The Team

Tom Andriacchi PhD, an emeritus professor at Stanford University, is one of the founders of SomaTX Design and one of the co-inventors of The KneeMo®. The principles of The KneeMo® emerge from his experience that comes from more than 40 years of research on the biomechanics of the knee focused on solving clinical problems ranging from sports injury to osteoarthritis. His research at the intersections of mechanics and orthopedics has been translated to numerous practical solutions to clinical issues ranging from the design of total joint replacement for treating end stage osteoarthritis to a shoe design to reduce stress on painful knees while walking. In addition, he is the author of more than 220 original scientific papers, more than 500 abstracts and numerous book chapters. His research has been recognized by international awards from both engineering and medical societies as recently as 2019 with the Kappa Delta award from the Orthopedic Research Society.

Jenny Hledik has over 15 years of experience in musculoskeletal research.  Her orthopedic research has focused on understanding musculoskeletal injuries and the development of non-invasive interventions to treat them. She is co-inventor of The KneeMo®. Dr. Hledik currently works as a Sr. Manager of Clinical Studies in industry and has held positions as an Instructor at Stanford University in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, a Research Engineer at Stanford University and the Veterans Affairs Hospital, and as a clinical researcher at Solta Medical. Dr. Hledik earned her PhD and Masters of Science at Stanford University in Mechanical Engineering, and her Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering at Penn State University.

Arielle Fischer PhD is an Assistant Professor at the Technion- Israel Institution of Technology in the Department of Biomedical Engineering and is the head of the Biomechanics & Wearable Technology Lab. Arielle made her way out to California for her post doctorate at Stanford University during which she led the first clinical trial of SomaTX’s The KneeMo®. Arielle’s expertise focuses on designing, developing, and manufacturing biomechanical interventions including smart wearable devices that treat osteoarthritis, soft tissue injuries and muscle-skeletal dysfunction. Prior to SomaTX Arielle worked on several interventions for improving joint motion and loading patterns including body weight unloading devices and orthotics. Arielle studied for her BSc in Biomedical Engineering at MIT and Technion and holds an MSc and PhD in Mechanical Engineering from the Technion.

Jessica Asay is a research engineer with Stanford University, with over 15 years of experience collecting and analyzing human motion. Her research focuses on understanding the effects of knee pain while walking, understanding the effects of knee injury and osteoarthritis on knee joint mechanics, biology, and cartilage structure, and the testing and development of non-invasive treatments for knee osteoarthritis. Ms. Asay earned her Masters of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University and her Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Portland.