Atkins, Samantha K.
Dr. Samantha Atkins obtained her B.S. in Biomedical Engineering from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. She went on to obtain her M.S. in Biomedical Engineering at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) under the advisement of Dr. Stephen Trippel. Her research focused on integrin regulation of adeno-associated viruses in genetically modified chondrocytes. Her Ph.D. was obtained from the University of Notre Dame under the direction of Dr. Philippe Sucosky, where she worked in the Multi-Scale Cardiovascular Bioengineering Laboratory studying the relationship between shear stress and disease development in the ascending aorta and aortic valve. Her Ph.D. thesis was entitled,“The Hemodynamic Theory of Bicuspid Aortic Valve Disease.”During her Ph.D. Samantha was awarded the Outstanding Graduate Teacher Award from the Kaneb Center at Notre Dame. Samantha served as the Publicity and Procedures Chair in the Graduate Student Union of Notre Dame for 2 years. She is passionate about outreach activities and was the Conference Coordinator of the Notre Dame Expanding Your Horizons chapter for 6 years and served as Director during her last year at Notre Dame. Additionally, her interest in translational research led to her invitation to attend the Clinical and Translational Research Course for Ph.D. Students at the National Institutes of Health.
Samantha joined the CICS in 2018 as a postdoctoral research fellow in the research group of Dr. Elena Aikawa. She is working to determine the molecular regulation of osteoclast activity in the context of calcific aortic valve disease.