Melinda Harman, PhD is an assistant professor in the Department of Bioengineering at Clemson University. Her scientific career includes 23 years of experience conducting translational research in orthopaedic medicine and transferring medical device innovations to clinical practice. Dr. Harman's research and teaching areas involve medical devices performance assessments, specifically joint prostheses used to treat arthritis and other musculoskeletal diseases and the reprocessing of reusable surgical instruments in a healthcare setting. Her research has been widely disseminated through publication of three book chapters and more than 33 original research papers in international, peer-reviewed medical and scientific journals. Dr. Harman is the recipient of many prestigious awards including: the Page Morton Hunter Distinguished Lecturer Award from Clemson University (2010), the Engineering in Medicine & Health Presentation Prize from the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (2010), and the Marie Curie International Fellow Award from the European Community (2008).

Dr. Harman has collaborated with healthcare partners and leaders in the medical device industry. She has led 16 national and international collaborative research projects involving innovations in surgical equipment and techniques, the analysis of explanted joint prostheses, and medical device assessments utilizing biomechanical simulations and computational models. Prior to joining Clemson University, Dr. Harman completed a two-year international fellowship at the Rizzoli Orthopaedic Institute in Bologna, Italy and worked for 14 years for The BioMotion Foundation of Florida where she conducted biomedical research in a hospital-based setting.