Faculty Profile
Susan James
August 2009
Susan James is known around the College of Engineering as much for her hand creams and lip balms as for her cutting-edge research in biomedical engineering.
James holds a series of prestigious titles at the university: In addition to being professor of mechanical engineering and biomedical engineering, James is the founding director of the School of Biomedical Engineering - an interdisciplinary program across four colleges that aims to have a unified front for students, faculty and the biomedical industry; and co-director of the Orthopedic Bioengineering Research Laboratory at Colorado State.
In her spare time, she also makes lip balms and lotions – called "Sue’s Goo" – and sells the products in small quantities to faculty and staff.
On Saturdays in the fall, she can be found teaching grade-school girls how to make lip balm and lotions as part of an Xcel grant to the Women and Minorities in Engineering Program that encourages young girls to take more interest in science and engineering.
The Saturday morning program is perhaps not a coincidence: More women go into biomedical engineering than any other field of engineering, James said.
"A lot of women are attracted to biology and/or medicine," James said. 'They’re going to be able to help people and make a difference in women’s lives."
James focuses her research on orthopedic biomaterials, particularly those used to replace damaged joints, cartilage and intervertebral discs. She joined the faculty at CSU in 1994 after receiving her doctorate in polymer science and technology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1993 and working for a year as an engineer at Failure Analysis Associates in California.
James developed material that has improved wear-resistance over the conventional bearing material commonly used in total joint prostheses resulting from the infusion of a glycosaminoglycan. Glycosaminoglycans act as a lubricant in natural cartilage joints – reducing friction on contacting surfaces - and is found within the knee and hip joints of the body.
The new joint implant material will have the same role of providing a self-lubricating surface for the patient. The end result could be that the patient would have a longer lasting total joint, reducing the risk for revision surgery.
Schwartz Biomedical has licensed James’ technology from CSU and planning to launch the first products for knee resurfacing next year. Schwartz Biomedical, in conjunction with James’s research group, is also developing other applications of the material for total joint replacements and spinal treatments.
In the School of Biomedical Engineering, which James helped create, students are trained in the development of innovative products to improve the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of diseases and also to help improve overall health and patient rehabilitation.
Students in this program would, for example, create new orthopedic implants, develop new therapies and imaging modalities for fighting cancer, improve the design of vital medical equipment such as the blood oxygenators used in open heart surgery or work on the next generation of gene therapies or engineered tissues and organs. Graduates are expected to work in industry, the government and academia.
Her many honors include Outstanding Faculty Member, American Society of Mechanical Engineers, CSU Student Section in 1996 and the Engineering Faculty Award of Excellence at CSU in 1997. In spring 2009, the university awarded her the prestigious Oliver P. Pennock Distinguished Service Award.
