Rate My Professor Sarah Breen

Sarah Breen serves as Associate Professor and Associate Director of the Peggy and Charles Stephenson School of Biomedical Engineering within the Gallogly College of Engineering at the University of Oklahoma. Dr. Breen holds a Ph.D. in Biomechanics from the University of Limerick, Ireland, earned in 2012, a B.Sc. in Sport and Exercise Sciences from the same institution in 2008, and a Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice from Leeds Beckett University, United Kingdom. With more than ten years of university-level teaching across Ireland, England, and the United States, Dr. Breen has delivered instruction in programs encompassing Sport Science, Physical Education, Health Promotion, and Engineering.

Dr. Breen's primary research expertise is in biomechanics, with a focus on measuring human motion in contexts of injury and clinical rehabilitation, including clinical gait rehabilitation, sports biomechanics, and exoskeleton design. Additional scholarly interests include engineering education and technology-enhanced learning, evidenced by hosting international workshops on online instruction in higher education. Key publications comprise 'Empowering Black Scientists in STEM: Early Success of the Black Biomechanists Association' (Biomedical Engineering Education, 2022), 'International survey of faculty teaching undergraduate introductory biomechanics' (Sports Biomechanics, 2022), 'Biomechanics without Borders: Teaching Biomechanics in Brazil and South Africa' (Advances in Physiology Education, 2021), 'Are changes in running economy associated with changes in performance in runners? A systematic review and meta-analysis' (Journal of Sports Sciences, 2019), and 'Dynamic knee joint mechanics after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction' (Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 2015). Dr. Breen is the author of open-access textbooks Biomedical Engineering Lab Manual, Volume 1 (SHAREOK, 2022) and Volume 2, supported by a 2022 Alternative Textbook Grant from the University of Oklahoma Libraries. Notable roles include Co-Chair of the Faculty Senate Committee on Faculty Welfare, Vice President for Publications of the International Society of Biomechanics in Sports from 2014 to 2021, and contributions to the Black Biomechanists Association, International Women in Biomechanics Group, and Advancing Women in Biomechanics Group. Dr. Breen participates in an interdisciplinary team that received an NSF grant in 2025 for a training program in materials science and engineering.