News Tony Petrella (PhD ’00)“Everyday I see the positive impact DePuy products have on patients’ lives. There is a great sense of reward in that” says Anthony Petrella, Manager of the Computational Biomechanics Group at DePuy Orthopaedics, a division of Johnson & Johnson based in Warsaw, Ind., and a world leader in total joint replacements. He is using his mechanical engineering expertise to coordinate finite element analysis on knee and hip replacements.
After earning his PhD and interviewing for several academic positions, he realized that practical industry experience would be a tremendous asset in the classroom. “While advanced degrees are becoming more common in all fields, most engineering students go on to become practicing engineers and would benefit from an instructor with hands-on industry experience,” he said. “DePuy is a perfect example of an organization competing in a global marketplace. Not only do we have to be sensitive to customer needs and economic conditions in different parts of the world, many of our internal development projects are conducted by global cross-functional teams. We may have groups in the UK, France, Asia, and the US all working together to meet a project timeline. I would counsel engineering students to think globally and embrace their group projects in order to develop the skills needed to be successful in a team environment.” Petrella hopes to return to campus life someday and share his experience and enthusiasm for bioengineering, working as an adjunct faculty member at a university near his home in Fort Wayne, Ind. “I miss the campus atmosphere [at Pitt],” Petrella said. “There was always activity and a strong sense of community.” For now, he’s enjoying the challenge of helping to develop the next great knee replacement. “That’s where the rubber meets the road,” he said, “and that’s pretty exciting.” |
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As an undergraduate at Purdue University, he knew he wanted to be involved with joint replacement technology. After earning his master’s degree in mechanical engineering at Purdue, Petrella chose Pitt because of the school’s strong bioengineering research environment. He had a keen interest in the knee, particularly patella mechanics, and Pitt’s strength in this area aligned perfectly with his interest and experience. While working in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Petrella also collaborated with Pitt bioengineers and worked with the Musculoskeletal Research Center. Benedum Hall
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