Mark Pearcy

Qualifications

• B.Sc. (2.1 Hons) in Mechanical Engineering (University of Bristol)
• Ph.D. (University of Strathclyde)

 

Academic Career History and Biography

Professor Pearcy leads the discipline of Medical Engineering in the School of Engineering Systems at QUT. He has conducted research over the last thirty years in spinal mechanics, fracture fixation and healing, total joint replacement design, lubrication of artificial joints, the relationship between the biological response to wear particles and implant loosening, and many other areas of biomedical engineering.

In 2004 Engineers Australia - College of Biomedical Engineers honoured Professor Pearcy with the David Dewhurst Award for Biomedical Engineering Excellence for his outstanding service to the profession. Professor Pearcy took up the role as QUT’s Foundation Professor of Biomedical Engineering in 1996.

 

Professional and Group Associations

• Institution of Engineers, Australia (Elected Fellow in 1999 and member of the College of Biomedical Engineers)
• Institute of Physics and Engineering in Medicine (UK)
• International Society of Biomechanics
• Spine Society of Australia
• Australasian College of Physical Scientists and Engineers in Medicine

 

Interests and Community Service

Areas of Interest

 

• Biomedical Engineering
  • Biomedical Engineering education
  • Artificial organs
  • Biomaterials
• Biomechanics
  • Mechanical function of the human body
  • Measurement of 3-D movement
  • Physiological control mechanisms
  • Functional assessment of movement
  • Lubrication of joints
  • Tissue mechanics
• Spinal Mechanics
  • 3-D movements
  • Modelling of mechanical function
  • Spinal deformity correction
  • Back pain and the assessment of treatments on mechanical function
  • Mechanics of the intervertebral disc and the effect of degeneration
• Orthopaedic Engineering
  • Mechanics of natural and artificial joints
  • Design of artificial joints
  • Biocompatibility of materials
  • Fracture fixation and healing

 

Community Service

 

Associate Editor: Medical Engineering and Physics

Editorial Board Member: Clinical Biomechanics; Journal of Engineering in Medicine; Applied Bionics and Biomechanics

 

Awards

 

Professor Pearcy has been instrumental in developing the QUT’s ‘Orthopaedic and Trauma Queensland’ research group. This consists of five externally funded research groups:

• Chair of Orthopaedic Research, Professor Ross Crawford (Supported by Queensland Health)
• Chair of Trauma, Professor Michael Schuetz (Supported by Queensland Health)
• Paediatric Spine Research Group, Adjunct Professor Geoff Askin, Associate Professor Clayton Adam and Ms Maree Izatt (Supported by Medtronic and DePuy)
• AO Spine Brisbane Reference Centre, Adjunct Professor Richard Williams and Dr Ben Goss (Supported by Synthes)
• Northside Spine Research Group, Adjunct Professor Paul Licina and Ms Carmen Sutton (Supported by Medtronic and Synthes)
• Together with QUT’s research capacity building position, Chair of Regenerative Medicine, Professor Dietmar Hutmacher

 

Main Areas of Professor Pearcy's Research

Within the broad field of Medical Engineering, Professor Mark Pearcy is involved in the following areas:

 

External Collaborators

Within the broad field of Medical Engineering research, Professor Mark Pearcy and his research team has strong collaborations with:

• The Prince Charles Hospital, Brisbane
• The Mater Hospitals, Brisbane
• The Princess Alexandra Hospital, Brisbane
• University of Queensland, Brisbane
• Institute of Medical and Veterinary Science, Adelaide
• University of Leeds, UK
• AO Foundation, Switzerland
• DePuy, a Johnson and Johnson Company
• Medtronic
• Stryker
• Synthes
• Smith and Nephew

 

Teaching Areas

• Biofluids
• Biomaterials
• Bioengineering Design
• Rehabilitation Engineering
• Health Legislation and the Medical Environment
• Biomedical Engineering

 

Funding

Professor Pearcy has received over $4.5M in research funding since year 1996.

Orthopaedics and Trauma Queensland now receives $1M annually from its supporting organisations for its core activities and approximately $1.2M for specific research projects from government and company sources.

 

Selected List of Professor Pearcy’s Awarded Grants

Professor Mark Pearcy was part of a development committee that was instrumental in obtaining funding (Total of $72M) from the Queensland Government and an American philanthropist to build QUT’s new Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation (IHBI) that commenced operation in 2006. Professor Pearcy has more recently been a leading part of a group that was awarded $5M from the Queensland Government and further funding from two international orthopaedic companies for the $10M Medical Engineering Research Facility (MERF). MERF, built on the Prince Charles Hospital campus, commenced operation in 2008. It is a purpose built facility for research and training incorporating an anatomical skills laboratory for the training of surgeons and other health professionals.

 

Other recent grants:

 

Selected List of Current Research Student Projects

 

A complete list of Professor Pearcy’s publications from 2001 can be found on QUT’s ePrints site: http://eprints.qut.edu.au/view/person/Pearcy,_Mark.html

 

Selected List of Publications

2008

• Little JP, Pearcy MJ, Adam CJ. Are coupled rotations in the lumbar spine largely due to osseoligamentous anatomy? A modelling study. Computer Methods in Biomechanics and Biomedical Engineering, 2008, 11(1):95-103
• Adam CJ, Askin GN, Pearcy MJ. Gravity-induced torque and intravertebral rotation in idiopathic scoliosis. Spine, 2008, 33(2):E30-E37

 

2007

• Chen G, Pettet G, Pearcy MJ, McElwain DLS. Comparison of two numerical approaches for bone remodelling. Medical Engineering & Physics 29:134-139, 2007
• Tevelen G, Crawford RW, Pearcy MJ. Re-Design of the Exeter V40 Long Stem Femoral Component for ease of removal. Journal of Engineering in Medicine, 2007. 221 H2:195-201
• Bell CGR, Weinrauch P, Crawford R, Pearcy M. Thermomechanical investigation of the cortical bone analogue in third-generation Sawbones femurs. Journal of Engineering in Medicine, 2007. 221 H2:213-217
• Cargill S, Barry M, Pearcy MJ. Three Dimensional Lumbar Spine Postures Measured by MRI Reconstruction. Spine, 2007, 32(11):1242-1248
• de Visser H, Rowe C, Pearcy MJ. A robotic facility for mechanical testing of spinal joints. Journal of Engineering in Medicine, 2007. 221 H3:221-227
• Lee WC, Frossard LA, Hagberg K, Haggstrom E, Branemark R, Evans JH, Pearcy MJ. Kinetics of Transfemoral Amputees with Osseointegrated Fixation Performing Common Activities of Daily Living. Clinical Biomechanics, 2007, 22(6): 665-673
• de Visser H, Adam CJ, Crozier S, Pearcy MJ. The role of Quadratus Lumborum asymmetry in the occurrence of lesions in the lumbar vertebrae of cricket fast bowlers. Medical Engineering and Physics, 2007, 29(8): 877-885
• Chen G, Pettet GJ, Pearcy MJ, McElwain DLS. Modelling external bone adaptation using evolutionary structural optimisation. Biomechanics and Modeling in Mechanobiology, 2007, 6(4):275-285
• Little JP, Adam CJ, Evans JH , Pettet G, Pearcy MJ. Nonlinear finite element analysis of anular lesions in the L4/5 intervertebral disc. Journal of Biomechanics, 2007, 40(12):2744-2751
• Bell CGR, Weinrauch P, Pearcy MJ, Crawford R. In vitro analysis of Exeter stem torsional stability. The Journal of Arthroplasty, 2007, 22(7): 1024-1030

 

2006

• Carbone A, Howie D, McGee M, Field J, Pearcy M, Smith N, Jones E. Ageing performance of a compliant layer bearing acetabular prosthesis in an ovine hip arthroplasty model. Journal of Arthroplasty 21(6):899-906, 2006
• Timms, DL, Hayne M, Pearcy MJ. LVAD Impeller/Volute Design to Minimise Magnetic Bearing Touchdown and Power. Journal of Life Support and Technology, 2006. 18(4): p. 154-160

 

2005

• Wilson CJ,. Clegg RE, Leavesley DI, Pearcy MJ. Mediation of Biomaterial-Cell Interactions by Adsorbed Proteins: A Review. Tissue Engineering 11:1-18, 2005
• Howie DW, McCalden R, Nawana N, Costi K, Pearcy M, Subramanian C. The Long-Term Wear of Retrieved McKee-Farrar Metal-on-Metal Total Hip Prostheses. The Journal of Arthroplasty 20:350-357, 2005
• Timms, DL, Hayne M, Tan ACC, Pearcy MJ. Evaluation of Left Ventricular Assist Device Performance and Hydraulic Force in a Complete Mock Circulation Loop. Artificial Organs 29(7): 573-580, 2005
• Silva P, Crozier S, Veidt M, Pearcy MJ. An experimental and finite element poroelastic creep response analysis of an intervertebral hydrogel disc model in axial compression. Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Medicine 16:663-669, 2005
• Schneider G, Pearcy MJ, Bogduk N. Abnormal motion in spondylolytic spondylolisthesis. Spine 30(10):1159-64, 2005
• Gotterson PR, Nusem I, Pearcy MJ, Crawford RW. Metal debris from bony resection in total knee arthroplasty - is it an issue? Acta Orthopaedica 76(4):475-480, 2005
• Hannay G, Pearcy M, Leavesley D. Timing of pulsed electromagnetic field stimulation does not affect the promotion of bone cell development. Bioelectromagnetics 26(8):670-676, 2005