Raffaella De Vita, Ph.D.

Lab

STRETCH Lab

Research Areas

• Biomaterials
• Biomechanics
• Solid mechanics

Research Interests

• Reproductive mechanics
• Ligament and tendon mechanics
• Nonlinear elasticity and viscoelasticity
• Experimental and theoretical solid mechanics

Education

• University of Pittsburgh: Ph.D., Mechanical Engineering, 2005
• University of Pittsburgh: M.S., Mechanical Engineering, 2003
• University of Naples II: Laurea, Mathematics, 2000
  

Awards, Honors, and Service

• Elected as an American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Fellow, 2019
• Excellence in Access and Inclusion Award, 2019
• Visiting Professorship, La Sapienza, Rome, 2018
• Leader in Teaching, BEAM department, 2018
• College of Engineering Dean’s Award for Teaching, 2017
• Alumni Award for Outreach Excellence, Virginia Tech, 2017
• Visiting Professorship, La Sapienza, Rome, 2016
• JBME Editors' Choice paper, 2015 Premio Progreditur Marcianise, 2015
• Paper in Highlights of Smart Materials and Structures, 2014
• Liviu Librescu Faculty Prize, 2014
• College of Engineering Faculty Fellow, 2014-2017
• College of Engineering Award for Outreach Excellence, 2014
• 20 under 40 ASEE Prism Magazine, 2014
• PECASE Award, 2012
• Excellence in Access and Inclusion Award, Virginia Tech, 2013
• Scholar of the Week, Virginia Tech, August 27, 2012
• NSF CAREER Award, 2012
• NSF CBET Award Achievement, 2012
• Paper in Highlights of Smart Materials and Structures, 2011
• American Society of Biomechanics President's Award, 2006
• Laurea cum Laude in Mathematics, 2000

Recent Publications

McGuire,* J. A., Crandall,* C. L., Abramowitch, S., De Vita, R., Inflation and Rupture of Vaginal Tissue, Interface Focus, 9: 20190029, 2019.

Routzong, M. R., Moalli, P. A., Maiti, S., De Vita, R., Abramowitch, S. D., Novel Simulations to Determine the Impact of Superficial Perineal Structures on Vaginal Delivery, Interface Focus, 9: 20190011, 2019.

De Vita, R., Nardinocchi, P., Teresi, L., Diffusion Driven Stress Relaxation of Gels Under Incremental Planar Extensions, Mechanics of Materials, 134:106-114, 2019.

 McGuire,* J. A., Abramowitch, S., Maiti, S., De Vita, R., Swine Vagina Under Biaxial Loading: An Investigation of Large Deformations and Tears, Journal of Biomechanical Engineering, 141: 041003 2019.

Rittenhouse,* J.A., Wijeratne,* R.S., Orler, E.B., Dillard, D.A., Moore, R.B., De Vita, R., Effect of Areal Density and Fiber Orientation on Deformation of Thermomechanical Bonds in a Nonwoven Fabric, Polymer Engineering and Science, 59:311-322, 2019.

Huntington,* A., Rizzuto,* E., Abramowitch, S., Del Prete, Z., De Vita, R.,  Anisotropy of the Passive and Active Rat Vagina Under Biaxial Loading, Annals of Biomedical Engineering, 47:272-281, 2019.

Wijeratne,* R.S., De Vita, R., Rittenhouse,* J.A., Orler, E.B., Moore, R.B., Dillard, D.A., Biaxial Properties of Individual Bonds in Thermomechanically Bonded Nonwoven Fabrics, Textile Research Journal 89: 698-710, 2019.

Baah-Dwomoh,* A., Alperin, M., Cook., M., De Vita, R., Mechanical Analysis of the Uterosacral Ligament: Swine versus Human, Annals of Biomedical Engineering, 46: 2036-2047, 2018

Baah-Dwomoh,* A., De Vita, R., Effect of Repeated Biaxial Loads on the Creep Properties of Cardinal Ligaments, Journal of the Mechanical Behavior of Biomedical Materials, 74:128-141, 2017.

De Vita, R., Grange, R., Nardinocchi, P., Teresi, L., Mathematical Model for Isometric and Isotonic Muscle Contractions, Journal of Theoretical Biology, 425:1-10, 2017.