Katie Sikes

Dr. Sikes is a research scientist at the Translational Medicine Institute (TMI) in the Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biological Sciences at Colorado State University. She obtained her Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in 2011 and her PhD in Bioengineering from University of Illinois at Chicago in 2016. Currently, Dr. Sikes is a principal investigator at the Preclinical Surgical Research Laboratory (PSRL) where she facilitates investigations using rodent and rabbit preclinical models. Specifically, these projects involve the development of novel injury models and testing of therapeutics including devices, biologics, and stem cells. Dr. Sikes’s research passion involves using an integrated approach to studying animal models of musculoskeletal disease where molecular analyses can be correlated with structural and functional properties to assess full-scale disease progression and healing. During her career, Dr. Sikes’s research has focused primarily on tendon, ligament, and myotendinous injuries. Her research goals seek to use an interdisciplinary approach to provide mechanistic and therapeutic data that will improve the health span of all patient populations who suffer from both acute and chronic tendon/ligament related injuries.