University of Arizona Arthritis Center and Department of Orthopaedic Surgery post-doctoral research associate David Jordan, PhD, MS, has been awarded a two-year $217,800 grant from the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) division of the National Institutes of Health. This grant provides funding to promote diversity in health-related research.
Dr. Jordan specializes in the principles of mechanical engineering, with research experience in experimental and computational biomechanics. His research interests include the biomechanical modeling of the hand and wrist musculoskeletal structure for the improved understanding of pathological effects and the advancement of therapeutic ingenuity. He is also experienced in finite element simulation, in-vivo experimental imaging, numerical programming and teaching, and is an advocate of diversity and inclusion within engineering and health-related research.
This award will further Dr. Jordan's research to establish age-specific distribution percentiles for joint space width in the healthy finger joints of African Americans and Whites, separately for men and women, for two time points, using data from the Osteoarthritis Initiative (OAI). He will also work to establish reference values and demographic distributions for the joint space width of the thumb carpometacarpal joint using computed tomography (CT), while also evaluating the relationship of 2D radiographic joint space measurement and 3D measurement of joint space width for the carpometacarpal thumb joint. As noted by Dr. Jordan in his award application, 'Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common form of arthritis, causing discomfort of the affected joints and affecting the quality of life of a large portion of the population. OA has very complex demographics and is prevalent in many joints, including those of the hand. Radiography is widely used to evaluate the affected joint in 2D both quantitatively, which can include measurements of joint space width, and qualitatively, which can include the identification of osteophyte formation. Computed tomography affords the opportunity for 3D analysis which, through consideration of bone morphological complexity, can provide analytical advantages for the assessment of the joint condition. We propose to develop a demographic description of the joint space width for the complete hand using radiography to quantify finger joint space width and computed tomography to quantify and validate radiographic thumb JSW.'
Dr. Jordan earned his bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering at Louisiana State University and earned his master's and doctoral degrees - also in mechanical engineering - from the University of Pittsburgh. He began his tenure at the University of Arizona in May, 2021.