Profile - Professor Rami Abboud

Professor Rami Abboud, the founder and current director of the University's Institute of Motion Analysis and Research (IMAR), has worked in the field of motion analysis in Dundee since 1988. He has overseen a number of ground-breaking developments originating with the establishment of the Foot Pressure Analysis Clinic and Laboratory in 1993 and subsequently IMAR in 2003. Professor Abboud is also the Course Director of the widely acclaimed Master of Orthopaedic Surgery (MCh Orth) course.

He also sits on a number of international committees including the Editorial Committee of the International Foot Journal and the Editorial Committee of the Chinese Journal of Scientific Instrument and is the first non-clinician elected to the Scientific Sub-Committee of the British Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Surgery Society.

Here he tells Contact about his greatest achievements and his plans for the future.

Job Title
Chair of Education in Biomechanics; Director of the Institute of Motion Analysis and Research; Deputy Head of Division of Surgery and Oncology.

University Department
Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery (School of Medicine) which has been at the forefront of the use of motion capture by clinicians and researchers for more than 30 years.

Academic background
I wanted to specialise in biomedical engineering to complement my first degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from the American University of Beirut but the different terminologies between the American and the British systems lead me by mistake to Dundee where I ended up studying a different degree from the one I originally intended to pursue; so I actually ended up studying Biomedical and Rehabilitation Engineering (MSc and PhD) instead of Medical Electronics. If I could travel back in time, I sincerely hope I would again make the same mistake!

Sum up area of research
Biomechanics is the core for teaching, research and provision of a comprehensive and unique clinical service at IMAR. It focuses on important aspects of our daily activities in relation to posture, movement and ergonomics, with much emphasis on sports and disability. We have referrals from all regions of the UK and Europe. The aim is to alleviate pain, correct deformity and enhance performance. A minimum of 25 students per year undertake research at our Institute.

Greatest achievements
Three main achievements that are interlinked: establishment of the Foot Pressure Analysis Laboratory/Clinic in 1993 as an outcome of my postgraduate research in foot pressure analysis; the restructuring of the MCh Orth course in 1996 where I made research a considerable element of the course, which gives students the opportunity to learn more about Biomechanics that is not covered by any medical curriculum worldwide; and thirdly IMAR in 2003.

The MCh Orth course is extremely popular. It is the only course of its kind in the UK and it is very much in demand. We are recruiting students for 2010 and 2011 already and we have around 30 requests per month for applications. We are also very fortunate to attract the best specialists to lecture on the course from around the UK and Europe, which in turn adds greater kudos to our international reputation.

The conception of IMAR in 2003 allowed for the first time the possibility of researching all aspects of motion analysis in the one designated site. One of the most recent developments was the addition of the Sports Biomechanics Laboratory (SBL) in January 2007. This gives IMAR a total of five motion labs with facilities used for both clinical and research work. The SBL was added to IMAR to complement our existing facilities and to focus specifically on sports-related biomechanical research and assessment, using the excellence from our clinical service to benefit the sports arena.

We now have an extremely flexible Institute which we use for a wide variety of research studies and clinical work. We are now one of the best equipped motion Institutes in the world with an international reputation. As a consequence, we are hosting the prestigious International ESM 2008 Conference on Dynamic Load Distribution in Biomechanics this year which is a real coup. It is a major international conference and this will be the first time it has been held in Scotland at the University of Dundee (28-31 July 2008).

Current collaborators in the University
We already collaborate with Professor Sue Black in the Centre of Anatomy and Human Identification; Drs Faisel Khan and Graham Leese in Medicine and Diabetes; Professor Gary Mires in Obstetrics and Gynaecology; Professor Ricketts in Applied Computing and Dr Robert Keatch in Mechanical Engineering. New collaborative avenues have recently emerged as an outcome of the SBL facilities with Professors Cuschieri and Melzer at IMSaT for the ergonomic evaluation of new laparoscopic tools; with Professor Trucco at Computing for Visualisation and with the Institute of Sport and Exercise in the lead up to the Olympics.

Examples of current research
IMAR is engaged in a series of projects concerning footwear and biomechanics, which could ultimately help shoe manufacturers, design better footwear.

Proprioception is another element of biomechanics that we strongly believe needs to be examined. We have been investigating it now for almost 10 years and it has been our firm belief, for some time, that footwear is the main cause of ankle injuries. This work has now been accepted for publication at the Journal of Orthopaedic Research.

An area of research that is of particular focus for me is the issue of footwear support, proprioception and the diabetic foot.

Goals for the future
We are committed to using motion capture for the benefit of patients and sports enthusiasts, now and well into the future, by taking the research carried out in the Institute into the clinical and sporting arenas and to consolidate their clinical expertise in Biomechanics and Motion Analysis.

If you weren't in this job what would you be doing?
I really love what I do. I love the mix of administration, clinical work, research and teaching. Lots of people have said I should be a businessman but I would miss the combination of all these elements.