Biomechanics on our Minds

Latest Episodes:

Bonus BOOM for ALS: Boston Marathon-Sports Performance & Medical Research | Kristin Whitney Apr 14, 2025

Show notes

This is a special episode all about the Boston Marathon. The 129th Boston Marathon will take place on April 21, 2025 and holds a special place in the hearts of those in this episode. There are also 174 charities participating in the marathon. See below on how to show your support. Our guest in this episode is Dr. Kristin Whitney, who is an Assistant Professor in Orthopedics and Sports Medicine at Harvard Medical School and the Director of the Injured Runners Clinic at Boston Children’s Hospital. She is also the Boston Marathon Medical Tracking Program Team Captain. We talk about Kristin's experiences and perspectives in these roles and how she has used her learnings and expertise to improve performance for others. She shares her story of a clinical care team that made a huge impact in her and her family's life and how that fueled her passion to bring excellent clinical care to so many today. Kristin also shares a groundbreaking study with a team that is on the frontiers of performance research. We were inspired by this conversation and hope it inspires you too! Thank you to our sponsors! The Wu Tsai Human Performance Alliance: https://humanperformancealliance.org/ Connect with Dr. Kristin Whitney! Website: https://www.childrenshospital.org/directory/kristin-whitney Instagram: @kristinwhitney.md Twitter: @KristinWhitney LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristin-schwarz-whitney-md-ma-a1037947/ Boston Marathon Research Study: https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/59/4/222 Donate to Team Challenge ALS via Hannah's page: https://www.givengain.com/project/hannah-raising-funds-for-the-als-association-89275 Learn more about the ALS Association: https://www.als.org/ Donate to other 2025 Boston Marathon charities: https://www.baa.org/races/boston-marathon/charity-program Connect with BOOM! Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook: @biomechanicsonourminds LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/biomechanicsoom/ YouTube: Biomechanics On Our Minds Website: biomechanicsonourminds.com More from Kristin and her team: Runners World Magazine feature: https://www.runnersworld.com/health-injuries/a63084616/low-energy-availability/ Boston Children's Hosp Blog: https://answers.childrenshospital.org/low-energy-availability-boston-marathon/

Episode 69: Biomechanics On Our Minds Forever Jun 09, 2023

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Thank you for six incredible years. Biomechanics on our minds!

Episode 68: Choose the Impossible | Olympic Gold Medalist Jenn Heil Jun 07, 2023

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Our guest in this episode is Jenn Heil, a Canadian freestyle skier, two-time Olympic medalist, and reigning world champion in dual moguls. Jenn is a Guinness World Record Holder, Canadian Order of Sport Recipient, Stanford Graduate School of Business Leadership Award Winner, Founder of a startup focused on improving maternal mental health, and a mother of two boys herself. We talk about Jenn’s experiences and perspectives from these roles and how she has used her learnings and expertise to improve performance for others. Even at eight years old, she had an intensity for chasing challenges and fighting fear and is a clear example of what greatness can stand on the other side of fear. Our conversation inspired us to “choose the impossible” and “take joy in the process.” We hope it inspires you too! Thank you to our sponsors! The Wu Tsai Human Performance Alliance: https://humanperformancealliance.org/ Connect with Jenn Heil! Website: https://www.jenniferheil.com/ Instagram: @jennheil Twitter: @JennHeil LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-heil/ KoKo Health: https://www.kokohealth.ai Connect with BOOM! Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook: @biomechanicsonourminds LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/biomechanicsoom/ YouTube: Biomechanics On Our Minds Website and shop: biomechanicsonourminds.com

Episode 66: The Human Performance Series Part 2 | NiCole Keith Apr 19, 2023

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Welcome to Part 2 of the Human Performance Series supported by the Wu Tsai Human Performance Alliance! In this episode, we talked with NiCole Keith who is a Professor at Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis and the current president of American College Sports Medicine. NiCole shared her research in health equity and physical activity and the importance of making physical activity accessible to everyone. Thank you to our sponsors! Delsys: Enter a prize draw to win a two-sensor Trigno Lite system: https://delsys.com/boom The Wu Tsai Human Performance Alliance: https://humanperformancealliance.org/ Connect with NiCole Keith! Twitter: @nicolekeithphd LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicole-keith-2370083/ Research Bio: https://www.regenstrief.org/person/nicole-keith/ Connect with BOOM! Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook: @biomechanicsonourminds LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/biomechanicsoom/ YouTube: Biomechanics On Our Minds Website and shop: biomechanicsonourminds.com Resources [ADD ANY RESOURCES USED HERE] “Achieving Equity in Physical Activity Participation: ACSM Experience and Next Steps”: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27870795/ Duke presentation: https://sites.duke.edu/eimduke/files/2020/02/2020-Colloquium-Keynote-Slides-edited.pdf “COVID-19: Implications for Physical Activity, Health Disparities, and Health Equity”: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/15598276211029222 “COVID-19: Implications for Physical Activity, Health Disparities, and Health Equity”: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-328X/10/9/133

Episode 65: The Human Performance Series Part 1 | Caroline Kryder Apr 05, 2023

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In this episode, we interview Caroline Kryder, the Women’s Health Lead and Product Marketing Manager at Oura, a company that makes a smart ring device to track sleep, physical activity, and much more. Caroline shares how Oura is working to close the gap in Women’s health research and how they use customer insights to provide meaningful and actionable data-driven health feedback. We learn about the results from studies on using body surface temperature to determine menstrual cycles and predict pregnancy in as little as 5 days after conception. Thank you to our sponsors! Delsys: Enter a prize draw to win a two-sensor Trigno Lite system: https://delsys.com/boom The Wu Tsai Human Performance Alliance: https://humanperformancealliance.org/ Connect with Caroline Kryder! Caroline’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/caroline-kryder/ The Pulse Blog: https://ouraring.com/blog/ How Your Menstrual Cycle Impacts Your Entire Body: https://ouraring.com/blog/your-menstrual-cycle/ Connect with BOOM! Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook: @biomechanicsonourminds LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/biomechanicsoom/ YouTube: Biomechanics On Our Minds Website and shop: biomechanicsonourminds.com Resources UC San Diego feasibility study on using the Oura ring for early prediction of pregnancy: https://journals.plos.org/digitalhealth/article?id=10.1371/journal.pdig.0000034#:~:text=This%20preliminary%20study%20supports%20the,after%20self%2Dreported%20conceptive%20sex.

Episode 64: Objective Biomarkers of Health and Biomechanics Applications | Ryan McGinnis Mar 22, 2023

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We talked to Dr. Ryan McGinnis, an Associate Professor and Assistant Director in the department of electrical and biomedical engineering at the University of Vermont. He leads the M-Sense research group which takes the tools we make in biomechanics and empowers people out in the real world. We discuss the importance of user-centered design and research and how this is key to success in all of Ryan’s projects, notably one that links objective biomarkers and mental health. We are continually inspired by Ryan’s work, humility, and impact, and hope you are too. Thank you to our sponsor, Delsys! Enter a prize draw to win a two-sensor Trigno Lite system: https://delsys.com/boom Connect with Ryan and the M-Sense Research Team! M-Sense Research Group Website: https://www.uvm.edu/~rsmcginn/ M-Sense Twitter: @MSenseGroup Ryan’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryansmcginnis/ Connect with BOOM! Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook: @biomechanicsonourminds LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/biomechanicsoom/ YouTube: Biomechanics On Our Minds Website and shop: biomechanicsonourminds.com

Episode 63: Building a Lab and Discovering a Unicorn | Rafael Baptista Mar 02, 2023

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In this episode, we are joined by Professor Rafael Reimann Baptista. Rafael is a professor in the School of Health and Life Sciences at the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil. He coordinates the Laboratory of Evaluation and Research in Physical Activity, currently carrying out studies on the biomechanics of gait in older adults. He was also the President of the XVII Brazilian Congress of Biomechanics in 2017. He shares his experiences in these different roles, highlighting his learnings from building a lab from the ground up and his focus on innovation and entrepreneurship. Thank you to our sponsor, Delsys! Enter a prize draw to win a two-sensor Trigno Lite system: https://delsys.com/boom Connect with Rafael! Bio: https://www.pucrs.br/researchers/rafael-reimann-baptista/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/baptistarafael Recent publications: https://www.scopus.com/authid/detail.uri?authorId=8873682800 Connect with BOOM! Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook: @biomechanicsonourminds LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/biomechanicsoom/ YouTube: Biomechanics On Our Minds Website and shop: biomechanicsonourminds.com

Episode 62: Connecting Exoskeletons with People and Their Stories | Jonas Grau Thomsen Feb 15, 2023

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In this epsiode, we are joined by Jonas Grau Thomsen, the CEO of Nordic Bionics. When Jonas was six, he was told that I would only be able to walk for ten more years. This was the beginning of his search for a bionic solution. Now, he is an expert wheelchair user and exoskeleton influencer. His goal is to get exoskeletons out of the lab and into the world. He shares stories as an exoskeleton tester and his passion for connecting individuals who could benefit from exoskeletons with the latest developing technologies. Thank you to our sponsor, Delsys! Enter a prize draw to win a two-sensor Trigno Lite system: https://delsys.com/boom Connect with Jonas! Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonas-grau-thomsen/ Instagram: @NordicBionics Connect with BOOM! Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook: @biomechanicsonourminds LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/biomechanicsoom/ YouTube: Biomechanics On Our Minds Website and shop: biomechanicsonourminds.com

Episode 61: Nimble Exoskeletons and Entrepreneurship | Ray Browning and Zach Lerner Feb 01, 2023

Show notes

In this episode, Dr. Ray Browning and Dr. Zach Lerner shared their experiences, stories, and wisdom with us on their journeys in biomechanics, collaboration, and founding the rehabilitation robotics company Biomotum. Biomotum is currently developing robotic systems that help people improve their mobility by not only assisting motion but also training and rehabilitating the body. It was great to hear from Ray and Zach’s different perspectives, Ray’s more from the translation and business standpoint as an entrepreneur and Zach’s more from the science and technology standpoint as an academic professor, and how they bring them together to create impact. Both speak about the value of user-centered design in each of their current roles and throughout their career. Thank you to our sponsor, Delsys! Enter a prize draw to win a two-sensor Trigno Lite system: https://delsys.com/boom Connect with Biomotum! Biomotum Website: https://www.biomotum.com/ Biomechatronics Laboratory: https://biomech.nau.edu/ Biomotum LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/biomotum/ Biomotum Instagram: @biomotumhealth Ray’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ray-browning/ Zach’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zach-lerner-phd/ Connect with BOOM! Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook: @biomechanicsonourminds LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/biomechanicsoom/ YouTube: Biomechanics On Our Minds Website and shop: biomechanicsonourminds.com Other resources: Bit of BOOM: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/scirobotics.abj3487 Professor Elliot Rouse‘s website: http://www.elliottjrouse.com/

Episode 60: Productivity, Focus, and Wellbeing | Brent Shaw Jan 25, 2023

Show notes

In this episode, Brent Shaw joins us to talk about topics including goal setting, avoiding distractions, and enjoying the journey. Brent is the Director of Research at The Darrow Stem Cell Institute as well as a personal coach and host of the Student Performance Podcast. Brent shared science-backed tips and really actionable advice to help you achieve your goals! Try out the Organized Researcher Quarterly Planner: https://tinyurl.com/2p8aeddx Thank you to our sponsor, Delsys! Enter a prize draw to win a two-sensor Trigno Lite system: https://delsys.com/boom Connect with Brent Shaw! Instagram: @therealstudentmentor ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Brent-Shaw Connect with BOOM! Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook: @biomechanicsonourminds LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/biomechanicsoom/ YouTube: Biomechanics On Our Minds Website and shop: biomechanicsonourminds.com

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