Awarded in 2021
Home Department: Mechanical Engineering
Faculty Advisors: Daniel Ennis (Radiology) and Ellen Kuhl (Mechanical Engineering)

Research Title: Measuring Myocardial Stiffness of the Failing Heart

Research Description: Currently, no accepted clinical method exists to measure myocardial stiffness in vivo. Increased myocardial stiffness, however, is a significant cardiac remodeling mechanism implicated in heart failure. A Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and Finite Element Modeling (FEM)-based framework presents a clinically viable myocardial stiffness estimation technique. Framework validation is critical but remains elusive as ground truth myocardial stiffness is unknown. Fikunwa will overcome this barrier by incorporating soft 3D-printed hearts into an MRI-compatible setup to measure deformation and loading, then use FEM to estimate stiffness and compare to ground truth values. The validated approach will be evaluated in heart failure patients.

WHERE IS HE NOW?

Fikunwa is a medical student at Stanford University. As an aspiring physician-scientist, he aims to focus on improving management of cardiovascular diseases by combining engineering and medicine.