Skip to main content.

Research Faculty & Staff

Research Faculty

Mar Damon Portrait
Research Instructor, Orthopedic Surgery and Sports Medicine

Terence McIff portrait
Associate Professor, Orthopedic Surgery and Sports Medicine

Jinxi Wang portrait
Professor, Orthopedic Surgery and Sports Medicine

Research Staff

Sharon Bradshaw, BA
Clinical Research Coordinator

Email: sbradshaw2@kumc.edu

B.A.,Business, Lamar University, Beaumont, TX
Tel: 913-945-6289 Fax: 913-588-0862

Sharon has 7 years of Clinical Research experience with US Oncology, which provides her with the skills and knowledge to support clinical research conducted by the faculty. This includes protocol development, communication with organizations and committees (such as HSC), and interactions with pharma companies. From recruiting and consent to follow up and data management, Sharon is the vital contact between the doctor and the patient volunteer.


Michael Dold, BS
Research Assistant

Email: Mdold2@kumc.edu

Tel: 913-588-6149 Fax: 913-588-0070

Projects and Responsibilities: Michael has a background in both clinical orthopedics and research following his degree in Organismal Biology, B.S. from the University of Kansas. He is currently investigating the properties of antimicrobial-enhanced bone cements under various conditions.  Michael assists with the Bioskills cadaveric workshops and Residency Training hosted in the Orthopedic Research & Education Center.


Yi Feng, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow

Email: yfeng@kumc.edu

Tel: 913-588-0871 Fax: 913-945-7773

Projects and responsibilities: Yi's current studies are focused on the biological mechanisms of post-traumatic osteoarthritis and regulatory mechanisms of osteoblast differentiation during bone regeneration. He is responsible for animal surgeries to generate bone defects in mice/rats and post-traumatic osteoarthritis in mice, post-operative monitoring, mouse colony management, collection of tissues from mice/rats for isolation of cells and RNA for gene expression analyses by quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR).


Qinghua Lu, B.Sc.
Senior Research Associate

Email: qlu@kumc.edu

B.Sc, Nanchang University, Nanjing, P.R. China
Tel: 913-588-0870/ Fax: 913-588-0070

Projects and Responsibilities: Qinghua has worked on multiple orthopedic research projects as a Research Technician/Associate having previously spent time in the Department of Orthopedic Surgery and Sports Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Children's Hospital, Boston, MA. She has assisted several principal investigators with bone histology, tissue/cell culture, and animal surgery and post-operative care.


Stephanie Robinson, MS
Clinical Research Coordinator

Email: srobinson6@kumc.edu

Masters Degree, Marriage and Family Therapy, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS
Tel: 913-588-0581 Fax: 913-588-0862

Stephanie brings over 5 years of pharmaceutical clinical trial industry experience, including 3 years of project management, to the department, primarily in oncology research. She has managed all study phases from study start-up to database lock. Currently, she is working with Dr. Doug Burton and the International Spine Study Group on studies relating to adult spinal deformities.


Michelle Settle
Research Lab Administrator

Email: msettle@kumc.edu

Tel: 913-588-0069 Fax: 913-588-0070

Michelle coordinates Research Committee Meetings, handles travel and accounts payable for the staff of the OREC and maintains IRB protocols for all studies conducted through the OREC lab. Michelle works with editing and submission of manuscripts and abstracts as well as tracking research produced by residents as they move through the Orthopedic Surgery and Sports Medicine department. Michelle also facilitates the GSMC 840 Surgical Observation course taught by Dr. Terence McIff, Director of the Orthopedic Research and Education Center.


Amanda Varner, BS
Research Assistant

Email: avarner2@kumc.edu

Tel: 913-588-6149 Fax: 913-588-0070

Projects and Responsibilities: Amanda joins the orthopedic team with 4 years of research and lab managing experience in settings including the Fenton Lab, Center for Neuroscience at New York University, and the KCPD Crime Lab in Trace Analysis in Kansas City, Missouri. She is currently assisting in analytical chemistry testing, protocol development, resident training workshops, lab management, as well as assisting in resident research.


Mingcai Zhang, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow

Email: mzhang@kumc.edu

Tel: 913-588-0871 Fax: 913-945-7773

Projects and Responsibilities: Mingcai's current research is focused on two projects: (1) the role of bone sialoprotein (BSP) in osteogenesis and bone regeneration; (2) the molecular mechanisms underlying the initiation and progression of osteoarthritis. His general bench work involves preparation of shRNA and cDNA lentiviral constructs for stable knockdown and forced expression of target genes, respectively, preparation of luciferase reporter constructs to assess transcriptional activity, cell culture, total RNA isolation and qPCR analysis, methylated DNA immunoprecipitation (MeDIP), and chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assay, etc. He is also responsible for supervision of medical students and graduate students in the laboratory.


KU School of Medicine

University of Kansas Medical Center
Department of Orthopedic Surgery and Sports Medicine
Mail Stop 3017
3901 Rainbow Boulevard
Kansas City, KS 66160
913-588-6100