Dr Bethany Keenan
Research Associate for the Director of Engineering
- Email:
- keenanb@cardiff.ac.uk
- Telephone:
- +44 (0)29 2068 7650
- Location:
- Room S4.03, Queen's Buildings - South Building, 5 The Parade, Newport Road, Cardiff, CF24 3AA
Bethany Keenan is a Post-doctoral Research Associate for the Head of School of Engineering. She is a Chartered Engineer and a Member of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE). She works with industrial and clinical collaborators, and researchers from other Schools around the University (Biosciences, Mathematics, Pharmacy, Psychology and CUBRIC) to gain experience in multi-disciplinary fields.
Bethany's research interests focus on medical imaging and soft tissue mechanics. Her current work aims to better understand the biomechanical behaviour of soft tissues in the heel in order to improve pressure ulcer treatment and prevention. Novel MRI techniques have been developed to clearly identify the anatomical geometry of the Achilles tendon, calcaneus, tibia, fatpad and plantar fascia in both the healthy and deformed foot. These MRI scans are then used to create 3D subject-specific finite element (FE) models to investigate the internal strains that occur when the weight of the foot is resting on a mattress or ulcer dressing. This study is part of an ongoing project that will lead to guidelines and/or a test method that can determine which products are effective in preventing ulcers. This will potentially aid clinicians and carers to ensure that patients receive the best possible care.
Dr Keenan is an MR Operator at CUBRIC. She is also the Deputy Research Staff Co-ordinator at the School of Engineering and a STEM Ambassador.
Dr Keenan completed an undergraduate degree in Medical Engineering at Cardiff University in 2011. She then moved to Brisbane, Australia to read a PhD in Medical Imaging and Biomechanical Analysis of Scoliosis Progression in the Growing Adolescent Spine at Queensland University of Technology in May 2015. Her research project involved a ten month internship at Laboratoire de Biomécanique, Arts et Métiers ParisTech, France and entailed investigating the mechanics of the progressive scoliotic spine during the adolescent growth phase.
Honours and awards
2019 - The Worshipful Livery Company of Wales (WLCoW) Travel Award
2019 - European Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel Exchange Scholarship (Eindhoven University of Technology).
2018 - National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Technology Grant of £126k for ''The SAFEST Review: The Shock-Absorbing Flooring Effectiveness SysTematic Review including older adults and staff in care settings'' (Co-applicant, Reviewer and Advisory Board member).
2018 - Newton Fund and Researcher Links 'Embracing new design technologies: enabling equitable access to health', Central University of Technology, South Africa.
2018 - European Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel & 3M Pressure Ulcer and IAD Innovation Award.
2017 - Image-Based Biomedical Modelling Fellowship, University of Utah, USA.
2015 - Scoliosis and Spinal Disorders ‘Most Influential Articles of 2015’ for the paper entitled ‘Gravity-Induced Coronal Plane Joint Moments in Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis’.
2011 - Queensland University of Technology Supervisor Scholarship - a 3 year PhD project at QUT as part of the Florence Wilson Bequest, Brisbane.
Professional memberships
- Chartered Engineer (Engineering Council UK)
- Member of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE)
- Member of the European Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel (EPUAP)
- Member of Cardiff Institute of Tissue Engineering and Repair (CITER)
Academic positions
- 2016 - Present: Postdoctoral Research Associate, Cardiff University
- February - September 2015: Clinical Research Associate with the Biomechanics and Spine Research Group, QUT and Queensland Children's Hospital, Australia
Speaking engagements
2019
- Centre Ingénièrie et Santé, École des Mines de Saint-Étienne, France – Campus Santé Innovations Seminar (Invited Speaker)
2018
- 20th Annual Meeting of the European Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel, Italy
- World Congress of Biomechanics, Ireland
2015
- XXV Congress of the International Society of Biomechanics, Scotland
- Asia Pacific Conference of Biomechanics, Japan
- Annual Scientific Meeting of the Spine Society of Australia, Australia
2014
- École Nationale Supérieure des Mines, St Etienne, France – Conférence IFRESIS Seminar (Invited Speaker)
- Laboratoire de Biomécanique Arts et Métiers, ParisTech, Paris, France (Invited Speaker)
- World Congress of Biomechanics, USA
- International Research Society of Spinal Deformities, Japan
- Annual Scientific Meeting of the Spine Society of Australia, Australia
2013
- International Conference on Biomedical Engineering, IFMBE and Biomedical Engineering Society, Singapore
- Asia Pacific Conference of Biomechanics, Korea
- Adelaide Centre for Spine Research (ACSR), Symposium XI, Australia
- Annual Scientific Meeting of the Spine Society of Australia, Australia
Committees and reviewing
- Early Career Research Network (ECRN)
- University of Portsmouth Ageing Network
- School of Engineering Athena Swan Network
- Cardiff Institute of Tissue Engineering and Repair Communication and Visibility Committee
2019
- Keenan, B. E. and Evans, S. L. 2019. Biomechanical testing of hip protectors following the Canadian Standards Association express document. Osteoporosis International (10.1007/s00198-019-04914-x)
2018
- Drahota, A.et al. 2018. The SAFEST Review: The Shock-Absorbing Flooring Effectiveness SysTematic Review including older adults and staff in care settings. Study Protocol.. National Institute for Health Research. Available at: https://fundingawards.nihr.ac.uk/award/17/148/11
2017
- Keenan, B.et al. 2017. Sequential magnetic resonance imaging reveals individual level deformities of vertebrae and discs in the growing scoliotic spine. Spine Deformity 5(3), pp. 197-207. (10.1016/j.jspd.2016.10.002)
- Newell, N.et al. 2017. A comparison of four techniques to measure anterior and posterior vertebral body heights and sagittal plane wedge angles in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. Medical & Biological Engineering & Computing 55(4), pp. 561-572. (10.1007/s11517-016-1520-y)
- Grant, C. A.et al. 2017. A comparison of vertebral venous networks in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis patients and healthy controls. Surgical and Radiologic Anatomy 39(3), pp. 281-291. (10.1007/s00276-016-1709-7)
2016
- Newell, N.et al. 2016. Quantifying progressive anterior overgrowth in the thoracic vertebrae of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis patients a sequential magnetic resonance imaging study. Spine 41(7), pp. E382-E387.
2015
- Keenan, B.et al. 2015. Gravity-induced coronal plane joint moments in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. Scoliosis 10, article number: 35. (10.1186/s13013-015-0060-9)
2014
- Keenan, B.et al. 2014. Supine to standing Cobb angle change in idiopathic scoliosis: the effect of endplate pre-selection. Scoliosis 9 (10.1186/1748-7161-9-16)
- Keenan, B.et al. 2014. Segmental torso masses in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. Clinical Biomechanics 29(7), pp. 773-779. (10.1016/j.clinbiomech.2014.06.002)
Guest lecturer in Biomechanics for Yr 2 and Yr 3 Medical Engineering students.
Mechanical, Manufacturing and Medical Engineering (MMM)
Research theme: Mechanics, Materials and Advanced Manufacturing
Current projects include:
- Computational modelling of heel pressure ulcers to improve prevention and treatment of ulcers (using 3D MRI data)
- Biomechanical testing of hip protectors and compliant flooring to form a Standards document
- Advancing neurological catheter development through MR scanning of novel brain phantoms. Neurological catheters are inserted in to the brain phantom and infused with an MR tracer (in collaboration with Renishaw PLC)
- Investigating the influence of obesity on soft tissue strain response to sitting loads (in collaboration with Flinders University, Adelaide)
- Investigating cortical and trabecular bone in Prader-Willi animal bones (using microCT)
Dr Keenan's research focuses on areas including:
- Medical Imaging
- Biomechanics
- Injury prevention
- Soft tissue mechanics
- Fall prevention in the elderly
- Pressure ulcer formation and prevention
Please contact her using the above details should your interests lie within these areas.