Hai Yao, Ph.D.

I am one of the seven Clemson Bioengineering faculty physically located at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) within the Clemson-MUSC Joint Bioengineering Program. This unique joint program (since 2003) is the manifestation of a rapidly growing educational and research partnership between Clemson University and MUSC dedicated to excellence in education, and to interdisciplinary bioengineering research and the clinical translation of its outcomes. My research focuses on the biomechanical function, degeneration and regeneration of musculoskeletal systems, including temporomandibular joint (TMJ), spine intervertebral disc (IVD), and articular cartilage (AC). Our group established the first multi-scale TMJ model, integrating joint imaging and kinematics, tissue mechanics, cell metabolism, and genetics, to determine the path of normal TMJ remodeling or degeneration. Our work in TMJ biomechanics, mechanobiology, and ontogenesis has been well documented in a recent invited review in the Journal of Dental Research (97:1185-1192, 2018. PMCID: PMC6151909). I also served on the committee for the most recent TMD study report from the National Academy of Medicine (March 12, 2020, PMID: 32200600). Current research areas include the biomechanical mechanisms of cell mediated tissue degeneration, novel imaging techniques for nondestructive assessment of skeletal tissue composition and structure, and modeling interactions between mechanical, electrical, chemical, and matrix-supplied cues in controlling the development of functional engineered tissues.