About Me
Jen grew up in Unionville, Connecticut. In 2004, she earned a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering at Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts. For graduate school, she joined the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. She earned a M.S. in 2011 and a Ph.D. in 2014 under the mentorship of Dr. Wendy Murray in the Applied Research in Musculoskeletal Simulations (ARMS) Laboratory. Jen’s dissertation research elucidated how two common surgical treatments for wrist osteoarthritis alter wrist biomechanics, thereby leading to impairments in both wrist and hand function. Through a cadaveric experiment, she identified key changes in carpal kinematics and muscle moment arms following surgery. She also developed a predictive musculoskeletal modeling and simulation framework that provided novel insights into how the wrist influences thumb function. While at Northwestern, Jen concurrently completed a M.A. in Medical Humanities and Bioethics. Through this program, she studied the ethical, legal, and cultural factors that influence the translation of biomedical research into clinical practice. In August 2014, Jen joined Dr. Andrew Anderson’s laboratory at the University of Utah. Her current research utilizes advanced medical imaging (e.g., dual-fluoroscopy, CT) and patient-specific musculoskeletal models to understand how surgical treatments for ankle osteoarthritis affect joint and muscle mechanics. Outside the lab, Jen enjoys swimming, reading, and eating ice cream.