Lauren A. Smith, Ph.D. Biomedical Engineer & Biomechanics Expert

Investigates and analyzes biomechanical and biomedical injuries; injury causation; and medical equipment, devices and implants.

Assesses Injuries: Applying physics, anatomy, and physiology, assesses injuries involving:

• Traumatic brain injuries and skull fractures
• Maxillofacial trauma
• Neck, back and spinal cord injuries
• Orthopedic and neurologic injuries
• Vascular ruptures
• Abdominal organs
• Heart, lungs, skin (including burns) and other organs
• Musculo-skeletal injuries including joints (e.g. shoulders, knees, ankles, elbows), soft tissues (e.g. tendons, ligaments, nerves), and fracture patterns (e.g. torso, long bone, hand, foot, skull etc.)

Determines Cause: Applying engineering principles, determines:

• The manner in which tissue failed: the type of loading, the direction of loading and magnitude or size of the load that caused the injury
• If injury patterns are causally related or consistent with the hazardous condition or circumstances claimed
• Whether there was sufficient force in the right direction to cause an injury
• The presence of pre-existing conditions and how they affect the injury
• Who and/or what action contributed to the injuries
• What could have been done to prevent the injuries

Typical Personal Injury Cases Involve:

• Motor vehicle collisions
• Slips, trips, and falls
• Medical device failures
• Occupational and workplace injuries
• Sports and recreational injuries

Professional Experience

Provide technical investigations, analysis, reports, and testimony toward the resolution of personal injury litigation involving injury analysis and causation, medical equipment, medical devices, and procedures.

• Provided guidance and specialized knowledge of biomechanics and orthopedic technology to assist clients (orthopedic manufacturing companies) in research, development and strategic decision-making processes.
• Aided in technical writing including peer-reviewed scientific and medical publications, various technical documentation, scientific and medical conference proceedings, and internal documents as requested by clients.
• Provided assistance and expertise regarding various imaging modalities, such as fluoroscopy and CT, 2D and 3D modeling, and segmentation.
• Assisted with clinical study kinematic data collections.
• Performed statistical, qualitative, and quantitative kinematic analyses for both orthopedic companies and surgeons to assess a multitude of implant designs and surgical techniques.

Senior Research Specialist - Center for Musculoskeletal Research 2024-2025

• Specialized in the assessment of joint kinematics of both normal and diseased joints pre and post operatively.
• Assessed the post-operative kinematics of over 300 total knee arthroplasty patients.
• Performed statistical, qualitative, and quantitative kinematic analyses for both orthopedic companies and surgeons to assess a multitude of implant designs and surgical techniques which directly impacted future generations of total knee arthroplasty designs.
• Authored multiple publications in top-tiered medical and scientific journals, revised standardized operating procedures, and drafted internal and external documents for orthopedic companies to sustain experiments and workflow.

Graduate Research Assistant - Center for Musculoskeletal Research  2019-2024
Orthopedics

• Lead engineer for a team of over 15+ engineers.
• Determined and evaluated normal versus diseased (pre and post operative) knee joint kinematics.
• Investigated in vivo TKA kinematics using fluoroscopy-based motion analysis.
• Authored peer-reviewed studies analyzing in vivo TKA kinematics to evaluate the role of implant geometry and ligament substitution, with implications for joint kinetics and load distribution across multiple implant designs.
• Conducted in vivo TKA kinematic analyses using fluoroscopy-based motion analysis and 3D modeling to evaluate the influence of cruciate ligament substitution, femoral geometry, and implant asymmetry; Contextualized findings within kinetic frameworks to determine implant loading patterns, joint stability, and long-term performance. Assessed kinematic and kinetic implant patterns and their impact on joint mechanics, stability, and long-term wear during various activities.
• Collaborated on multi-implant studies to assess the effect of restoring natural joint motion on joint load distribution and patient outcomes.
• Supervised and trained undergraduate students working on various research projects; Developed the training program model this lab still utilizes today.

Insulin Pump Systems

• Developed software in Insulin Pump systems and Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) systems.
• Designed and developed software involving two unique pattern-matching algorithms for self-adjusting basal rates in Insulin Pump Systems, allowing for more controlled, safe glucose levels for Type 1 Diabetics, while performing statistical, qualitative, and quantitative analyses during the design process.
• Applied strong knowledge of drug delivery, Insulin Pump Systems, CGMs, Type 1 Diabetes and various Insulin profiles, to accurately model the individual drug being utilized.
• Conducted image processing utilizing a self-designed image processing algorithm that automatically extracted glucose values; Developed software to be user friendly and compatible with CGM applications.
• Pioneered Type 1 Diabetes research at The University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

Team Leader - University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine  2018-2019

• Provided engineering consultation to UTCVM surgeon to design a surgical device for an equine uterine tear repair procedure.
• Served as the project lead, directed a team of biomedical engineers, and collaborated with an interdisciplinary team including radiologists and veterinary operative teams for design development.
• Participated in device design and manufacturing from the conceptual design to the final product, including meeting FDA requirements.
• Coordinated project deliverables, meetings and communications to efficiently meet deadlines.
• Published detailed final design, manufacture, and implementation documentation of the surgical device for UTCVM transition of device utilization.

Undergraduate Research Assistant - Center for Musculoskeletal Research  2017-2019

• Research areas included: kinematic analysis, medical imaging, 2D to 3D modeling, computational bioengineering, biological, and biochemical technology.
• Determined intra-patient kinematic profiles of TKR patients utilizing fluoroscopy.
• Prepared final reports for orthopedic companies.
• Presented research at various orthopedic conferences.

Education

• Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Biomedical Engineering with a concentration in Biomechanics, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee, 2024
• Master of Science (M.S.), Biomedical Engineering, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee, 2021
• Bachelor of Science (B.S.), Biomedical Engineering, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee, 2019

Continuing Education

University of North Florida Institute of Police Technology and Management (IPTM) - Occupant Kinematics for the Traffic Crash Reconstructionist, 2025

Publications

Peer Reviewed Journal Publications:

L.A. Smith, M. LaCour, H. Cates, R. Komistek. “Does Cruciate Ligament Substitution and Implant Asymmetry Make a Difference for Total Knee Arthroplasty Kinematics? A Multi-Implant Evaluation,” Journal of Arthroplasty, Volume 40, Issue 4, 1074-1082, Elsevier Publishing Company, April 2025

L.A. Smith, M. LaCour, H. Cates, R. Komistek. “Can Asymmetry in TKA Design Lead to More Normal-Like Post-Operative Kinematics? A Multi-Implant Evaluation,” Journal of Arthroplasty, Volume 39, Issue 7, 1699-1706, Elsevier Publishing Company, July 2024

L.A. Smith, M. LaCour, D. Dennis, R. Komistek. “Anatomic vs Dome Patella: Is There a Difference Between Fixed vs Mobile Bearing TKAs?,” Journal of Arthroplasty, Volume 36, Issue 11, 3773-3780, Elsevier Publishing Company, November 2021

L.A. Smith, J. Nachtrab, M. LaCour, H. Cates, M. Freeman, R. Komistek. “In Vivo Knee Kinematics: How Important are the Roles of Femoral Geometry and the Cruciate Ligaments?,” Journal of Arthroplasty, Volume 36, Issue 4, 1445 – 1454, Elsevier Publishing Company, October 2020

Refereed Published Abstracts and Conference Presentations:

L.A. Smith, M. LaCour, R. Komistek, M. Ries, J. Victor, “Achieving High Weight-Bearing Flexion with an ACL Retaining TKA: Is Inclusion Criteria a Difference Maker?,” ISTA 35th Annual Congress, Nashville, TN, August 2024

L.A. Smith, M. LaCour, R. Komistek, “Does Cruciate Ligament Substitution and Implant Asymmetry Make a Difference for Total Knee Arthroplasty Kinematics?,” ISTA 35th Annual Congress, Nashville, TN, August 2024

L.A. Smith, M. LaCour, R. Komistek, “In Vivo Knee Kinematics: Does Anterior Stabilization in a TKA Make a Difference?,” ISTA 34th Annual Congress, New York, NY, August 2023

L.A. Smith, R. Komistek, M. LaCour, S. Haas, H. Cates, J. Victor, M. Vieira da Silva, “Kinematic Outcomes of a Bi-Cruciate Stabilized (BCS) TKA Implanted by Multiple Surgeons: Assessing Surgeon Variability,” ISTA 34th Annual Congress, New York, NY, August 2023

L.A Smith, R. Komistek, M. LaCour, M. Ries, J. Victor, M. Freeman, “Achieving High Weight-Bearing Flexion with an ACL Retaining TKA: Is Surgeon an Even Larger Difference Maker?,” ISTA 34th Annual Congress, New York, NY, August 2023

G. Dessinger, L.A. Smith, M. LaCour, R. Komistek. “Worldwide In-Vivo Weight-Bearing Kinematics for Three BCS TKA Cohorts Compared to the Normal Knee,” ISTA 33rd Annual Congress, Maui, Hawaii, June 2022

G. Dessinger, M. LaCour, L.A. Smith, R. Komistek. “In-Vivo Kinematics of Over 1300 Total Subjects, Including Four Implant Types and Normal Knee Comparisons,” ISTA 33rd Annual Congress, Maui, Hawaii, June 2022

VD. Nguyen, M. LaCour, L.A. Smith, R. Komistek. “Kinematics Comparisons of the Patella Alta with the Normal Patella After Total Knee Arthroplasty,” ISTA 33rd Annual Congress, Maui, Hawaii, June 2022

L.A. Smith, M. LaCour, G. Dessinger, R. Komistek. “In Vivo Knee Kinematics: Are Bi-Cruciate Substituting TKAs More Likely to Achieve Optimal Kinematics?,” ISTA 33rd Annual Congress, Maui, Hawaii, June 2022

L.A. Smith, M. LaCour, G. Dessinger, R. Komistek. “Kinematic Outcomes of a Single Surgeon Implanting Multiple Posterior Cruciate Retaining (PCR) TKA Designs: Does the Implant Really Matter?,” ISTA 33rd Annual Congress, Maui, Hawaii, June 2022

L.A. Smith, M. LaCour, G. Dessinger, R. Komistek. “In Vivo Knee Kinematics: How Important Is ACL Retention in Restoring Native Knee Kinematics?,” ISTA 33rd Annual Congress, Maui, Hawaii, June 2022

L.A. Smith, H. Cates, M. Freeman, J. Nachtrab, R. Komistek. “In Vivo Knee Kinematics: How Important Are the Roles of Femoral Geometry and the Cruciate Ligaments?,” ISTA Annual Congress, Virtual, November 2020

L.A. Smith, G. Dessinger, H. Cates, R. Komistek. “In Vivo Kinematics Comparison for Subjects Having a PCR TKA or a BCR TKA to the Normal Knee During Deep Knee Bend,” ISTA 32nd Annual Congress, Toronto, Canada, October 2019

L.A. Smith, G. Dessinger, H. Cates, R. Komistek. “In Vivo Kinematics Comparison For Subjects Having A PCR TKA Or A BCR TKA To The Normal Knee During Deep Knee Bend,” Biomedical Engineering Society Annual Meeting, Philadelphia, PA, October 2019

v. 05/14/25