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Robinson TARE Lab @tare-lab.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

The TARE Lab welcomed US Congressional Staffers from the offices of Sen. Murray, Rep. Smith, Rep. Jayapal, Rep. Schrier, Rep. Strickland, and Rep. Larsen to ISCRM and shared our research on women's musculoskeletal health. Thank you for your work supporting science in WA state!

PhD student Madelyn Atkins runs a hands-on exploration station allowing staffers to touch the various biomaterials we make in the lab!

PhD student Janie Johnson demonstrates immunofluorescence microscopy and discusses how we can evaluate sex differences in estradiol responses in cell culture models.

Staffers toured the lab with UW Advancement representatives and participated in demonstrations and hands-on activities.

PhD students Janie and Madelyn next to our bioreactor demonstration set.

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Robinson TARE Lab @tare-lab.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

The TARE Lab went to Happy Lemon to celebrate Anika Shah's last day as our Research Scientist. Anika has been an essential member on several projects and an amazing mentor in the lab since 2024. We'll miss her here, but we're so excited for her bright future as a doctor!

The Robinson Lab at Happy Lemon for Anika's last day! We'll miss having her in the lab so much, but we're so excited for her bright future.

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Robinson TARE Lab @tare-lab.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

Congrats to our summer ISCRM REU undergrad, Elizabeth Chuesh on her final poster presentation! Elizabeth has learned so much this summer and brought joy and curiosity to the lab. We're excited she'll be staying on with the lab for the coming academic year!

Elizabeth Chuesh beside her poster entitled "Investigating sex differences in wound closure and nascent matrix production in response to 17 beta-estradiol dosage in primary human meniscus cells" at the ISCRM REU Symposium.

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Robinson TARE Lab @tare-lab.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

Congratulations to Jordan Vanni, who passed her Molecular Engineering and Sciences Doctoral Preliminary Exam last week! We are so proud of your hard work and the knowledge you've gained in your first year.

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Robinson TARE Lab @tare-lab.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

The TARE lab took advantage of the great weather to go out to lunch at the classic Seattle summer spot, Tacos Chukis, just a short walk from the lab! More celebrations of our recent graduates.

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Robinson TARE Lab @tare-lab.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

TARE Lab PhD student Janie Johnson enjoyed learning about multiscale biomechanics and mechanobiology projects from around the world and was able to share her first year of work at the World Congress of Biomechanics in Vancouver, BC, Canada last week!

Janie presenting her work entitled "Developing a Collagen Fiber-Mimetic Strain Model of the Meniscus Cell Mechanoresponse After Injury".

The beautiful view from the Vancouver Convention Center!

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Robinson TARE Lab @tare-lab.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

More pictures from the UW School of Medicine hooding ceremony! Can't believe it's already been a month since our latest graduates received their PhDs!

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Robinson TARE Lab @tare-lab.bsky.social · 11/07/2026

We are so excited for #WCB2026 in Vancouver this week! Janie Johnson will be presenting on her work to develop in vitro mechanobiological models of the aftermath of meniscus injury.

TARE Lab Oral Presentation:
Janie Johnson
Developing a Collagen Fiber-Mimetic Strain Model of the Meniscus Cell Mechanoresponse After Injury
Coauthors: Katherine Meinhold, Jenny Robinson
Session: OA77 - Tissue Engineered Models for Physiology and Developmental Mechanobiology, 7/12/26, 17:00 - 18:00 PDT, West 220

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Robinson TARE Lab @tare-lab.bsky.social · 18/06/2026

Congratulations to all our 2026 graduates! We are so proud of you and can't wait to cheer on your next steps!

Dr. Kyley Burkey, Ph.D. at her University of Kansas graduation walk.

Dr. Katherine Meinhold, Ph.D. and Dr. John Bradford, Ph.D. at the Suzzallo library after their University of Washington hooding ceremony.

The TARE Lab's newest doctors, Dr. Robinson, and lab members Anika, Susy, and Jordan at graduation.

TARE Lab undergraduate Mazen Alsheikha also graduated with his BS and will be applying to medical school! Congratulations!

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Robinson TARE Lab @tare-lab.bsky.social · 17/06/2026

Dr. John Bradford, Ph.D. successfully defended his dissertation "Developing an in vitro model for regeneration of the avascular human knee meniscus with sex-biased implications" May 29th. We are so proud of Dr. Bradford and grateful for his boundless curiosity and enthusiasm!

Dr. John Bradford and Dr. Jenny Robinson after the dissertation defense.

Dr. John Bradford beginning his dissertation defense entitled "Developing an in vitro model for regeneration of the avascular human knee meniscus with sex-biased implications".

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Robinson TARE Lab @tare-lab.bsky.social · 26/05/2026

Our first year cohort showed up for ISCRM Symposium! The TARE Lab presented a total of 5 posters, one from each of our first year PhD students and our research scientist. Cheers to the end of a great first year, keep up the good work!

Research scientist Anika and first year PhD students Jordan, Madelyn, Janie, and Nini after the ISCRM Symposium poster session.

First year MolES PhD student Jordan with her poster examining the differential expression of commercially available Estrogen Receptor antibodies.

First year ME PhD student Nini with her poster showcasing the unique drug-delivering hydrogel she has been developing.

First year ME PhD student Janie with her poster on the effects of estradiol on matrix deposition and cellular migration.

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Robinson TARE Lab @tare-lab.bsky.social · 26/05/2026

First year MolES PhD Student Madelyn Atkins and Research Scientist Anika Shah represented the TARE lab at the annual UW ISCRM Symposium last week with both lightning talks and posters!

First year MolES PhD student Madelyn Atkins with her poster focusing on her work with shear-thinning hydrogels with co-advisor Dr. Cole DeForest.

Anika Shah with her poster on her meniscus-mimicking hydrogel adhesion and stiffness project.

Madelyn's lightning talk during the ISCRM Symposium.

Anika's lightning talk during the ISCRM Symposium.

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Robinson TARE Lab @tare-lab.bsky.social · 19/05/2026

3rd year undergraduate Marisa Valenzano presented her first poster at the UW Undergraduate Research Symposium last week! We are so proud of not only her great presentation, but all her work characterizing and modulating the mechanical properties of our PHA hydrogel system. Great work Marisa!

Marisa Valenzano at the UW Undergraduate Research Symposium with her poster entitled "Reversible in Situ Modulation of PHA Hydrogel Stiffness for Modeling Dynamic Meniscal Mechanics".

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Robinson TARE Lab @tare-lab.bsky.social · 18/05/2026

Dr. Kyley Burkey was awarded the Society For Biomaterials Orthopaedic SIG Best Presentation Award at the April annual meeting and will be presenting her talk again at the webinar below! Thanks to the organizers for highlighting her work.

Presentation flyer for the 2026 SFB Orthopaedic SIG Awardee Showcase Webinar. Dr. Kyley Burkey received the Orthopaedic SIG Best Presentation Award for her presentation entitled "Investigation of hyaluronic acid-based hydrogel network formation for 3D in vitro modeling of knee meniscus"

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Robinson TARE Lab @tare-lab.bsky.social · 18/05/2026

In April we celebrated the completion of both Dr. Burkey and Dr. Meinhold's PhDs with a rooftop potluck and games! We are so proud of these two and grateful for the joy and energy they've brought to the lab, in addition to all their hard work.

Dr. Kyley Burkey, Dr. Robinson, and Dr. Katherine Meinhold

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Robinson TARE Lab @tare-lab.bsky.social · 08/05/2026

Ph.D. Candidate(!) Susy Simmonds-Bohorquez successfully gave her general exam last week! We are so excited for her continued work in partnership with co-advisor Dr. Ron Kwon and the Musculoskeletal Systems Biology Lab. Go Susy!

Susy after passing her general exam surrounded by labmates Nini, Jordan, Katherine, John, Anika, and Madelyn.

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Robinson TARE Lab @tare-lab.bsky.social · 21/04/2026

Janie Johnson has received the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship (GRFP)! This prestigious fellowship seeks to fund graduate students with promisingly impactful careers in research and beyond. We are proud to see Janie's efforts recognized at the national level! See more: sites.uw.edu/jrobins1/202...

sites.uw.edu

Janie Johnson Awarded NSF Graduate Research Fellowship!

Janie Johnson was just awarded the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship (NSF GRFP)! This prestigious fellowship seeks to fund graduate students with promisingly impactful careers i...

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Robinson TARE Lab @tare-lab.bsky.social · 21/04/2026

Congratulations to Dr. Kyley Burkey, who successfully defended her Ph.D. thesis April 2nd and is returning to KU to complete her M.D.! We are so proud of our future double doctor! Please read the lab's full message to Dr. Burkey here: sites.uw.edu/jrobins1/202...

Dr. Burkey with flowers and a congratulatory sign after a successful defense!

Dr. Burkey at the defense of her Ph.D. thesis entitled “Engineering hyaluronic acid-based hydrogels for the investigation of meniscal cell mechanotransduction toward tailored repair strategies”.

Dr. Burkey with friends and fellow KU M.D./Ph.D. students, one of whom successfully defended her Ph.D. thesis the same morning!

Dr. Burkey surrounded by family after her thesis defense.

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Robinson TARE Lab @tare-lab.bsky.social · 16/04/2026

Susy, Katherine, Janie, and Dr. Robinson represented the TARE Lab at yesterday’s US Soccer #shebelieves summit. We also cheered on the USWNT in their friendly against Japan on Tuesday with over 36,000 friends—the most attended standalone women’s sporting event in Seattle history!

Susy, Katherine, and Janie after the shebelieves summit.

Susy, Katherine, Jordan, Janie and UW research friends attending the USWNT friendly

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Robinson TARE Lab @tare-lab.bsky.social · 16/04/2026

Check out Dr. Katherine Meinhold's feature on UW BioE about her recent SFB Award: bioe.uw.edu/meinhold-rec...

bioe.uw.edu

Meinhold Receives SFB Student Research Award – UW Bioengineering

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Robinson TARE Lab @tare-lab.bsky.social · 01/04/2026

We also enjoyed our time at @orssociety.bsky.social in Charlotte! Anika was nominated for a research award in the meniscus section of presentations, and Susy and John had successful poster sessions. See more from both conferences on our website here: sites.uw.edu/jrobins1/202...

TARE Lab Research Scientist Anika Shah presenting her oral talk, "Modulating Human Meniscal Cell Phenotype Via Matrix Adhesion and Stiffness" which was nominated for a research award in the meniscus section of presentations. Great work Anika!

John discussing his new discoid model methods at his poster.

Susy creating excitement at ORS with her sc-RNA sequencing results!

Dr. Robinson, John, Anika, and Susy at the ORS 2026 Annual Meeting in Charlotte, North Carolina.

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Robinson TARE Lab @tare-lab.bsky.social · 01/04/2026

What a great experience at the SFB Annual Meeting in Atlanta! We're grateful for moments like these that bring the biomaterials community together. Congratulations once more to Dr. Katherine Meinhold for receiving the Student Award for Outstanding Research!

Katherine, Kyley, and Dr. Robinson at the conference.

Dr. Katherine Meinhold receiving her Student Award for Outstanding Research at SFB 2026.

Kyley delivering her oral presentation entitled "Investigation of a hyaluronic acid-based hydrogel network formation for 3D in vitro modeling of knee meniscus".

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Robinson TARE Lab @tare-lab.bsky.social · 25/03/2026

Next up, we're also at ORS in Charlotte this weekend! We're looking forward to our research engineer Anika's oral presentation and two posters from graduate students Susy and John. Come talk to us about our exciting work on meniscus regeneration! #ORS2026 @orssociety.bsky.social

ORS and TARE lab logos. ORS 2026 Annual Meeting, March 27-31 Charlotte, North Carolina.

TARE Lab Oral Presentations:
Anika Shah
Modulating Human Meniscal Cell Phenotype Via Matrix Adhesion And Stiffness
Coauthors: Kyley Burkey, Susana Simmonds Bohorquez, Jenny Robinson
Session #13 Meniscus Mechanobiology and Repair, 3/28 4:00-4:10 PM

Posters:
Susana P. Simmonds-Bohorquez
Multiplexed Regulation Of Meniscal Cell Phenotype And Biomarker Expression Among Matrix-synthetic Populations
Coauthors: Anika Shah, John C. Bradford, Ronald Kwon, Jenny Robinson
PS2-096 #1241, 3/30 5:30-6:15 PM

John C. Bradford
Deciphering Avascular Tissue Regeneration In The Human Knee Meniscus Via In Vitro Models
Coauthors: Susana P. Simmonds-Bohorquez, Katherine L. Meinhold, Ronald Kwon, Jenny Robinson
PS2-097 #1249, 3/30 5:30-6:15 PM

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Robinson TARE Lab @tare-lab.bsky.social · 24/03/2026

We're excited to be in Atlanta at the SFB Annual Meeting this week! #SFB2026 Highlights: Dr. Katherine Meinhold is receiving the Student Award for Outstanding Research. Katherine, Dr. Robinson, and Kyley will share their work in sessions throughout the week. Hope to see you there!

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Robinson TARE Lab @tare-lab.bsky.social · 19/03/2026

Proudly introducing Dr. Katherine Meinhold, Ph.D.! Katherine successfully defended her thesis entitled "Modulating electrospun fiber scaffolds to mimic native meniscus properties and engineer an in vitro injury model" Monday. We are so proud of her and grateful for all her hard work. Congrats!

The new Dr. Meinhold and Dr. Robinson pictured right after a successful defense.

Dr. Katherine Meinhold beginning her thesis defense with a slide entitled "Modulating electrospun fiber scaffolds to mimic native meniscus properties and engineer an in vitro imaging model."

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Robinson TARE Lab @tare-lab.bsky.social · 10/03/2026

We enjoyed running our Fun with Fiber activity at an ISCRM outreach event in February! Middle schoolers compared fiber properties across three different fiber-making methods: cotton candy, hot glue, and silly string!

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Robinson TARE Lab @tare-lab.bsky.social · 14/01/2026

We had so much fun at our TARE Lab Holiday Potluck this weekend! We're also excited to welcome two new students to the lab this quarter, Madelyn and Frida. Happy new year all!

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Robinson TARE Lab @tare-lab.bsky.social · 15/12/2025

PhD candidate John Bradford representing the TARE Lab at Tuesday Noon @uwiscrm.bsky.social seminar last month. His work developing an in vitro model of discoid meniscus will allow us to explore regeneration in this historically understudied condition. Great presentation, John!

PhD candidate John Bradford at the podium in front of his title slide for his talk "Deciphering avascular tissue regeneration in the human knee meniscus via in vitro models."

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Robinson TARE Lab @tare-lab.bsky.social · 11/11/2025

PhD candidate John Bradford presented a poster and lightning talk on his discoid meniscus in vitro model and the fascinating mystery of avascular regeneration in discoid meniscus at TERMIS @termisam.bsky.social this week. Great work John!

PhD candidate John Bradford standing next to his poster entitled “Deciphering avascular tissue regeneration in the human knee meniscus via in vitro models.”

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Robinson TARE Lab @tare-lab.bsky.social · 05/11/2025

And just like that, first year PhD student Jordan Vanni has presented her first graduate school poster! Jordan recently shared the results of her summer project at Cascadia 6.0. Congrats Jordan!

Jordan Vanni, 1st year MolES PhD student, standing with her poster titled "Investigating the Localization of Estrogen Receptors in Orthopedic Tissue-Relevant Cell Types"

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Robinson TARE Lab @tare-lab.bsky.social · 17/10/2025

Shoutout to PhD student Janie Johnson for representing ISCRM at ARCS Night to Ignite Science. The event raised $1.3 million for science in Washington State!

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Robinson TARE Lab @tare-lab.bsky.social · 17/10/2025

Congratulations are in order for Kyley Burkey, Ph.D. Candidate! Kyley recently passed her Comprehensive Exam and is on to the final stage of her Ph.D. journey. We're so proud of you, Kyley, and can't wait to read your dissertation!

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Robinson TARE Lab @tare-lab.bsky.social · 16/10/2025

Dr. Robinson and graduate students Katherine, Kyley, and Susy brought "Fun with Fibers" to the Chehalis STEM Camp this summer! High school students explored concepts in biomaterials and regenerative medicine through the TARE lab's hands-on experiments and demonstrations.

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Robinson TARE Lab @tare-lab.bsky.social · 16/10/2025

First year MechE PhD student Janie Johnson was awarded an ISCRM Fellowship this summer and presented her proposal at the ISCRM Fellows Symposium. She is investigating sex differences in meniscus mechanobiology and we're excited to see what she finds with our ISCRM colleagues!

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Robinson TARE Lab @tare-lab.bsky.social · 16/10/2025

Congratulations to first year MolES PhD student Jordan Vanni, who was awarded a prestigious NSF Graduate Research Fellowship (GRFP) earlier this year! Dr. Robinson made cake for lab meeting to celebrate the big win.

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Robinson TARE Lab @tare-lab.bsky.social · 18/09/2025

Lab retreat September 2025: some great brainstorming followed by a water taxi adventure to West Seattle!

Selfie on the West Seattle water taxi. Enjoying the summer sunshine!

Photo of Robinson Lab members in front of the Seattle skyline.

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Robinson TARE Lab @tare-lab.bsky.social · 18/09/2025

Some bittersweet goodbyes in the lab this summer: Dr. Aidan Alemifar defended his PhD thesis and has returned to KU to finish medical school. Four undergraduate seniors, Sydney, Brian, Anika, and Nitya, graduated from the UW. Congratulations and thank you all for your hard work!

Dr. Aidan Alemifar, PhD and Dr. Jenny Robinson, PhD.

Anika, Nitya, and Sydney after their presentations at the University of Washington undergraduate research symposium

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