Dr. Brian Stemper

Dr. Brian StemperMarquette University

Zablocki VA Medical Center Neuroscience Research Labs, Research 151, Room 70-D-210

MilwaukeeWI53201United States of America(414) 384-2000, ext. 41525stemps@mcw.eduGoogle Scholar

Curriculum Vitae

Professor

Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering

Professor

MCW Department of Neurosurgery

Director

Neuroscience and Biomechanics Research Laboratories

Zablocki VA Medical Center Labs 

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Professional Preparation

• Ph.D., 2004, Biomedical Engineering, Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI 
• B.S., 1998, Biomedical Engineering, Milwaukee School of Engineering, Milwaukee, WI

Courses Taught

BIEN 6440 Biomedical Engineering Analysis of Trauma—An engineering analysis of the physiological changes following impact to the head, spinal cord, and limbs, and electrical events and effects on tissues are treated

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Research Interests

• Biomechanics of traumatic brain injury
• Biomechanics of spine injury
• Basic biomechanics of the cervical and lumbar spine 
• Automotive safety

Selected Publications

Muench JR, Sinson GP, Glaeser B, Shah AS, Rowson S, Duma S, Mihalik J, Brooks A, Cameron K, Giza C, Goldman J, McGinty G, Riggen L, Pasquina PF, Broglio SP, McAllister T, McCrea MA, Harezlak J, Stemper BD. Change in head impact exposure following return to play in concussed football athletes. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise (in press). DOI: 10.1249/MSS.0000000000003833.

Stemper BD, Muftuler LT, Cutlan R, Strother C, Sherman K, Meier T, Yoganandan N, Gerds B, Dooley C, Le P, Hainsworth K, Vedantam A. Abnormal pattern of spondylosis influences post-flight CROM in fifth generation fighter pilots. Aerospace Medicine and Human Performance (in press).

Raff H, Hainsworth KR, Cutlan R, Sherman KA, Stemper BD. Flight-associated cortisol dynamics and subjective assessments of pain and stress in fighter pilots. European Journal of Applied Physiology (in press). DOI: 10.1007/s00421-025-05837-8.

Seifert J, Maiman D, Frazer LL, Shah AS, Yoganandan N, King K, Sheehy JB, Paskoff G, Bentley T, Nicolella D, Stemper BD (2024). Mechanical characterization of non-degraded porcine annulus fibrosus material properties. Annals of Biomedical Engineering. DOI: 10.1007/s10439-024-03629-3.

Cutlan R, Khokhar M, Shammout N, Shah AS, Frazer L, Yoganandan N, Shender BS, Sheehy J, Paskoff G, Nicolella D, Bentley T, Shabani S, Stemper BD (2024). Lumbar spine orientation affects compressive fracture outcome. Annals of Biomedical Engineering. DOI: 10.1007/s10439-024-03604-y.

Rieger LK, Shah A, Schick S, Draper DB, Cutlan R, Peldschus S, Stemper BD (2024). Subject-specific geometry of FE lumbar spine models for the replication of fracture locations using dynamic drop tests. Annals of Biomedical Engineering 52(4): 816-831. DOI: 10.1007/s10439-023-03402-y.

Chiariello R, McCarthy C, Glaeser BL, Shah AS, Budde MD, Stemper BD, Olsen CM (2023). Chronicity of repeated blast traumatic brain injury associated increase in oxycodone seeking in rats. Behavioral Brain Research Feb 13;438:114181. DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2022.114181.

Stemper BD, Shah S, Chiariello R, McCarthy C, Jessen K, Sarka B, Seifert J, Wang K, Budde MD, Olsen CM, McCrea M (2022). A Preclinical Rodent Model for Repetitive Subconcussive Head Impact Exposure in Contact Sport Athletes. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience 16:805124. DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2022.805124.

McCrea MA, Shah A, Duma S, Rowson S, Harezlak J, McAllister TW, Broglio SP, Giza CC, Goldman J, Cameron KL, Houston MN, McGinty G, Jackson JC, Guskiewicz K, Mihalik J, Brooks MA, Pasquina P, Stemper BD (2021). Opportunities for Prevention of Concussion and Repetitive Head Impact Exposure in College Football Players: A Concussion Assessment, Research, and Education (CARE) Consortium Study. JAMA Neurology 2021;78(3):346-350. DOI: 10.1001/jamaneurol.2020.5193.

Stemper BD, Shah AS, Harezlak J, Rowson S, Mihalik JP, Duma SM, Riggen LD, Brooks A, Cameron KL, Campbell D, DiFiori JP, Giza CC, Guskiewicz KM, McGinty GT, Svoboda SJ, McAllister TW, Broglio SP, McCrea M, CARE Consortium Investigators (2019). Comparison of Head Impact Exposure Between Concussed Football Athletes and Matched Controls: Repetitive Head Impact Exposure as a Mechanism for Concussion. Annals of Biomedical Engineering 47(10): 2057-2072. DOI: 10.1007/s10439-018-02136-6.

Recent Grants

• Stemper, Brian (Co-Investigator); Kroner-Milsch, Antje (Principal Investigator); “Establish and Validate a Model of Concomitant Neurotrauma.” Sponsored by the Advancing a Healthier Wisconsin Endowment (January 2025–December 2025).
• Stemper, Brian (Principal Investigator); Yoganandan, Narayan (Co-Principal Investigator); Muftuler, L. Tugan (Co-Investigator); Baisden, Jamie (Co-Investigator); Hainsworth, Keri (Co-Investigator); Raff, Hershel (Co-Investigator); "Determination of the Etiology of Neck and Back Pain in High Performance Aircrew." Sponsored by the United States Air Force: Air Force Research Laboratory Wright Research Site (September 23, 2022–September 30, 2025).
• Stemper, Brian (Co-Investigator); Wang, Yang (Principal Investigator); McCrea, Michael (Co-Principal Investigator, PD); Meier, Timothy (Co-Investigator); Nelson, Lindsay (Co-Investigator); Szabo, Aniko (Co-Investigator); “Effects of Head Impact Exposure During Contact Sport on Middle School and High School Athletes.” Sponsored by the National Institutes of Health Neurological Disorders and Stroke (April 1, 2019–March 31, 2023).
• Stemper, Brian (Principal Investigator); Olsen, Chris (Co-Investigator); Budde, Matthew (Co-Investigator); McCrea, Michael (Co-Investigator); “Determination of factors that influence addiction-related outcomes following brain injury.”  Sponsored by the Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Research and Development (March 01, 2020–February 28, 2024).
• Stemper, Brian (Site Principal Investigator); Yoganandan, Narayan (Co-Investigator); Pintar, Frank (Co-Investigator); “Incapacitation Prediction for Readiness in Expeditionary Domains: an Integrated Computational Tool (I-PREDICT).” Sponsored by Southwest Research Institute through a prime award from MTEC (March 1, 2018–July 31, 2023).
• Stemper, Brian (Co-Principal Investigator); McCrea, Michael (Co-Investigator); Harezlak, Jaroslaw (Contact Principal Investigator); “Influence of the College Football Athletes' Cumulative Head Impact Exposure (HIE) on the mTBI incidence and post-mTBI health outcomes.” Sponsored by Indiana University through a prime award from The National Institutes of Health, NINDS (March 01, 2022–February 28, 2026).
• Stemper, Brian (Site Principal Investigator); Dietz, Anthony (Principal Investigator); “In-Ear Exposure Sensor with Integrated Noise Attenuation and Communications Capabilities Phase II.” Sponsored by Paxauris, LLC, through a prime award from US Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity (March 7, 2022–January 2, 2024).
• Stemper, Brian (Co-Principal Investigator); Yoganandan, Narayan (Principal Investigator); Baisden, Jamie (Co-Investigator); “Behind Armor Blunt Trauma Consortium: Injuries, Mechanisms, and Biomedical Injury Criteria.” Sponsored by MTEC (October 6 2021–October 25, 2024).  
• Stemper, Brian (Co-Investigator); Muftuler, L Tugan (Principal Investigator); Budde, Matthew (Co-Investigator); “Investigating intervertebral disc endplate degeneration for non-specific low back pain.” Sponsored by Advancing a Healthier Wisconsin Foundation (July 1, 2022–June 30, 2024).