Meet the Tendon and Ligament Research Team
Principal Investigator
Dr. Karin Grävare Silbernagel PT, ATC, PhD
Karin Grävare Silbernagel is a Professor, Associate Chair at the Department of Physical Therapy at University of Delaware. Dr. Silbernagel received her bachelor’s degree in Physical Therapy (1990) from Boston University, Advanced MSc in Physical Therapy (2001) and PhD in Orthopaedics (2006) from University of Gothenburg, Sweden. She was a postdoctoral researcher at University of Delaware, Department of Mechanical Engineering, funded by the Swedish Research Council. Dr. Silbernagel’s expertise is in orthopaedics and musculoskeletal injury with a focus on the lower extremity. She has been a physical therapist for 30+ years and her PhD in Orthopaedics was on the topic of Achilles tendinopathy. Her work has been directly integrated into clinical guidelines for treatment of patients with tendon injuries. She has presented her research at numerous conferences and published in peer-reviewed journals (100+ published articles to date). As the principal investigator of the Delaware Tendon Research Group and the Delaware ACL Research Group at the University of Delaware her research spans from the basic science to clinical intervention. Her research aims to advance understanding of tendon and ligament injuries and repair/reconstruction so that tailored treatments can be developed in individuals across the life span from sedentary to elite athletes. Her research is funded by the National Institute of Health, Foundation for Physical Therapy, Swedish Research Council for Sport Science, and Swedish Research Council.
Visiting Researcher – Post Docs
PhD Students
Morgan N. Potter, PT, DPT
Morgan has been a PhD student in the Biomechanics and Movement Science Program since 2022. Morgan completed her undergraduate studies in Integrative Health Science at the College of Saint Benedict in Minnesota in 2017. After college, she worked as a Research Assistant at Children’s Hospital Colorado in the Sports Medicine Department which is where she fell in love with physical therapy and rehabilitation science. This led her to the University of Delaware where she completed her Doctorate in Physical Therapy in December 2021. Morgan is active in the physical therapy clinic at UD treating patients and is a teaching assistant for multiple classes in University of Delaware’s Physical Therapy program.
Andy Smith, PT, DPT, MS
Andy Smith has been A PhD student in the Biomechanics and Movement Sciences Program since 2022. Andy received his Bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC), and his Doctorate of Physical Therapy from the University of Delaware. Prior to pursuing his DPT, Andy competed at the professional level in Track and Field racing the 800m event. Currently, Andy is exploring options for his research relating to the Achilles Tendon.
Research Assistants/Undergraduate Students
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Samantha Huerta
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Jessica Orzelowski
Past Lab Members
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Kayla Seymore, PhD (Postdoctoral Researcher, Division of Biokinesiology and Physical Therapy, University of Southern California)
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Hayley Powell Smitheman, PT, DPT, ATC, PhD (Postdoctoral Researcher, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)
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João Luiz Quaglioti Durigan, PT, MSc, PhD (Associate Professor, Department of Physical Therapy, University of Brasília)
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Rita de Cássia Marqueti, PT, MSc, PhD (Associate Professor, University of Brasília)
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Merve Karapınar, PT, MSc, PhD (Assistant Professor, Department of Physical Therapy, Süleyman Demirel University)
- Naoaki Ito, PT, DPT, PhD (Postdoctoral Researcher, Department of Orthopedics and Rehabilitation, University of Wisconsin)
- Dr. Rodrigo Scattone da Silva, PT, MSc, PhD
- Nabeel Alghamdi, BScPT, MSc, PhD (Assistant Professor, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia)
- Shawn Hanlon, PhD, ATC, CSCS (Assistant Professor, Department of Kinesiology, California State University, Fullerton)
- Elanna Arhos, PT, DPT, PhD (Assistant Professor, Physical Therapy and Human Movement Sciences, Northwestern University)
- Jennifer Zellers, PT, DPT, PhD (Assistant Professor, Program in Physical Therapy, Washington University in St. Louis)
- Patrick Corrigan, PT, DPT, PhD (Clinical Scientist, Cleveland Clinic)
- Andrew Sprague, PT, DPT, PhD (Assistant Professor, Department of Physical Therapy, University of Pittsburgh)
- Madeline Collazo Maguire, BS (MD Student, Drexel University College of Medicine)
- Phoebe Balascio, BS (MS Student, University of Pittsburgh)
- Haraldur ‘Halli’ Björn Sigurðsson, PT, PhD (Assistant Professor, University of Iceland)
