A young Clare Rimnac stood in front of her high school chemistry professor and heard these words, “I would never hire a woman as a science professor because she may get pregnant and leave.” Years later, Clare Rimnac, Ph.D., President of the Orthopaedic Research Society (ORS) and Associate Dean for Research in the Case School of Engineering at Case Western Reserve University, is glad she followed the louder, more supportive voices emanating from the home front.
Dr. Rimnac, widely known for her implant retrieval studies and her work on the degradation of plastics in total joint replacement, comes from a line of bold, accomplished women. And, she says, that has made all the difference. “Both my mother and father earned degrees in chemistry, my aunt had a Ph.D. in education, and my grandmother got off the boat from Czechoslovakia at the age of 19—speaking no English—and built a life for herself in the U.S. “
There was always the expectation that I would carry on the tradition of strong, educated women in my family. Along the way, I figured out that I would get much farther if I always assumed the best in people—for example, that someone does not have a problem with my being a woman in science. I strive to take the high road whenever possible.
And if she was going to take this high road, Clare Rimnac wanted to be in the vanguard. “In the ‘70s there were few women in engineering, so it was appealing that I could be a trailblazer. My practical nature, and the fact that engineers have opportunities to make the world a better place via applied science, sealed the deal for me. Just to be sure, in high school I stood in front of a mirror and asked myself, ‘Is this the face of an engineer?’ My response was, ‘Yes, I think it is.’”
So did those at the esteemed Carnegie Mellon University. “I started out in chemical engineering, but it didn’t fit me, so I took an introductory class in metallurgy and materials science. We went on a field trip to a steel mill and I was immediately entranced. It was fascinating to watch this giant pot of liquid metal being tilted so that someone could take samples. I eventually found myself attracted to biomaterials and I wrote several term papers in this area, and worked with a professor who was developing a fracture fixation device. I was drawn to the challenge of how to design and use materials that could last a long time in the human body. The body environment is a demanding one: materials have to be chemically, physically, and mechanically durable as well as biocompatible.”
After obtaining a Masters degree in Metallurgy and Materials Engineering from Lehigh University, Clare Rimnac had to decide if she was at her educational endpoint. “At that time Lehigh had only been coed for perhaps ten years…and the Ph.D. arena was still a boys’ club. But my advisor told me, ‘If you stop at a Masters degree you’ll be taking direction from a principal investigator. If you get a Ph.D. then you will be the one driving the research.’ That clarified things and I immediately decided to continue my studies. I became the first female graduate student to earn a Ph.D. in Metallurgy and Materials Engineering from Lehigh.”
Clare Rimnac both took the high road and stayed the course. “I was thrilled to be pursuing an area where I had a genuine interest, and I worked hard. A pivotal moment in my career came when my Ph.D. advisor received a request from the Department of Biomechanics at Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) to evaluate ultra high molecular weight polyethylene, a plastic used in total joint replacements. When it came time to present our findings my advisor took me with him to HSS, where I was captivated by the design and research activities occurring there. The Department of Biomechanics had and still has a stellar group of researchers, and they were happy to show me their work in the design and manufacture of custom total joint replacements. I couldn’t hold back and actually asked for a job on that trip. While the answer was ‘no, ’ a couple of months later they offered me a postdoctoral fellowship. I joined the staff a year later and remained there for 13 magical years.”
Things could have gone quite differently, however. Shortly after Dr. Rimnac turned her Ph.D. tassel, Ford, IBM, and others had come calling. Fortunately for the budding scientists who follow in her footsteps, she opted out of the industry route. “I had a chance to work for Ford and make better bumpers. IBM was interested in how I could help them make better plastic boxes for computers; Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory thought I might help them create better tire treads for tanks. But I wanted to use engineering to solve human problems.”
Not only would she learn to solve these problems with the help and invaluable mentorship of veterans in the field, but Dr. Rimnac would go on to guide others. “Dr. Albert Burstein at HSS mentored me and promoted me in the field. He came to my office one day saying, ‘You need more national visibility so I have recommended you to give a presentation in my place.’ Adele Boskey, Ph.D. mentored me in the basic science of hard tissue, as well as in the art of balancing one’s work and personal life.”
A founding member of the Women’s Orthopaedic Leadership Forum of the Orthopaedic Research Society, Dr. Rimnac says, “Via this organization new investigators can meet senior women in the field and exchange best practices.”
“In my own mentoring relationships, I introduce Ph.D. candidates to researchers who could be key to their career development. Advisors play an especially important role in helping students gain visibility…a student’s success does not come from publications alone.”
Dr. Rimnac herself has garnered acclaim—and significant NIH (National Institute of Health) funding—for her good works in the world of total joints. “I am best known in the orthopedic world for my implant retrieval work and my work on the degradation of the various polyethylene formulations used in total joint replacement. First at HSS, then at Case Western Reserve my collaborators and I have studied the potential for ongoing degradation of polyethylene and we have found that it could impact clinical performance. Toward the late ‘90s implant manufacturers started responding to research being published on this topic and started developing new methods for minimizing oxidative degradation. At present I am working on a multicenter implant retrieval grant funded by the NIH along with my collaborator at Drexel University, Steve Kurtz, Ph.D. We are following the clinical performance of polyethylene used in total hip replacement and are determining how different generations of this material in a variety of designs are faring clinically.”
So what have they learned thus far?
When polyethylene is sterilized using radiation, free radicals can be generated in the polymer that can react with oxygen. Based on this finding, manufacturers worked to develop processes that could minimize or eliminate free radicals and thus minimize degradation both prior to implantation as well as in the body.
“Going forward we intend to follow the next generation of polymers which have been modified with antioxidants, an approach to minimize degradation that has been adopted by some manufacturers. While this approach appears to be promising, we do not yet know how effective it will be in the long term.”
Dr. Rimnac knows that putting her head down and working doesn’t mean sticking her head in the sand. “I know that there are some people who aren’t accepting of women in engineering, but I think one of my secrets of success is that I assume the best about people’s intentions. There have been times when I have seen women engineers who have a chip on their shoulder and I don’t think that is necessarily helpful. I have been pleasantly surprised to see that when I take the high road people usually will rise to the occasion.”
This quality of elegance—undoubtedly an important aspect of leadership—was surely one of the reasons that Dr. Rimnac was elected into the Presidential line of the Orthopaedic Research Society. “I am very gratified that the ORS membership entrusted me with this important stewardship.”
We are moving the Society in novel directions, with new offerings to the membership such as the option to form Research Interest Groups.
Clinical relevance of the research presented at our meeting remains important and a high priority of the Society. At our upcoming annual meeting, we are holding a one-day Clinical Research Forum entitled, ‘Learning from the Past, Looking to the Future.’ The forum will bring together experienced researchers in methodological approaches and advanced concepts in clinical trials. We want to provide these researchers a ‘home’ in the ORS.”
Science rules at work, and is just as prevalent at home, says Dr. Rimnac. “I have a daughter and two stepchildren. My daughter majored in art history and psychology and shares my love of materials, with her specialty being metalworking. I met my husband, a molecular biologist, while working in the orthopedic research lab here at Case Western. On the weekends I sometimes indulge my hobby of collecting antique measurement tools. I suppose shop owners don’t see a lot of women like me because I inevitably hear, ‘Oh, does your husband collect tools?’”
At which point, Dr. Clare Rimnac just takes the high road…and smiles.
