Overview
Cameron R. 'Dale' Bass is an Associate Research Professor with Duke's Department of Biomedical Engineering and Director of the Injury and Othopaedic Biomechanics Laboratory.
A major research focus of Dr. Bass is the study of blast-related brain injury and injury mechanisms. Past research has concentrated air containing organs, such as the lungs and bowel. Results from the limited evidence of over 80 years of experimentation suggested that the brain tolerance for blast was much greater than the pulmonary tolerance for blast. However, recent anecdotal evidence suggests that many soldiers returning from combat have symptoms that are consistent with underlying brain injuries. The etiology for these injuries is unclear and may include a spectrum of sources from blunt impact injuries to post traumatic stress disorder to primary blast injuries.
The primary goals of this research are to:
- determine injury thresholds for blast brain injury
- identify injury mechanisms underlying blast brain injury
This research may help reduce the frequency of brain injury caused by blast events, help identify treatments for such injury, and provide the knowledge to develop better protective equipment to protect against such injuries. Many projects involve multi-disciplinary collaborations between BME, Duke University Medical Center, Durham Veterans Affairs, and other major research institutions.