Dr. Amy Lenz is newly appointed as joint tenure-track Assistant Professor in both the BME department and the Department of Orthopaedics. She runs the Lenz Research Group focused on foot and ankle orthopaedic biomechanics. The foot and ankle is a complex structure of numerous articular relationships that operate to provide a stable support base through active and passive tissue interactions. Altered morphology can lead to injury, instability, pathological deformity and osteoarthritis. Her lab’s goal is to characterize healthy, diseased, and post-surgical foot and ankle morphology and in vivo function to improve clinical treatment of ankle pathologies leading to end-stage ankle osteoarthritis. In collaboration with engineers, orthopaedic surgeons, computer scientists and physical therapists, they apply mechanical engineering principles to primarily study in vivo kinematics using bi-plane fluoroscopy, and computationally assess morphology using statistical shape modeling. Their research also utilizes cadaver experimental models to pilot new surgical techniques and conduct biomechanical studies. The long-term goal is to define relationships between 3D morphology and in vivo function to identify clinical indications for surgery with post-operative predictive outcomes.
Amy received her BS from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, her MS from the University of Delaware, and her Ph.D. from Michigan State University. She grew up with the wonderful views of Rainbow Springs Lake in Mukwonago, Wisconsin, and continues to enjoy outdoor activities with her husband and three dogs. Outside the lab, you can find them mountain biking, hiking, or skiing in the Wasatch mountain range