Prof. Dr. Barbara Röhrnbauer

Work at ZHAW

Position

• Professor for Tissue Biomechanics
• Senior lecturer IMES in Mechanical Engineering
• Deputy Programme Director, BSc Mechanical Engineering

Focus

Soft tissue biomechanics

Teaching

• Mechanical Engineering: Mechanics - Kinematics and Kinetics
• Mechanical Engineering: Mechanics - Strength of materials
• Mechanical Engineering: Mechanics - Finite Element Method
• Focus: Biomechanical Engineering

Network

ORCID digital identifier

ORCID ID: 0000-0001-9012-0513

Projects

• Measurement, statistical evaluation, and calibration of mechanical model parameters of human soft tissues / Team member / ongoing
• The mechanobiology of fibroblasts in soft nanofibrous materials – novel test protocols for in-situ mechanical testing / Project leader / ongoing
• Towards mechanically biocompatible implant materials for pelvic floor repair / Project leader / ongoing
• Towards tailored mechanical properties of artificial tissue models / Project leader / completed

Publications

• Moser, Nathalie; Skawran, Stephan; Steigmiller, Klaus; Röhrnbauer, Barbara; Winklehner, Thomas; Reiner, Cäcilia S.; Betschart, Cornelia,

  2024.

  Quantitative 3D analysis of levator ani muscle subdivisions in nulliparous women : MRI feasibility study.

  Diagnostics.

  14(9), pp. 923.

  Available from: https://doi.org/10.3390/diagnostics14090923

• Röhrnbauer, Barbara,

  2023.

  Mechanical properties of pelvic implants : interaction between implants and tissue.

  In:

  Brieu, Mathias; Cosson, Michel; Nielsen, Poul, eds.,

  Biomechanics of the Female Reproductive System: Breast and Pelvic Organs.

  Academic Press.

  pp. 247-272.

  Available from: https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-823403-7.00021-X

• Zimmerli, Joël; Hofmann, Jonas; Röhrnbauer, Barbara,

  2024.

  A continuum mechanics based quantification of microscale kinematics of nanofibrous membranes[poster].

  In:

  Annual Meeting of the Swiss Society for Biomedical Engineering SSBE Abstract Book.

  Annual Meeting of the Swiss Society for Biomedical Engineering SSBE, Winterthur, Switzerland, 5 September 2024.

  SSBE.

  pp. 42.

  Available from: https://doi.org/10.21256/zhaw-32725

• Hofmann, Jonas; Fialová, Christina; Adlhart, Christian; Strassmann, Marc; Rimann, Markus; Röhrnbauer, Barbara,

  2024.

  Micro and macromechanics of electrospun membranes under uniaxial and biaxial loading conditions[poster].

  In:

  29th Congress of the European Society of Biomechanics (ESB), Edinburgh, Scotland, 30 June - 3 July 2024.

• Cabral, Kianna; Thiriot, Laureline; Röhrnbauer, Barbara; Bonmarin, Mathias; Spano, Fabrizio,

  2023.

  3D printing of solid liquid composites for cell-like based artificial skin model[poster].

  In:

  33rd Annual Conference of the European Society for Biomaterials (ESB), Davos, Switzerland, 4-8 September 2023.

  ZHAW Zürcher Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften.

  Available from: https://doi.org/10.21256/zhaw-30588

• Cauquil, Eléonore; Kiener, Luca; Hofmann, Jonas; Spano, Fabrizio; Röhrnbauer, Barbara,

  2023.

  A combined experimental and numerical method for tailoring the multi-scale mechanical properties of soft solid liquid composites[poster].

  In:

  33rd Annual Conference of the European Society for Biomaterials (ESB), Davos, Switzerland, 4-8 September 2023.

  ZHAW Zürcher Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften.

  Available from: https://doi.org/10.21256/zhaw-30272

• Röhrnbauer, Barbara; Betschart, Cornelia,

  2025.

  Novel interdisciplinary pathways in pelvic floor disorder diagnosis and treatment.

  In:

  30th Congress of the European Society of Biomechanics, Zurich, Switzerland, 6-9 July 2025.

• Hofmann, Jonas; Fialová, Christina; Adlhart, Christian; Strassmann, Marc; Rimann, Markus; Röhrnbauer, Barbara,

  2024.

  Large-porous or nano-fibrous? – a mechanical perspective on implant materials for the pelvic floor.

  In:

  29th Congress of the European Society of Biomechanics (ESB), Edinburgh, Scotland, 30 June - 3 July 2024.

• Röhrnbauer, Barbara,

  2024.

  Dank Grundlagenforschung zum idealen Netz?.

  In:

  10. Internationaler Kongress Gynäkologie Update, Universitätsspital Zürich, Schweiz, 25.-27. Januar 2024.

Publications before appointment at the ZHAW

• B. Röhrnbauer, C. Betschart, D. Perucchini, M. Bajka, D. Fink, C. Maake, E. Mazza, and D.A. Scheiner. Measuring tissue displacement of the anterior vaginal wall using the novel aspiration technique in vivo. Scientific Reports, 7(1):1–7, 2017. doi:10.1038/s41598-017-16083-0
• G. Ochsner, M.J. Wilhelm, R. Amacher, A. Petrou, N. Cesarovic, S. Staufert, B. Röhrnbauer, F. Maisano, C. Hierold, M. Meboldt, and M. Schmid Daners. In Vivo Evaluation of Physiologic Control Algorithms for Left Ventricular Assist Devices Based on Left Ventricular Volume or Pressure. ASAIO Journal, 63(5):568–577, 2017. doi:10.1097/MAT.0000000000000533
• M.M. Maurer, B. Röhrnbauer, A. Feola, J. Deprest, and E. Mazza. Prosthetic meshes for repair of hernia and pelvic organ prolapse: Comparison of biomechanical properties. Materials, 8(5):2794–2808, 2015. doi:10.3390/ma8052794
• M. M. Maurer, B. Röhrnbauer, A. Feola, J. Deprest, and E. Mazza. Mechanical biocompatibility of prosthetic meshes: A comprehensive protocol for mechanical characterization. Journal of the Mechanical Behavior of Biomedical Materials, 40:42–58, 2014. doi:10.1016/j.jmbbm.2014.08.005
• B. Röhrnbauer and E. Mazza. Uniaxial and biaxial mechanical characterization of a prosthetic mesh at different length scales. Journal of the Mechanical Behavior of Biomedical Materials, 29:7–19, 2014. doi:10.1016/j.jmbbm.2013.07.021
• B. Röhrnbauer, G. Kress, and E. Mazza. A physically based structural model for a textile prosthetic mesh. International Journal of Solids and Structures, 51(3-4):633–646, 2014. doi:10.1016/j.ijsolstr.2013.10.030
• B. Röhrnbauer, Y. Ozog, J. Egger, E. Werbrouck, J. Deprest, and E. Mazza. Combined biaxial and uniaxial mechanical characterization of prosthetic meshes in a rabbit model. Journal of Biomechanics, 46(10):1626–1632, 2013. doi:10.1016/j.jbiomech.2013.04.015
• B. Röhrnbauer and E. Mazza. A non-biological model system to simulate the in vivo mechanical behavior of prosthetic meshes. Journal of the Mechanical Behavior of Biomedical Materials, 20:305–315, 2013. doi:10.1016/j.jmbbm.2013.01.029
• Röhrnbauer, B. Mechanical characterization and modeling of prosthetic meshes. PhD thesis, 2013. doi: 10.3929/ethz-a-009781983
• [Conference proceeding] B. Röhrnbauer, M. Sciancalepore, M. Singer, T. Johne, and P. Dupont. An efficient and comprehensive methodology to evaluate the misalignment of pump shafts using FEM. In Pump summit, Düsseldorf, 2014
• [Conference proceeding] B. Röhrnbauer, G. Kress, and E. Mazza. Mechanical biocompatibility of medical mesh implants. In Proceedings of the 8th European Solid Mechanics Conference (ESMC), Graz, 2012
• [Conference proceeding] B. Röhrnbauer, G. Kress, and E. Mazza. Mechanical modeling of medical mesh implants at the mesoscale. In Proceedings in Applied Mathematics and Mechanics of the 83rd Annual Meeting (GAMM), Darmstadt, 2012
• [Conference proceeding] B. Röhrnbauer, G. Kress, and E. Mazza. Multiscale characterization and modeling of medical mesh implants. In Proceedings of the XI International Conference on Computational Plasticity (COMPLAS), Barcelona, 2011
• [Conference proceeding] B. Röhrnbauer, M. Bajka, C. Betschart, D. Perucchini, D. Fink, E. Mazza, and D.A. Scheiner. Measurement of the mechanical response of the vaginal wall,. In Proceedings of the Eighth International Conference on the Ultrasonic Measurement and Imaging of Tissue Elasticity, Vlissingen, 2009

Affiliations

Current Affiliations

SSBE Swiss Society for Biomedical Engineering: Mitglied of the SSBE Board
Since September 2024, I am member of the SSBE (Swiss Society for Biomedical Engineering) Board. The SSBE brings together experts from various disciplines of biomedical engineering to promote networking and innovation. It stands out by promoting collaboration across academia, medical research, and industry. The primary venue for exchange and collaboration is through the society's Annual Meeting., Zurich
09 / 2024 - today

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