Interface Pressure: Current Solutions and Novel Technologies for Advancing Both Sides of the Interface

Alexander W. Albury, CPO, is part of the research and development team. He performs clinical testing at The Ohio Willow Wood Company and provides clinical insights to help inform development and customer support. He has been working in this clincal focused role with Willow Wood for over 13 years and has presented at many national trade shows.

Dr. Gallego-Perez is a professor in the departments of Biomedical Engineering and General Surgery, the Edgar C. Hendrickson Chair in Biomedical Engineering and serves as the director of the Center for Advanced Nanotherapeutics in the Gene Therapy Institute. In addition to high-impact publications, his line of research has yielded multiple intellectual property filings and awarded patents, several of which have already been licensed to industry. Gallego-Perez is the lead inventor of the Tissue Nano-Transfection (TNT) technology, for which he was awarded the NIH Director’s New Innovator Award to work on developing TNT-driven therapies for ischemic stroke and peripheral nerve injury. Gallego-Perez was also awarded pilot funding through NIDDK’s Catalyst Award program to work on developing TNT-driven therapies for diabetes and metabolic disorders. He was recently elected as a 2024 Fellow of the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) and was awarded the Early Career Distinguished Scholar Award and the Excellence in Undergraduate Research Mentoring Award from OSU (2024). Additional accolades include the Harrison Faculty Award for Excellence in Engineering Education, the Cellular and Molecular Bioengineering Young Innovator Award, the Distinguished Alumni Award from both his undergraduate alma mater and OSU’s College of Engineering, the Institute for Materials Research Innovation Award, the Lumley Interdisciplinary Research Award, and the Lumley Research Award. Dr. Gallego-Perez also has a strong track record of mentorship, graduating a total of 8 PhD students over the past 9 years, and providing mentorship to several postdoctoral researchers, visiting scholars, visiting professors, and around 50 undergraduate students since 2015. Gallego-Perez received his bachelor’s in Biomedical Engineering from a joint program between EIA University and CES University (Colombia) in his doctorate in Biomedical Engineering from Ohio State. He joined the Ohio State faculty in 2015.

Dr. Heather Powell is currently a Professor of Materials Science and Engineering and Biomedical Engineering at The Ohio State University. She joined OSU in 2008 after earning a B.S. in Paleobiology and a Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering followed by a post-doctoral fellowship at the Shriners Burns Hospital where she began her work in the developing materials for cutaneous injuries and disorders. Her current research interests include hierarchical scaffolding for tissue engineering, engineered skin mechanics, mechanobiology of fibrosis, anti-scar therapy development, and prosthetic design for maintenance of skin health. She was the recipient of the Ralph E. Powe Junior Faculty Enhancement Award from Oak Ridge Associated Universities, The Distinguished Undergraduate Research Mentor Award (OSU) and the Herman Weed Award for Excellence in Teaching (OSU). Her research has been funded by the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Defense, NIH, Veterans Affairs, the National Institute for Disability Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research, the Musculoskeletal Transplant Foundation, Zimmer Inc., Milliken Healthcare Products LLC, Avita Medical, Access ProMedical and the Shriners Hospitals Research Foundation.

Dr. Wernke is the Director, Research & Development at WillowWood Global LLC. He earned his PhD in Biomedical Engineering in 2013 from the University of South Florida. Dr. Wernke has been the Principal Investigator or Co-Principal Investigator for 10 federally funded grants from agencies such as the DoD, NIH, NIDILRR, and VA and received a Thranhardt award in 2015. He currently serves on the AOPA Planning Committee and Research Committee.