People Savio L-Y. WooDistinguished University Professor and Director
EducationPhD, University of Washington at Seattle, 1971 Professional InterestsSavio Woo has established interdisciplinary programs to provide educational and research opportunities in the SWANSON School of Engineering. Woo is internationally recognized for his studies concerning the mechanical properties of soft tissue (tendons, ligaments, cartilage) and the effects of growth, aging, and healing on these properties. Dr. Woo’s research interests include biomechanics; experimental, theoretical and numerical analyses of the nonlinear material properties of biological tissues and developing new viscoelastic theories for soft tissue. More recently, his work has centered on functional tissue engineering of ligament healing and regeneration by examining the processes from molecular, to cellular to tissue levels, as well as the use of robotic technology to examine the function of the ACL and ACL replacement grafts. Selected PublicationsLiang, R., Woo, S.L-Y., Nguyen, T.D., Liu, P-C., Almarza, A.: A Bioscafforld to Enhance Collagen Fibrillogenesis in Healing Medial Collateral Ligament in Rabbits. J. of Orthopaedic Reserch, 26(8): 1098-1104, 2008. Karaoglu, S., Fisher, M., Woo, S.L-Y., Fu, Y-C., Liang, R., Abramowitch, S.D.: Use of a Bioscaffold to Improve Healing of a Patellar Tendon Defect After Graft Harvest for ACL Reconstruction: A Study in Rabbits. J. of Orthopaedic Research, 26(2): 255-263, 2008. Vercillo, F., Noorani, S., Dede, O., Woo, S.L-Y.: Determination of a Safe Range of Knee Flexion Angles for Fixation of Grafts in Double Bundle ACL Reconstruction: A Human Cadaveric Study. Am. J. of Sports Medicine, 35(9): 1513-1520, 2007. Moon, D., Takakura, Y., Gabriel, M., Abramowitch, S., Woo, S.L-Y.: The Effects of Refreezing on the Viscoelastic and Tensile Properties of Ligaments. J. of Biomechanics, 39(6): 1153-1157, 2006. Yamamoto, Y., Hsu, W-H., Woo, S.L-Y., Van Scyoc, A., Takakura, Y., and Debski, R.: Knee Stability and Graft Function Following ACL Reconstruction: A comparison of a Lateral and an Anatomic Femoral Tunnel Placement. Am. J. of Sports Medicine, 32(8): 1825-1832, 2004. Abramowitch, S., Woo, S.L-Y.: An Improved Method to Analyze the Stress Relaxation of Ligaments Following a Finite Ramp Time Based on the Quasi-Linear Viscoelastic Theory. J. of Biomechanical Engineering, 126(1): 92-97, 2004. Wang, J. H-C., Jia, F., Yang, G., Yang, S., Campbell, B., Stone, D., and Woo, S.L-Y.: Cyclic Mechanical Stretching of Human Tendon Fibroblasts Increases the Production of Prostaglandin E2 and Levels of Cyclooxygenase Expression: A Novel In Vitro Model Study. Connective Tissues Research, 44:128-133, 2003. Woo, S.L-Y., Kanamori, A., Zeminski, J., Yagi, M., Papageorgious, C., and Fu, F.H.: The Effectiveness of Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction by Hamstrings and Patellar Tendon: A Cadaveric Study Comparing Anterior Tibial Load vs. Rotational Loads. J. of Bone and Joint Surgery, 84A(6): 907-914, 2002.
Curriculum VitaeDr. Savio L-Y. Woo is the Distinguished University Professor of Bioengineering and the Founder and Director of the Musculoskeletal Research Center (MSRC), a diverse multidisciplinary research and educational center in the Department of Bioengineering at the University of Pittsburgh. Where over 460 orthopaedic surgeons, biologists, bioengineering students and staff have studied and worked. He joined the faculty at the University of Pittsburgh in 1990 following 20 years of service at the University of California in San Diego as a Professor of Surgery and Bioengineering. Dr. Woo’s research interests include biomechanics; experimental, theoretical and numerical analyses of the nonlinear material properties of biological tissues and developing new viscoelastic theories for soft tissue. He has studied the homeostatic responses of ligaments and tendons, which has led to the concept of “controlled motion is good.” For the last 25 years, Dr. Woo has found new ways to enhance the healing of the meniscus, tendons, and in particular, the MCL and ACL. More recently, his work has centered on functional tissue engineering of ligament healing and regeneration by examining the processes from molecular, to cellular to tissue levels, as well as the use of robotic technology to examine the function of the ACL and ACL replacement grafts. For his work, Dr. Woo has been recognized by many professional societies. Most notably, he has been inducted by the Institute of Medicine (USA), The National Academy of Engineering (USA), and Academia Sinica (Republic of China). In 1998 he was the winner of the IOC Olympic Prize for Sports Medicine and was awarded the first Olympic Gold Medal in Nagano, Japan. |
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The Department of Mechanical Engineering has 16 full time, 6 adjuct, and 5 emeritus faculty members