Allison Hess-Dunning

Allison Hess-Dunning, PhD, is a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Case School of Engineering and a Research Investigator at the Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center. Her research focuses on developing mechanically-adaptive neural interfaces to enhance long-term reliability of intracortical brain-machine interfaces. Key areas include materials science for neurocompatible probes, microfluidic drug delivery systems, and reducing neuroinflammation via anti-inflammatory/anti-oxidative materials.

Her work integrates fabrication techniques, pre-clinical studies, and interdisciplinary collaboration to address challenges in neural interface longevity and biocompatibility. Recent advancements include mechanically adaptive probes that soften post-implantation and microfluidic channels for sustained local drug delivery, improving signal quality and neural integration.

Publications highlight innovations in nanopatterned surfaces, polymer composites, and spatial profiling of neuroinflammatory responses. She collaborates across engineering and medical domains, contributing to both academic and clinical applications in neural prosthetics and neurotechnology.