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Frank A. Pintar, PhD
Frank Pintar, PhD

Frank A. Pintar, PhD

Founding Chair, Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering; Professor, Neurosurgery

Locations

  • Zablocki VA Medical Center
    Neuroscience Research Labs – Research 151
    5000 W. National Ave.
    Milwaukee, WI 53295

Education

PhD, Marquette University, Milwaukee WI, 1986
BS, Marquette University, Milwaukee WI, 1982
View Dr. Pintar's MU-MCW Profile

Biography

Dr. Pintar is the Founding Chair of the Marquette University and Medical College of Wisconsin Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering and holds a secondary appointment in the Department of Neurosurgery at the Medical College of Wisconsin.

Over the years, Dr. Pintar has served as a research mentor to over 50 graduate students, post docs, residents, fellows, and junior faculty in the medical and engineering schools. Dr. Pintar has held numerous committee positions within the Medical College of Wisconsin, including chair of the Faculty Benefits committee.

He has been active as a member of grant review teams (e.g., CDC, NIH, NIDRR) and other scientific organizations (e.g., Cervical Spine Research Society, Stapp Association) and received grant awards from NIH, VA, CDC, DOT, DoD, and foundations. He has authored more than 500 research publications, including two books on head and neck trauma and over 320 peer-reviewed journal papers. He is the principal investigator of the US-DOT-NHTSA-sponsored MCW CIREN Center, of which there are seven in the nation.

Dr. Pintar conducts collaborative projects with the Comprehensive Injury Center through the departments of Emergency Medicine, Family Medicine, and Trauma Surgery. He has also helped to mentor residents and fellows from Otolaryngology, Orthopedic Surgery, Plastic Surgery, and Emergency Medicine. He participates as a faculty member of the Neuroscience Research Center.

His current research interests include the biomechanics of brain and spinal cord injury, mechanics of spine surgical techniques, computer finite element modeling of the cervical spine, and motor vehicle crash trauma. He has received numerous awards and is a Fellow of the Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine and a Fellow of the Society of Automotive Engineers.

He is the co-Director of the ZVAMC Neuroscience and Biomechanics Research Laboratories, which is a collaboration between the Marquette-MCW Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering and MCW's Department of Neurosurgery. It is the only academic lab that includes a full-scale crashworthiness facility, sled lab, spine biomechanics lab, stem cell lab, neurobiology lab, tissue/culture lab, and neurohistology lab and conducts research on levels from micro to macro.


Honors and Awards

2000 – Best Paper in a Section Award, Rocky Mountain Bioengineering Symposium
2004 – Fellow, Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine
2006 – Excellence in Oral Presentation Award, Society of Automotive Engineers
2009 – Best Student Paper, Rocky Mountain Bioengineering Symposium
2010 – John Paul Stapp Best Paper, Stapp Car Crash Conference
2011 – Fellow, American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering
2012 – Award of Merit, Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine
2013 – Arnold W Siegel International Transportation Safety Award, Society of Automotive Engineers
2014 – Fellow, Society of Automotive Engineers
2017 - MCW Society of Research Excellence
2018 - AAAM Donald Huelke Lifetime Member Award

Research Areas of Interest

  • Acceleration
  • Accidents, Traffic
  • Air Bags
  • Biomechanical Phenomena
  • Brain Injuries
  • Cervical Vertebrae
  • Computer Simulation
  • Craniocerebral Trauma
  • Fractures, Bone
  • Lumbar Vertebrae
  • Neck Injuries
  • Seat Belts

Research Experience

  • Biomechanical Phenomena
  • Biomedical Engineering
  • Brain Concussion
  • Brain Injuries
  • Engineering
  • Fractures, Bone
  • Fractures, Compression
  • Head Injuries, Closed
  • Internal Fixators
  • Orbital Fractures
  • Rib Fractures
  • Rupture

Methodologies and Techniques

  • Accidents, Traffic
  • Animal Experimentation
  • Blast Injuries
  • Brain Concussion
  • Brain Injuries
  • Computer Simulation
  • Finite Element Analysis
  • injuries
  • Injury Severity Score
  • Materials Testing
  • Mathematical Computing
  • Rupture

Leadership Positions

  • Chair, Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering

MCW Program / Core Facilities

  • VA Biomechanics Research Facilities

Educational Expertise

  • Biomedical Engineering
  • Engineering

Research Interests

The biomechanics of brain and spinal cord injury, mechanics of spine surgical techniques, military and motor vehicle crash trauma.

Publications

Publications of Frank A. Pintar PhD from the Faculty Collaboration Database

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