Joanna Deaton Bertram
Joanna Deaton Bertram

Joanna Deaton Bertram

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

Overview

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.

Positions

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

2024 Pratt School of Engineering

Assistant Professor in Surgery in the School of Medicine

2025 School of Medicine

Member of the Duke Cancer Institute in the School of Medicine

2026 School of Medicine

Education

B.S., Georgia Institute of Technology 2018

2018 Georgia Institute of Technology

Ph.D., Georgia Institute of Technology 2024

2024 Georgia Institute of Technology

M.S.M.E., Georgia Institute of Technology 2024

2024 Georgia Institute of Technology

Publications, Grants & Awards

Offices & Contact

Address Icon 144 Hudson Hall
Durham,NC
27708
Address Icon 144 Hudson Hall
Durham,NC
27708