Marjolein van der Meulen

Marjolein van der Meulen

Swanson Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Associate Vice Provost for Research and Innovation
Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering
Weill Hall, Room 121D
Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Biography

Marjolein (Pronunciation: MAHR-yo-line) van der Meulen is Associate Vice Provost for Research and Innovation and Swanson Professor of Biomedical Engineering in the Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering and Sibley School of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering at Cornell University and a Senior Scientist in the Research Division of the Hospital for Special Surgery. Before joining the faculty at Cornell Marjolein worked for three years as a biomedical engineer at the Rehabilitation R&D Center of the Department of Veterans Affairs in Palo Alto, California. In 1995 she received an NIH FIRST Award and in 1999 an NSF Faculty Early Career Development Award. Marjolein is a member of the American Society of Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR), the American and European Societies of Biomechanics, and the Orthopaedic Research Society. She is a fellow of AAAS, AIMBE, and ASME. In the past, she was a Deputy Editor for the Journal of Orthopaedic Research, member of the ASBMR Task Force on Atypical Femur Fractures, and member for the Skeletal Biology Structure and Regeneration (SBSR) Study Section at NIH.

Professor van der Meulen's research in orthopaedic biomechanics focuses on the interaction between mechanical stimuli and the skeleton, and the mechanical properties of musculoskeletal tissues. She is interested in the modulation of bone growth by mechanical loading and in the the determinants of skeletal structure and load bearing function, both areas relevant to diseases such as osteoporosis. To search for her publications, use ResearcherID=D-1549-2010.

Research Interests

Teaching Interests

Professor van der Meulen has taught a variety of required classes in mechanics of materials and design. In addition, she teaches electives in biomechanics.

Service Interests

Professor van der Meulen is Associate Vice Provost for Research and Innovation. Previously she served as the James M. and Marsha McCormick Director of the Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering and Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies in the College of Engineering. Previously Marjolein was a Co-PI and co-founder of the NSF-funded CU-ADVANCE Center for the hiring, promotion, retention and advancement of women faculty. She also serves on the advisory board for Diversity Programs in Engineering. External to Cornell, Marjolein was the president of the Orthopaedic Research Society in 2022-23. 

Selected Publications

  • *Antoinette AY, *Ziemian SN, Brown AR, Hudson EB, Chlebek, TM Wright TM, Goldring SR, Goldring MB, Otero M, van der Meulen MCH (2024) PTH treatment prior to cyclic joint loading improves cartilage health and attenuates load-induced osteoarthritis development in mice. Science Advances 10: eadk8402; * equal contribution 
  • Wheeler T, Antoinette AY, Kim MJ, van der Meulen MCH*, Singh A* (2024) Mechanical loading of joint modulates T cells in lymph nodes to regulate Osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis & Cartilage 10: S1063-4584(23)01012-9
  • *Rooney AM, *McNeill TM, Ross FP, Bostrom MPG, van der Meulen MCH (2023) PTH treatment increases cortical bone mass more in response to compression than tension in mice. J Bone Miner Res, 38: 59-69 
  • Chlebek C, Moore JA, Ross FP, van der Meulen MCH (2022) Molecular identification of spatially distinct anabolic responses to mechanical loading in murine cortical bone. J Bone Miner Res 37: 2777–2787
  • Ziemian SN, Adebayo OO, Rooney AM, Kelly NH, Holyoak DT, Ross FP, van der Meulen MCH (2021) Low bone mass resulting from impaired estrogen signaling in bone increases severity of load-induced osteoarthritis in female mice. Bone 152: 116071

Selected Awards and Honors

  • H. R. Lissner Medal (American Society of Mechanical Engineers, ASME) 2024
  • Fellow (Orthopaedic Research Society, ORS) 2024
  • Fellow (Biomedical Engineering Society) 2021
  • Fellow (American Society for Bone & Mineral Research, ASBMR) 2020
  • Adele L. Boskey Award (ASBMR) 2018
  • Fellow (American Association for the Advancement of Science) 2015
  • Women's Leadership Award (ORS) 2015
  • Fellow (American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering) 2008

Education

B.S. (Mechanical Engineering), Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1987

M.S. (Mechanical Engineering), Stanford University, 1989

Ph.D. (Mechanical Engineering), Stanford University, 1993

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