Welcoming New Appointees

Woojin Han, PhD, leads the Laboratory for Cell-Instructive Biomaterials and Regenerative Engineering, which focuses on establishing translational technologies for musculoskeletal soft-tissue regeneration by harnessing cell-matrix interactions.

Dr. Han received his BS in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Rochester. He completed an MSE and PhD in Bioengineering at the University of Pennsylvania. His graduate work established how applied tissue-level mechanical strain is transferred to the underlying cells and regulates early cell responses in fiber-reinforced soft connective tissues. Using these findings as guiding criteria, Dr. Han and his team also developed a tissue-engineered platform that mimics the multi-scale structure-function relationships of the native fibrocartilaginous tissues, which enables a more controlled investigation of multi-scale biomechanics and mechanobiology.

After completing his graduate studies, he pursued postdoctoral training at the Georgia Institute of Technology. There he engineered fully synthetic, modular, and cell-instructive biomaterial for facilitating the transplantation and engraftment of muscle stem/satellite cells in the context of skeletal muscle trauma and diseases, such as Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

Robert L. Parisien, MD, is an orthopedic sports medicine surgeon who specializes in cartilage repair and restoration, as well as arthroscopic surgery of the shoulder, elbow, hip, and knee. He provides on-mountain care for the elite skiers and snowboarders of Team USA as a Team Physician for US Ski & Snowboard.

Dr. Parisien completed his undergraduate studies at Brown University where he was the recipient of the Frederick “Fritz” Pollard Award and the Ernest T. Savignano Memorial Scholar-Athlete Award. He later earned his MD from the Tufts University School of Medicine. He is triple-fellowship trained in minimally invasive hip surgery; sports medicine and cartilage restoration; and sports medicine and shoulder surgery. 

Dr. Parisien has published more than 100 scientific manuscripts, reviews, and book chapters and his research has been presented at more than 100 national and regional orthopedic meetings. In recognition of his research, Dr. Parisien has been the recipient of the Kilfoyle Research Award, Arciero-Warner Research Award, American Orthopaedic Association Research Award in Sports Medicine, Eastern Orthopaedic Association (EOA) Research Award, New England Orthopaedic Society Research Award, EOEF Anil S. Ranawat M.D. Donor Grant Award, Massachusetts Orthopaedic Association Research Award, and recognized as a Clinician Scholar by the Orthopaedic Research Society.

Dr. Parisien holds numerous leadership positions as a Trustee of the Board of Athletes Soul, Associate Editor of the Journal of Cartilage & Joint Preservation, Editorial Board Member of both the Journal of Arthroscopy and the Journal of Sport Rehabilitation, a member of the Research Committee for both the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine (AOSSM) and American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology (AANA) as well as the Learning Center Committee at AANA and the Media Committee for the Society of Military Orthopaedic Surgeons. He is a member of several professional organizations, including the AOSSM, AANA, EOA, American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, International Cartilage Regeneration & Joint Preservation Society, International Society of Arthroscopy, Knee Surgery and Orthopaedic Sports Medicine, International Society for Hip Arthroscopy, and the Biologic Association.

Nicholas Richardson, MD, specializes in foot and ankle disorders. He has a clinical focus in foot and ankle injuries, arthritis, and deformities. He is a member of the Brooklyn Orthopaedic Society, as well as the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.

Dr. Richardson completed his undergraduate studies at the University of California at Santa Barbara and received his medical degree from Albany Medical College. He completed his Orthopedic Surgery residency at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York. During his residency, he provided team coverage at St. Francis College. He then went on to complete a foot and ankle surgery fellowship at the Cleveland Clinic. In 2018, Dr. Richardson received the Resident Scholar Award at the Academy of Foot and Ankle Surgery Annual Meeting.