Prof. Michael Walsh is a Associate Professor in Biomedical Engineering in the Department of Mechanical, Aeronautical and Biomedical Engineering. Since 2005 he co-founded and has served as Manager and Director of the Centre for Applied Biomedical Engineering Research. He is theme lead for the Technology Enhanced Health Outcomes theme of the Health Research Institute and a member of the executive committee of the Materials and Surface Science Institute.

His research activity focuses on an improved understanding of the host response to the treatment of vascular diseases. His primary area of research investigates how disease caused by vascular surgical interventions (intimal hyperplasia) is instigated/mediated by hemodynamics. His secondary area of research is focused on vascular disease properties and how such properties can be leveraged for improved medical device design. Elucidating the role of hemodynamics in intimal hyperplasia formation is a crucial step towards the understanding of how surgical treatments lead to disease formation and also how treatments can be improved to minimise intimal hyperplasia.

His former post-doctoral researchers are all working in Irish industry as are 13 of 16 PhD graduates. The other 3 PhD graduates are all pursuing academic careers, 2 at Georgia Institute of Technology and one at Edinburgh University. He has published 74 peer-reviewed journal papers and 8 book chapters.

He has a royalty bearing licenced technology to an indigenous Irish company, 3 granted patents, 2 in review and a spin-out company, Class Medical, established in 2014. He has published high quality work in leading materials, biomedical engineering and medical journals such as Acta Biomaterialia, Biomechanics and Modeling in Mechanobiology and European Journal of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery, respectively.

Recent work on the hemodynamics of AV access has led to publication in high impact journals and an invitation to edit a special issue of Cardiovasuclar Engineering and Technology on “Vascular Access” for publication in September 2016. His current team includes 6 PhD students and 2 post-doctoral students.

Publications

Cahalane, R., Barrett, H., O'Brien, J.M., Kavanagh, E., Moloney, M.A. & Walsh, M.T. (2018). Relating the Mechanical Properties of Atherosclerotic Calcification to Radiographic Density: A Nanoindentation Approach. Acta Biomaterialia. 80: 228-236. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actbio.2018.09.010

Aristokleous, N., Houston, J., Browne, L., Broderick, S.P., Kokkalis, E., Gandy, S.J., & Walsh, M.T. (2018). Morphological and Hemodynamical alterations in Brachial Artery and Cephalic Vein. An Image-Based Study for Preoperative Assessment for Vascular Access Creation. International Journal for Numerical Methods in Biomedical Engineering. 34 (11): e3136. https://doi.org/10.1002/cnm.3136

Barrett, H.E., Cunnane, E.M., Hidayat, H., O'Brien, J.M., Moloney, M.A., Kavanagh, E.G. & Walsh, M.T. (2018). On the influence of wall calcification and intraluminal thrombus on prediction of abdominal aortic aneurysm rupture. Journal of Vascular Surgery. 67 (4): 1234-1246. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvs.2017.05.086

Barrett, H.E., Cunnane, E.M., Hidayat, H., O Brien, J.M., Kavanagh, E.G. & Walsh, M.T. (2017). Calcification Volume Reduces Stretch Capability and Predisposes Plaque to Rupture in an in vitro Model of Carotid Artery Stenting. European Journal of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery. 54 (4): 431-438. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejvs.2017.07.022

Barrett, H., Cunnane, E., O’Brien, J.M., Moloney, M.A., Kavanagh, E. & Walsh, M.T. (2017). On the Effect of Computed Tomography Resolution to Distinguish between Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Wall Tissue and Calcification: A Proof of Concept. European Journal of Radiology. 95: 370-377. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejrad.2017.08.023