Frank Pintar

Frank Pintar is a Professor in the Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering between Marquette University and Medical College of Wisconsin, and a Professor in the MCW Department of Neurosurgery. He serves as Director of the Wisconsin Crash Injury Research Engineering Network (CIREN) Center at the Zablocki VA Medical Center in Milwaukee, WI.

Dr. Pintar earned his Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from Marquette University in 1986 and his B.S. in Biomedical Engineering from Marquette University in 1982. His educational background established a strong foundation in biomedical engineering principles that he has applied throughout his distinguished career.

Dr. Pintar's research focuses on biomechanics of blunt and penetrating trauma, analysis of occupant injuries in motor vehicle crashes, and human tolerance to impact in civilian and military environments. His work spans multiple disciplines including trauma biomechanics, vehicle safety engineering, military injury prevention, and computational modeling of human response to impact. His research addresses critical safety questions across various populations, with particular attention to sex differences, obesity effects, and specialized military applications.

His extensive publication record through 2025 demonstrates expertise in developing injury risk curves, analyzing biomechanical responses to diverse impact scenarios, and creating computational models for injury prediction. Dr. Pintar's work covers a comprehensive range of topics from skin puncture mechanics to lumbar spine injury criteria under dynamic loading, reflecting the breadth and depth of his contributions to trauma biomechanics.

• Crash Injury Research and Engineering Network (CIREN)
• Soldier Lethality and Protection research
• Vehicle safety standards development
• Military protective equipment evaluation

Dr. Pintar teaches BIEN 6953 Seminar in Biomedical Engineering, a graduate course featuring weekly scholarly presentations on current topics in biomedical engineering and related areas. Through his leadership of the CIREN Center and active research program, he bridges engineering principles with clinical applications to improve safety standards and injury prevention strategies across multiple domains.