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Department of Orthopedics

School of Medicine

Welcome to Cheryl Ackert-Bicknell Lab

Lab Director, Cheryl L. Ackert-Bicknell, Ph.D.

  • Research
  • Ackert-Bicknell Lab
  • Lab Members
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    Principal Investigator

    Cheryl L Ackert-Bicknell, Ph.D.

    Cheryl Ackert-Bicknell, PhD

    Associate Professor

    Department of Orthopedics
    Mail Stop 8343
    Research Complex 1 North
    12800 E. 19th Avenue, Room 2102
    Aurora, CO 80045

    Office:303-724-6623

    Cheryl.ackert-bicknell@cuanschutz.edu

    Education
    Ph.D., Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Maine
    M.Sc., Physiology, University of Western Ontario
    Hon. B.Sc., Molecular Biology, and Genetics, University of Guelph

    Lab Members

    Reed Ayers

    Reed Ayers, PhD
    Research Associate Professor

    As a materials engineer working in a clinical environment, for the past 5 years and ongoing, I am investigating the how and why spinal instrumentation fails in-vivo. Combining my background in materials engineering, synthesis, and corrosion research I set up a program at the University of Colorado, School of Medicine to investigate microbial influenced corrosion of orthopedic alloys. My discoveries from data collected via my ongoing retrieval of patient hardware include: 1) the association between intrinsic device material properties and detrimental patient outcomes; 2) the presence of bacteria local to the hardware and diagnosed infection and metallosis (leaching of biomedical alloy elements into the surrounding tissues). I discovered that the standard clinical method for bacterial identification rarely matches the bacteria sonicated directly from hardware removed from a patient. Using my experience in metallurgical methodologies combined with genetic analysis from sonicated hardware I created the infrastructure to establish the link between diseases such as metallosis and infection to the microbial milieu on the implanted hardware. 

    Education:
    PhD, Aerospace Engineering, University of Colorado, Boulder
    MS, Aerospace Engineering, University of Colorado, Boulder
    BS, Aerospace Engineering, University of Colorado, Boulder

    Email: Reed.ayers@cuanchutz.edu

    Beatriz Bermudez

    Beatriz Bermudez 
    Graduate student

    Beatriz a Mechanical Engineering student studying the effects of polyunsaturated fatty acids on bone strength and fracture toughness. She says her curiosity stems from the mathematical formulas that attempt to model the world we live in. She enjoys running and spending time with her loved ones in her free time.

    Education:
    B.S. Mechanical Engineering, University of Colorado, Denver

    Email: BEATRIZ.BERMUDEZ@UCDENVER.EDU


     

    Veronica ButlerVeronica Butler
    Research Services, Senior Laboratory Science Professional

    Veronica is a Clinical Research Coordinator who works with the clinical spine team to develop new methods to identify spine infections associated with hardware implants through blood and tissue sample.  When she is not in the research lab, she enjoys digital, black-and-white film photography, although a native of Colorado she loves her Dallas Cowboys and tries her best to never let anything orange touch her skin.

    Education:
    B.S. Biology, University of Arkansas at Little Rock

    Email:
     VERONICA.BUTLER@CUANSCHUTZ.EDU

    Dana Godfrey, Research Services Senior Laboratory Science Professional

    Dana Godfrey
    Research Services Senior Laboratory Science Professional

    Dana was trained in Mendelian and Complex Trait Genetics at The Jackson Laboratory in Bar Harbor Maine.  A native of Connecticut, Dana has embraced the Colorado weather and enjoys golfing.

    Email: DANA.GODFREY@CUANSCHUTZ.EDU

     

    Mitchell HutchingsMitchell Hutchings
    Masters Student

    Mitch has a bachelor’s in Biomedical Engineering from the Ohio State University. He is currently at the University of Colorado at Anschutz where he is working on his master’s thesis focusing on surface corrosion characterization of spinal implants using colorimetric analysis through photogrammetric methods.

    Education: B.S. Biomedical Engineering

    Email: 
    MITCHELL.HUTCHINGS@CUANSCHUTZ.EDU

    Adrianna Joyce, B.S.

    Adriana Joyce
    Masters Student 

    Adriana Joyce is a Materials Engineer pursuing a Masters's degree in Bioengineering, studying silicon nitride ceramics' surface characteristics and bacteriostatic behavior.

    Education:
    B.S, 
    Major in Materials Engineering, Minor in Biomedical Engineering  

    Email: 
    ADRIANA.JOYCE@CUANSCHUTZ.EDU

    Greg Ottenberg

    Greg Ottenberg
    Research Services Senior Professional, Laboratory Sciences

    Greg Ottenberg received B.S. and M.S. degrees from Florida State University before working at the Scripps Research Institute, The University of Florida, and currently at the University of Colorado-Anschutz where he manages the laboratory of Dr. Cheryl Ackert-Bicknell. He enjoys studying genetic factors which are involved in bone development and disease, specifically those which directly regulate osteoblast development and the resultant effects on bone composition, bone formation, and mineralization.

    Education:
    B.S, Florida State University
    M.S. Florida State University

    Email: GREGORY.OTTENBERG@CUANSCHUTZ.EDU

    Edwin WojcikEdwin Wojcik

    Edwin Wojcik is an undergraduate studying bioengineering at CU Anschutz. He is currently working in collaboration with several projects within the lab, performing PCR and analyzing tissue samples to improve methods of bacterial identification in infection.

    Email:EDWIN.WOJCIK@CUANSCHUTZ.EDU

    Orthopedics (SOM)

    CU Anschutz

    Academic Office One

    12631 East 17th Avenue

    4602

    Aurora, CO 80045


    303-724-2955

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