OUR PEOPLE
Academic Credentials
- Ph.D., Bioengineering, Clemson University, 2025
- B.S., Biomedical Engineering, Mississippi State University, 2020
Professional Affiliations
- Orthopaedic Research Society, 2020-present
- American Society of Biomechanics, 2025-present
Dr. Walker specializes in orthopaedic biomechanics with an emphasis in soft tissue biomechanics. She utilizes her past academic research experience to provide in-depth assessments of biomechanical issues that require a thorough understanding of soft tissue structure-function relationships. She evaluates human movement, injury mechanics, and injury potential in a variety of settings including during motor vehicle, workplace, and recreational incidents.
Dr. Walker has a wide range of experience in various research methods including tensile and compressive mechanical testing, scanning electron microscopy (SEM)/energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS), clinical imaging, and motion capture. Dr. Walker has published in peer reviewed journals and has presented at national conferences on these topics.
Prior to Ä¢¹½tv, Dr. Walker conducted ex vivo human cadaver experiments to study the pathomechanics of trapeziometacarpal osteoarthritis. Her research utilized a variety of mechanical testing procedures (stress relaxation, load to failure, microindentation) and imaging modalities (X-ray, CT, MRI, SEM/EDS, multiphoton) to study the impact of osteoarthritis on structure-function relationships of surrounding soft tissues, including ligaments and articular cartilage. From this research, she was able to draw a correlation between an attenuating volar ligament complex and articular cartilage deterioration within the joint as osteoarthritis progressed. She also served as lab manager for the Clemson-Medical University of South Carolina Orthopaedic Bioengineering Lab and as a teaching assistant for Structural Biomechanics.