device field. In addition, he is a registered U.S. Patent Agent.

Kate Meyers works in the dual role of Research Engineer and Lab Manager. She joined HSS after receiving her BS and MS in biomechanical engineering from Syracuse University. She collaborates with clinicians, residents, and fellows across all surgical services to bolster their biomechanics acumen while furthering their research interests. Kate’s expertise is in experimental design, with recent research focused on spine and hip kinematics, hip arthroplasty, and wrist and elbow stability. As the Lab Manager, she explores new technologies to further the capabilities of the research group, trains engineers and students on both equipment and experimental methods, directs core mechanical testing needs for the department, and acts as a primary contact for surgeon-driven research.

Sara Sacher is a research engineer in the Department of Biomechanics at the Hospital for Special Surgery. She oversees the operations of a longstanding institutional joint replacement retrieval system and subsequent research projects. Her research experience integrates orthopedic implant retrieval and failure analysis and advanced imaging techniques to investigate total joint arthroplasty clinical performance. Prior to joining HSS, Sara earned her BS and MS degrees in materials science and engineering from Virginia Tech and Cornell University, respectively.

Ritvik Sarkar studied at Cornell University with an interest in medical device design. While working in Christopher Hernandez’s lab to design a platform to test the mechanical properties of bacterial cell walls, Ritvik became interested in the lab’s other work in orthopedics. After graduating from Cornell in 2017 with a BS and M.Eng in mechanical engineering, he joined the Device Development group within Hospital for Special Surgery’s Department of Biomechanics. Ritvik works closely with both HSS surgeons and orthopedic implant manufacturers to design patient-specific implants for complex primary and revision hip and knee replacements. He also designs and develops new implant systems that address challenging clinical problems in the hip and upper extremity.

Aarti Shenoy is an Instructor-Scientist at Hospital for Special Surgery, where her research focuses on orthopedic implant performance and implant failure mitigation. Using retrieval analysis, advanced imaging techniques, and mechanical and electrochemical testing, she investigates biomaterial degradation and its biological impact. She also oversees the institutional total joint implant retrieval system and mentors clinical trainees in associated research. Aarti holds a PhD in Bioengineering from Clemson University, an MS in biomedical engineering from Syracuse University, and a BE in biomedical engineering from the University of Mumbai. In her (increasingly rare) spare time, Aarti dabbles in ceramics, architectural and nature photography, and reading non-academic literature.

Vince Sise is a post-doctoral fellow working with Dr. Suzanne Maher and Dr. Tony Chen at HSS through the T32 CAMEO Training program. His research focuses on rolling-sliding articulation in the knee, and he uses a bioreactor to study cartilage biomechanics at the tissue level. Prior to joining the HSS team, he did his PhD in biomedical engineering at Columbia University with Dr. Gerard Ateshian, studying cartilage wear.

Pricing Information

• Members/Non-Members: Free

 Please read the WIB Code of Conduct.

Maximum Capacity

10