Joanna Deaton Bertram

Research Interests

Advancing the mechanical design and control of medical robotic systems, including continuum robotics, with a special interest in image and sensor feedback, integrated sensor design, robotic system modeling and control, utilization of smart materials, and applications in surgical robotics.

Bio

Dr. Joanna Bertram is an assistant professor in Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science at Duke University, where she leads research in medical robotics. Her work focuses on advancing the design, modeling, and control of robotic systems for medical applications.

At Duke, Dr. Bertram strives to foster an interdisciplinary approach to medical robotics by collaborating with the university's world-class clinical and academic communities to develop innovative, life-saving robotic systems.

Before joining Duke, Dr. Bertram earned her Ph.D. in Robotics from the Georgia Institute of Technology, where she conducted groundbreaking research in the Medical Robotics and Automation (RoboMed) Laboratory. Her work included the design and control of steerable needles and the development of a robotic guidewire with integrated shape and force sensing, measuring less than 1mm in diameter. She also holds an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering and a B.S. in Biomedical Engineering.

Dr. Bertram’s research contributions have been published in top-tier journals and conferences, including IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters (RA-L), IEEE Transactions on Medical Robotics and Bionics (T-MRB), IEEE/ASME Transactions on Mechatronics (TMECH), and the IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA).

Her lab invites motivated students and researchers to join in pioneering the next generation of medical robotic technologies.

Education

• B.S. Georgia Institute of Technology, 2018
• Ph.D. Georgia Institute of Technology, 2024

Positions

• Assistant Professor in the Thomas Lord Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science

Courses Taught

• EGR 224L: Electrical Fundamentals of Mechatronics

Publications

• Chitalia Y, Sarma A, Brumfiel TA, Deaton NJ, Sheft M, Desai JP. Corrections to “Model-Based Design of the COAST Guidewire Robot for Large Deflection”. IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters. 2024 Feb;9(2):1155–7.
• Deaton NJ, Sheft M, Desai JP. Towards FBG-Based Shape Sensing and Sensor Drift for a Steerable Needle. IEEE/ASME Transactions on Mechatronics. 2023 Dec 1;28(6):3041–52.
• Chitalia Y, Sarma A, Brumfiel TA, Deaton NJ, Sheft M, Desai JP, et al. Model-based Design of the COAST Guidewire Robot for Large Deflection. IEEE robotics and automation letters. 2023 Sep;8(9):5345–52.
• Deaton NJ, Brumfiel TA, Sarma A, Desai JP. Simultaneous Shape and Tip Force Sensing for the COAST Guidewire Robot. IEEE robotics and automation letters. 2023 Jun;8(6):3725–31.
• Deaton NJ, Brumfiel TA, Sheft M, Yamamoto KK, Elliott D, Patel P, et al. Towards Steering a High-Dose Rate Brachytherapy Needle With a Robotic Steerable Stylet. IEEE Transactions on Medical Robotics and Bionics. 2023 Feb 1;5(1):54–65.
• Chitalia Y, Jeong S, Deaton N, Chern JJ, Desai JP. Design and Kinematics Analysis of a Robotic Pediatric Neuroendoscope Tool Body. IEEE/ASME Transactions on Mechatronics. 2020 Apr 1;25(2):985–95.
• Chitalia Y, Deaton NJ, Jeong S, Rahman N, Desai JP. Towards FBG-Based Shape Sensing for Micro-scale and Meso-Scale Continuum Robots with Large Deflection. IEEE robotics and automation letters. 2020 Apr;5(2):1712–9.
• Desai JP, Sheng J, Cheng SS, Wang X, Deaton NJ, Rahman N. Toward Patient-Specific 3D-Printed Robotic Systems for Surgical Interventions. IEEE Transactions on Medical Robotics and Bionics. 2019 May;1(2):77–87.
• Rahman N, Deaton NJ, Sheng J, Cheng SS, Desai JP. Modular FBG Bending Sensor for Continuum Neurosurgical Robot. IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters. 2019 Apr;4(2):1424–30.
• Bloodworth CH, Pierce EL, Kohli K, Deaton NJ, Jones KJ, Duvvuri R, et al. Impact of simulated MitraClip on forward flow obstruction in the setting of mitral leaflet tethering: An in vitro investigation. Catheterization and Cardiovascular Interventions. 2018 Oct;92(4):797–807.
• Somasundaram E, Deaton J, Kaufman R, Brady S. Fully automated tissue classifier for contrast-enhanced CT scans of adult and pediatric patients. Physics in Medicine & Biology. 2018 Jun 27;63(13):135009–135009.