Jill S. Kawalec, Ph.D.

Dr. Kawalec is the Research Director and a Professor in the Division of Pre-Clinical Sciences at the Kent State University College of Podiatric Medicine (KSUCPM). Her educational background includes a Bachelor of Bioengineering from the University of Pennsylvania as well as a Masters and Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering, both of which she earned from Case Western University. Originally hired with the former Ohio College of Podiatric Medicine (OCPM) in 1996, Dr. Kawalec began her career with the College as an Assistant Professor and Director of Research. In 2011, she was named Chair of the OCPM Research Department. Following the acquisition of OCPM by Kent State University (KSU) in July 2012, Dr. Kawalec received a promotion to Associate Professor and Division Head of Research. In July 2015 she was named Associate Professor and Director of Research. She is also an adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Case Western Reserve University. Her research expertise includes orthopedic biomaterials for joint replacement and cartilage repair and replacement. She has expanded her research into the area of prevention, diagnosis and treatment of high risk foot complications, as well as authoring book and encyclopedia chapters. Dr. Kawalec has also published works in several peer-reviewed journals. 

Dr. Kawalec Oversees the daily operation of the CPM Research Office. In addition to her teaching responsibilities, she provides the administrative oversight for all of the research performed at CPM and chairs its Institutional Review Board/ Research Committee. Dr. Kawalec works closely with faculty and students in developing and conducting research in their areas of interest. She conducts clinical research, including studies that have been funded by the NIH and international funding agencies. Dr. Kawalec is a trained Clinical Research Associate and has represented CPM in several clinical projects as the consulting clinical research organization. Additionally, she creates and publishes a quarterly newsletter for the College outlining ongoing research activities and accomplishments and serves on various committees both internal and external to CPM, including the CPM Curriculum Committee, KSU Institutional Review Board and the KSU Research Advisory Council. 

Patents and Inventions:

*"Thermochromic Fabrics Utilizing Cholosteric Liquid Crystal Material"-U.S. Patent Application #14/576,761; Patent Application Publication No. US 2015/0173679 A1, published June 25, 2015.

Representative Publications:

• M.M. Blazer, R. Petrozzi, S.Y. Harris, H. Greer, J. Goldfarb, T. Biernacki, and J.S. Kawalec, "Onset and Duration of Anesthesia for Local Anesthetic Combinations Commonly Used in Forefoot Surgery; Surprise Results with Sequential Blocks", The Foot, 25, pp. 75-78, 2015.
• V.J. Hetherington, J.S. Kawalec-Caroll, and D. Nadler, "Qualitative Histological Evaluation of Photooxidized Bovine Osteochondral Grafts in Rabbits: A Pilot Study", Journal of Foot and Ankle Surgery, 46(4), pp. 223-229, 2007.
• J.S. Kawalec-Carroll, V.J. Hetherington, D.S. Dockery, C. Shive, P.V. Lehmann, O.S. Targoni, D. Nadler and D. Prins, "immunogenicity of Unprocessed and Photooxidized Bovine and Human Osteochondral Grafts in Collagen-Sensitive Mice", BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders, 7:32, 2006.
• V.J. Hetherington, J.S. Kawalec, D.S. Dockery, P.V. Lehmann, O.S. Targoni and D. Nadler, "Immunologic Testing of Xeno-Derived Osteochondral Grafts Using Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells from Healthy Human Donors", BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders, 6:36, 2005
• J.S. Kawalec, V.J. Hetherington, T.C. Pfenningwerth, D.S. Dockery and M. Dolce, "Effect of a Diode Laser on Wound Healing Using Diabetic and Nondiabetic Mice", Journal of Foot and Ankle Surgery, 43, pp. 214-220, 2004.
• V.J. Hetherington, J.S. Kawalec and B. Bhattacharyya, "Enhancement of the Fixation of Prolytic Carbon Implants by Using Atomic Oxygen Texturing", Journal of Foot and Ankle Surgery, 43, pp. 16-19, 2004.
• J.S. Kawalec, V.J. Hetherington, T.C. Melillo and N. Corbin, "Evaluation of Fibrocartilage and Regeneration and Bone Response at Full-Thickness Cartilage Defects in Articulation with Pyrolytic Carbon or Cobalt-Chromium Alloy Hemiarthroplasties", Journal of Biomedical Materials Research, 41, pp. 534-540, 1998.
• J.S. Kawalec, S.A. Brown, J.H. Payer and K. Merritt, "Mixed-Metal Fretting Corrosion of Ti6A14V and Wrought Cobalt Alloy", Journal of Biomedical Materials Research, 29, pp. 867-873, 1995.

Recent Conference Poster Presentations:

• "Development of a Thermochromic Liquid Crystal Fabric for Early Home Detection of Potential High Risk Foot Complications: A Proof-of-Concept Study on an Initial Prototype"- American Podiatric Medical Association, 2015
• "Nonvisual Foot Examination for People with Visual Impairment"- American Diabetes Association, 2014
• "Nonvisual Foot Inspection for People with Visual Impairment"- American Diabetes Association, 2014
• "Cadaveric Evaluation and Mechanical Testing of the Foot with an Evans Calcaneal Osteotomy Comparing a Bi-Phasic Ceramic Bone Substitute to Tricortical Cancellous Allograft"- American Podiatric Medical Association, 2012
• "The Susceptibility of Common Foot Pathogens Isolated from Deep Soft Tissue and Bone to Silver in Patients with Diabetic Foot Infections: A Statistical Evaluation Generated from Testing Silver-Based Dressing Products"- Symposium on Advanced Wound Care, 2011

Awards and Honors:

• Kent State University Scholar of the Month- October 2013