Medical Device Engineering

Project or Program Manager -- Medical Device

Director of Research and Development - Medical Device

Specialty Areas Include

Biomedical/Biomechanical Analysis Medical Device Design & Testing Validation & Verification

Forensic Engineering Accident Reconstruction Directing Multi-Disciplinary Teams

Budget Management Grant Development & Funding

Ph.D. (Engineering Mechanics with specialization in Orthopedic Biomechanics), MS (Mechanical Engineering), BS (Mechanical Engineering), Director of Biomechanics Research/Development & Medical-Scientific Liaison, with more than 20 years of scientific and research leadership experience in identifying innovative research avenues that consistently supported research and development initiatives.

Research experience encompasses serving as Associate Professor and Director of the Orthopedic Biomechanics Laboratory at the University of Utah charged with managing 20 engineering graduate students and directing 7 funded grants (NSF, NIH, Army) that totaled in excess of $2 million.

Career Highlights

Product development and testing, via grants and contracts, for three medical device manufacturers: development and testing of Charnley hip stem for Howmedica (now a division of Stryker), testing of textured hip stems for Johnson & Johnson, development and testing of spinal fixation plates and the instruments to insert them for Synthes.

Developed and proved the increased accuracy of Laser-Induced Photochemical Anemometry (LIPA) to quantify the movement of soft tissue in the cervical spine by studying whiplash and other rapidly applied head and neck loading. The results were presented at the American Society of Mechanical Engineers Convention and published in the 1995 Advances in Bioengineering.

Spent 3 consecutive summers at the Army Aeromedical Research Laboratory at Fort Rucker, Alabama, redesigning U.S. Army helicopter pilots' helmets to reduce neck injuries and leading a cross-functional team comprised of enlisted men, officers, civilian employees, and 1 or 2 student interns. Consequently, redesign of the helmet decreased by 30% the number of neck injuries sustained by helicopter pilots.

Testified as an expert witness in 41 cases in deposition and/or in trial with the majority of cases involving analysis and reconstruction of vehicular accidents. A smaller number of cases involved slip, trip, or fall accidents with others focused on lighting or building code violations, roadway signage problems, or visibility. A few involved the failure of products to perform as expected.

Developed 2 Master’s degree programs in biomedical engineering. The first, a research-based program, was developed for 50 students at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology with the assistance of 2 other professors. The second was developed for 25 students at Trine University as a hands-on, design-based project and was my sole creation.

Benefit Statement

Author of 26 technical papers with all papers published in referred journals or referred conference proceedings. The subjects of the papers range from back and neck injury mechanisms to brain injuries, from the effects of helmet wearing to those of high heel wearing. Most of the papers report experimental research results; others describe finite element models.

Key Areas of Expertise

Creating a Shared Research & Development Vision Formal Presentation Skills Quantitative & Qualitative Analysis Creating Innovating Research Technologies Directing Multi-Disciplinary Teams Research Leadership by Example Finite Element Modeling High Standards of Ethics & Integrity Client Relationship Management Exemplary Time/Organizational Skills.

Professional Experience & Accomplishments

Lantz Engineering Tallahassee, Florida (June 2002-August 2007)

Fort Wayne and Auburn, Indiana (August 2007-present)

Principal Engineer -- Responsible for analyzing and reconstructing commercial, industrial, and vehicular accidents; analysis of medical device product failures and product liability cases; testifying as expert witness.

Benedict Engineering Company, Tallahassee, Florida (February 1999-July 2002)

Engineer – Responsible for analyzing and reconstructing commercial, industrial, and vehicular accidents; analysis of medical device product failures; testimony as an expert witness.

Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois (April-September 1979)

Biomedical Engineer -- Responsible for product development testing and analysis of total hip replacement joints (primarily) and total knee replacement joints (secondarily) for best material choice and best orientation and shape of various components (for Howmedica).

I.B.M., Office Products Division, Lexington, Kentucky (May 1976-July 1977)

Test Engineer -- Responsible for life testing, wear testing, stress testing, environmental testing, acoustic testing, and human factors testing of prototype typewriter models. Validation and verification. Quality analysis and testing.

Professorship and Directorship Experience

Trine University, Angola, Indiana August 2007-June 2011

Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering (2007-2011) -- Duties consisted of serving simultaneously as Graduate Program Director of Biomedical Engineering (2008-2011) and Graduate Program Director of Mechanical Engineering (2009-2011). Served as Chair of the Department of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering (2009-2010).

Served as academic advisor to assist students in selecting the appropriate courses each semester, choosing the best graduate school, writing letters of recommendation, and developing a highly-interactive teaching culture for 100-150 students annually with 88% graduation rate.

Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, Terre Haute, Indiana August 1995-August 1998

Associate Professor of Mechanical & Biomedical Engineering -- Primary duties focused on teaching, researching, and developing a graduate program in biomedical engineering.

Served as faculty advisor for 150 students yearly with a 95% graduation rate and started the school’s student chapter for the Society of Women Engineers.

University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah August 1990-July 1995

Associate Professor & Director of the Orthopedic Biomechanics Laboratory – Responsibilities included research, guiding graduate student research projects, and teaching.

Research included experimental determination of injury mechanisms of the cervical spine (NSF and NIH); determination of the effect of heel height on gait and slip tendency in women; cadaver testing to determine the effectiveness of several spinal fixation plates, including their effects on intervertebral motion and ligament strain as well as testing of the instrumentation used to insert the fixation plates (for Synthes); conducted tests of the pull-out strength for total hip replacement joints with a new textured surface (for Johnson & Johnson).

Spent three summers at the Army Aeromedical Research Lab at Fort Rucker, Alabama analyzing neck injuries in helicopter pilots, including experimental determination of neck muscle myoelectric activity, performance, and head and neck motion for varying head-supported weight moments in a simulated helicopter environment. This research resulted in a redesign of the pilot's helmet and the method by which his night-vision goggles, heads-up aiming device, and chemical mask were suspended from his helmet.

Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan August 1983-July 1990

Assistant Professor - Responsibilities included teaching, researching, and directing graduate student research projects.

Research included experimental determination of injury mechanisms of the lumbar and cervical spines (NSF and NIH); development of a finite element model to predict forearm fracture patterns in children; development of a finite element model of the brain to analyze coup and counter-coup injuries; vehicle crash testing and biomechanical analysis of occupants and their injuries.

Designed, developed, and made (or had made) small catheters for women and children for a urologist, two surgical retractors for an ENT surgeon, and surgical instruments for an orthopedic surgeon.

Graduate Research Assistantships & Summer Internships

University of Illinois--Chicago, Chicago, Illinois July 1980-August 1983

Graduate Research Assistant, Biomechanics Research Laboratory

Conducted basic research on the mechanical effectiveness of lumbar and thoracolumbar braces and corsets in reducing low back pain. Developed finite element model of the thoracolumbar spine.

University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky July 1977-March 1979

Graduate Research Assistant, Wenner-Gren Research Laboratory

Conducted basic research on the effects of shear force on intervertebral discs (research sponsored by the U.S. Air Force).

Designed an implantable, refillable insulin pump.

I.B.M. Corp., Lexington, Kentucky May-August 1975

Summer Engineering Intern, Office Products Division

Designed a dual dog clutch and the index mechanism for two typewriters (sister models) in development.

General Electric Company, Louisville, Kentucky May-August 1974

Summer Engineering Intern, Major Appliance Division

Checked engineering changes for refrigerators and ensured those changes were implemented; maintained documentation.

Education

Ph.D., Engineering Mechanics with specialization in Orthopedic Biomechanics, University of Illinois-Chicago, 1983

M.S., Mechanical Engineering, University of Kentucky, 1979

B.S., Mechanical Engineering, University of Kentucky, 1976

Addendum

Professional Associations and Awards

• Pi Tau Sigma

• Tau Beta Pi

• American Society of Biomechanics

• American Society of Mechanical Engineers

• Society of Automotive Engineers

• Society of Women Engineers

• American Society of Engineering Educators

• National Association of Professional Accident Reconstructionists (NAPARS)

• International Network of Collision Reconstructionists

• Visiting Woman Scholar, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada, November 1991.

• Nominee for the Utah Engineers Council “Engineering Educator of the Year” Award, 1995.

• Cited in Who’s Who of Executives and Professionals, 2009-2010, 2010-2011.

• Chosen as “Woman of the Year” by Who’s Who of Executives and Professionals, 2010-2011.

Selected Publications

• Lantz, S.A.; Yang, K.H.; King, A.I.: Experimental determination of cervical and lumbar facet joint capsule stretch. Proc. 1st World Congress of Biomechanics, La Jolla, California, 1990.

• Lantz, Susan A.: Measurement of neck muscle myoelectric activity and gross body posture in a simulated helicopter environment, 1991.

• Lantz, S.A. and Salciccioli, G.G.: Comparison of applied traction forces and traction forces transmitted to patient in an oscillating hospital bed. 1991 Advances in Bioengineering BED20:273-276, 1991.

• Lantz, Susan A.: Analysis of vigilance data, analysis of neck muscle myoelectric activity data, and experimental determination of neck muscle myoelectric activity, performance, and head and neck motion for varying head-supported weight moments in a simulated helicopter environment, 1992.

• Lantz, S.A. and Salciccioli, G.G.: Analysis of friction forces in the flexion cable traction system of oscillating hospital beds. 1992 Advances in Bioengineering BED22:509-512, 1992.

• Lantz, Susan A.: Experimental determination of neck muscle myoelectric activity, performance, and head and neck motion for varying head-supported weight moments in a simulated helicopter environment, 1993.

• Deshpande, B.R. and Lantz, S.A.: Calibration of muscle force vs. electromyographic activity during isometric contractions of arms, leg, and neck muscles. 1994 Advances in Bioengineering BED28:103-104, 1994.

• Lantz, S.A. and Butler, B.P.: The effects of whole-body vibration and head-supported mass on the vigilance performance of U.S. Army helicopter pilots. Proc. American Society of Biomechanics, 1994.

• Moulis, P.M.; Lantz, S.A.; Klewicki, J.C.: Laser induced photochemical position measurement: A new non-invasive optical deformation measurement technique. 1995 Advances in Bioengineering 239-240, 1995.

• Lantz, S.A. and Mecham, W.A.: Kick off your high heels: The effect of heel height and fatigue on gait and slip tendency in women. SWE Magazine 41(1):14-18, 1995.

• Mecham, W.A.; Lantz, S.A.; Bloswick, D.S.; Shultz, B.B.; Shen, Y.: The prediction of slip tendency in women's gait. Safety Science, 1996.

• Barker, D.E. and Lantz, S.A.: Automating node and element assignments on conforming four-sided sections defining a domain for mapping quadrilateral elements. Computers & Structures 62(2):373-380, 1997.

• Lantz, Susan A.: Father and daughter engineers I: Do we choose engineering or does engineering choose us? SWE Magazine 43(1):22-23, 1998.

• Lantz, Susan A.: Father and daughter engineers II: How closely to we follow in our father's footsteps? SWE Magazine 43(3):70-74, 1998.

• Lantz, Susan A.: Father and daughter engineers III: What fathers think--and their advice to young women. SWE Magazine 43(5):18-19, 1998.

• Lantz, Susan A.; Minerick, Adrienne R.; Reese, Donna S.; Sukumaran, Beena: Survival Tips from the Trenches. Proc. American Society of Engineering Education, 2010.

(Also six novels, two novellas, and several articles about life in early nineteenth century England written under a nom de plume.)

Professional Development

• Biomechanics of Human Movement, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1987.

• Finite Element Grid Generation, Refinement, and Optimization, University of Texas at Austin, 1992.

• Traffic Accident Reconstruction, Northwestern University Traffic Institute, 1999.

• Commercial Vehicle Inspection and Collision Investigation, Texas A & M University, 2000.

• Advanced Commercial Vehicle Inspection and Collision Investigation, Texas A & M University, 2000.

• National Effective Teaching Institute (NETI), American Society of Engineering Education, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 2008.

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