About

Matthew A. Jolley, MD, is an Associate Professor of Anesthesiology and Critical Care at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. He serves as an Attending Cardiac Anesthesiologist and an Attending Cardiologist (Imaging) at the same institution. Dr. Jolley holds the Topolewski Endowed Chair in Pediatric Cardiology at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. His department is the Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care. His educational background includes a BA in Chemistry from Cornell University, an MD from the University of Washington School of Medicine, and additional training at Stanford University.

Research topics

• Medicine
• Cardiology
• Internal medicine
• Computer science
• Surgery

Selected publications

• Effect of Right Ventricular Outflow Tract Material Properties on Simulated Transcatheter Pulmonary Placement

  PubMed Central · 2026-01-08

  preprintOpen accessSenior author

  Finite element (FE) simulations emulating transcatheter pulmonary valve (TPV) system deployment in patient-specific right ventricular outflow tracts (RVOT) assume material properties for the RVOT and adjacent tissues. Sensitivity of the deployment to variation in RVOT material properties is unknown. Moreover, the effect of a transannular patch stiffness and location on simulated TPV deployment has not been explored. A sensitivity analysis on the material properties of a patient-specific RVOT during TPV deployment, modeled as an uncoupled HGO material, was conducted using FEBioUncertainSCI. Further, the effects of a transannular patch during TPV deployment were analyzed by considering two patch locations and four patch stiffnesses. Visualization of results and quantification were performed using custom metrics implemented in SlicerHeart and FEBio. Sensitivity analysis revealed that the shear modulus of the ground matrix (c), fiber modulus (k1), and fiber mean orientation angle (gamma) had the greatest effect on 95th %ile stress, whereas only c had the greatest effect on 95th %ile Lagrangian strain. First-order sensitivity indices contributed the greatest to the total-order sensitivity indices. Simulations using a transannular patch revealed that peak stress and strain were dependent on patch location. As stiffness of the patch increased, greater stress was observed at the interface connecting the patch to the RVOT, and stress in the patch itself increased while strain decreased. The total enclosed volume by the TPV device remained unchanged across all simulated patch cases. This study highlights that while uncertainties in tissue material properties and patch locations may influence functional outcomes, FE simulations provide a reliable framework for evaluating these outcomes in TPVR.

  PublisherDOI

• Outcomes following the first 100 cases of a new robotic mitral valve program

  JTCVS Open · 2026-04-01

  articleOpen access
  PublisherDOI

• An open-source computational framework for immersed fluid-structure interaction modeling using FEBio and MFEM.

  PubMed · 2026-02-12

  articleSenior author

  Fluid-structure interaction (FSI) simulation of biological systems presents significant computational challenges, particularly for applications involving large structural deformations and contact mechanics, such as heart valve dynamics. Traditional arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian methods encounter fundamental difficulties with such problems due to mesh distortion, motivating immersed techniques. This work presents a novel open-source immersed FSI framework that strategically couples two mature finite element libraries: MFEM, a GPU-ready and scalable library with state-of-the-art parallel performance developed at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, and FEBio, a nonlinear finite element solver with sophisticated solid mechanics capabilities designed for biomechanics applications developed at the University of Utah and Columbia University. This coupling creates a unique synergy wherein the fluid solver leverages MFEM's distributed-memory parallelization and pathway to GPU acceleration, while the immersed solid exploits FEBio's comprehensive suite of hyperelastic and viscoelastic constitutive models and advanced solid mechanics modeling targeted for biomechanics applications. FSI coupling is achieved using a fictitious domain/distributed Lagrange multiplier methodology with variational multiscale stabilization for enhanced accuracy on under-resolved grids expected with unfitted meshes used in immersed FSI. A fully implicit, monolithic scheme provides robust coupling for strongly coupled fluid-solid interactions characteristic of cardiovascular applications. The framework's modular architecture facilitates straightforward extension to additional physics and element technologies. Several test problems are considered to demonstrate the capabilities of the proposed framework, including a three-dimensional semilunar heart valve simulation. This platform addresses a critical need for open-source immersed FSI software combining advanced biomechanics modeling with high-performance computing infrastructure.

  Publisher

• Rapid Visualization of Valves and Myocardium Using Volume Rendering of 3D Cardiac MRI, 4D Cine, and 4D Flow Images

  Radiology Cardiothoracic Imaging · 2026-02-01

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Volume rendering enabled rapid visualization of three-dimensional, four-dimensional cine, and four-dimensional flow cardiac MRI to improve understanding of anatomy and hemodynamics in complex congenital heart disease and to support interventional planning.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• An open-source computational framework for immersed fluid-structure interaction modeling using FEBio and MFEM

  ArXiv.org · 2026-01-13

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Fluid-structure interaction (FSI) simulation of biological systems presents significant computational challenges, particularly for applications involving large structural deformations and contact mechanics, such as heart valve dynamics. Traditional ALE methods encounter fundamental difficulties with such problems due to mesh distortion, motivating immersed techniques. This work presents a novel open-source immersed FSI framework that strategically couples two mature finite element libraries: MFEM, a GPU-ready and scalable library with state-of-the-art parallel performance developed at LLNL, and FEBio, a nonlinear finite element solver with sophisticated solid mechanics capabilities designed for biomechanics applications developed at the University of Utah and Columbia University. This coupling creates a unique synergy wherein the fluid solver leverages MFEM's distributed-memory parallelization and pathway to GPU acceleration, while the immersed solid exploits FEBio's comprehensive suite of hyperelastic and viscoelastic constitutive models and advanced solid mechanics modeling targeted for biomechanics applications. FSI coupling is achieved using a fictitious domain methodology with variational multiscale stabilization for enhanced accuracy on under-resolved grids expected with unfitted meshes used in immersed FSI. A fully implicit, monolithic scheme provides robust coupling for strongly coupled FSI characteristic of cardiovascular applications. The framework's modular architecture facilitates straightforward extension to additional physics and element technologies. Several test problems are considered to demonstrate the capabilities of the proposed framework, including a 3D semilunar heart valve simulation. This platform addresses a critical need for open-source immersed FSI software combining advanced biomechanics modeling with high-performance computing infrastructure.

  PublisherOA PDF

• SDFStent: Real-time interactive virtual stenting via SDF deformation fields

  arXiv (Cornell University) · 2026-05-21

  preprintOpen access

  Stenting is among the most common transcatheter interventions for congenital heart disease (CHD). Patient-specific computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations can predict hemodynamic outcomes of intervention scenarios but require post-operative vascular geometries that reflect stent-induced shape changes, which existing tools either model inadequately or require extensive time or manual effort to generate. We present SDFStent, a signed distance function (SDF) based mesh deformation method for virtual stenting that operates in real time, maintains mesh integrity, and preserves junction geometry. The stent is modeled as a pipe surface composed of piecewise-capsule SDFs joined by a smooth-minimum operator. Mesh vertices near the expanding SDF surface are displaced along the SDF gradient with a compactly supported fall-off function and an alpha blending mask. SDFStent was benchmarked against three existing approaches and validated on three tetralogy of Fallot (ToF) patients and three coarctation of the aorta (CoA) patients using rigid-wall steady-state CFD simulations against clinical catheterization measurements. Against a prescribed diameter of 6.0 mm, the method produced a mean stented diameter of 5.92 $\pm$ 0.08 mm in 1.5 s, over 100$\times$ faster than the best stenting-specific comparator. All output meshes were watertight and self-intersection-free. CFD-simulated post-operative pressure drops agreed with clinical measurements within 4 mmHg (mean error 2 mmHg). SDFStent produces simulation-ready post-stent models that match prescribed stent dimensions at interactive speeds, from pre-operative anatomy and catheterization data alone. The implementation is open-source and available in 3D Slicer. Its scriptable architecture enables automated generation of large synthetic cohorts for data-driven surrogate modeling.

  PublisherDOI

• Effect of Right Ventricular Outflow Tract Material Properties on Simulated Transcatheter Pulmonary Placement.

  PubMed · 2026-01-08

  articleSenior author

  had the greatest effect on 95th %ile Lagrangian strain. First-order sensitivity indices contributed the greatest to the total-order sensitivity indices. Simulations using a transannular patch revealed that peak stress and strain were dependent on patch location. As stiffness of the patch increased, greater stress was observed at the interface connecting the patch to the RVOT, and stress in the patch itself increased while strain decreased. The total enclosed volume by the TPV device remained unchanged across all simulated patch cases. This study highlights that while uncertainties in tissue material properties and patch locations may influence functional outcomes, FE simulations provide a reliable framework for evaluating these outcomes in TPVR.

  Publisher

• Simulation of Transcatheter Therapies for Atrioventricular Valve Regurgitation in an Open-Source Finite Element Simulation Framework

  Annals of Biomedical Engineering · 2026-05-12 · 1 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Biomechanically Informed Image Registration for Patient-Specific Aortic Valve Strain Analysis.

  PubMed · 2026-02-12

  article

  Purpose: Aortic valve (AV) biomechanics play a critical role in maintaining normal cardiac function. Pathological variations, particularly in bicuspid aortic valves, alter leaflet loading, increase strain, and accelerate disease progression. Accurate patient-specific characterization of valve geometry and deformation is therefore essential for predicting disease progression and guiding durable repair. However, existing imaging and computational methods often fail to capture rapid valve motion and complex patient-specific features, limiting precise biomechanical assessment. Methods: To address these limitations, we developed an image registration framework coupled with the finite element method (FEM) to improve AV tracking and biomechanical evaluation. Patient-specific valve geometries derived from 4D echocardiography and CT were used to simulate AV closure and generate intermediate deformation states. These FEM-generated states facilitated leaflet tracking, while image registration corrected misalignment between simulations and imaging data. Results: In 20 patients, FEM-augmented registration improved tracking accuracy by 40% compared with direct registration. This improvement enabled more reliable strain estimation by measuring leaflet deformation directly from imaging and reducing uncertainties associated with boundary conditions and material assumptions. Using the improved tracking results, areal, Green-Lagrange, and deviatoric strains were quantified in adult trileaflet and bicuspid valves, as well as pediatric patients, revealing distinct deformation patterns across valve groups. Convergence in mean deviatoric strain between adult trileaflet and pediatric valves suggests volumetric deformation underlies age- and size-related differences in AV mechanics. Conclusion: Overall, this FEM-augmented registration framework enhances geometric tracking and biomechanical evaluation accuracy, providing clinically relevant insights into patient-specific AV deformation to support individualized medical and intervention planning.

  Publisher

• An open-source computational framework for immersed fluid-structure interaction modeling using FEBio and MFEM

  Open MIND · 2026-01-13

  preprintSenior author

  Fluid-structure interaction (FSI) simulation of biological systems presents significant computational challenges, particularly for applications involving large structural deformations and contact mechanics, such as heart valve dynamics. Traditional ALE methods encounter fundamental difficulties with such problems due to mesh distortion, motivating immersed techniques. This work presents a novel open-source immersed FSI framework that strategically couples two mature finite element libraries: MFEM, a GPU-ready and scalable library with state-of-the-art parallel performance developed at LLNL, and FEBio, a nonlinear finite element solver with sophisticated solid mechanics capabilities designed for biomechanics applications developed at the University of Utah and Columbia University. This coupling creates a unique synergy wherein the fluid solver leverages MFEM's distributed-memory parallelization and pathway to GPU acceleration, while the immersed solid exploits FEBio's comprehensive suite of hyperelastic and viscoelastic constitutive models and advanced solid mechanics modeling targeted for biomechanics applications. FSI coupling is achieved using a fictitious domain methodology with variational multiscale stabilization for enhanced accuracy on under-resolved grids expected with unfitted meshes used in immersed FSI. A fully implicit, monolithic scheme provides robust coupling for strongly coupled FSI characteristic of cardiovascular applications. The framework's modular architecture facilitates straightforward extension to additional physics and element technologies. Several test problems are considered to demonstrate the capabilities of the proposed framework, including a 3D semilunar heart valve simulation. This platform addresses a critical need for open-source immersed FSI software combining advanced biomechanics modeling with high-performance computing infrastructure.

  DOI

Recent grants

• Computer Modeling of the Tricuspid Valve in Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome

  NIH · $3.7M · 2020–2026

Frequent coauthors

• András Lassó

  37 shared

• Christian Herz

  24 shared

• Alana Cianciulli

  Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

  18 shared

• Gábor Fichtinger

  Queen's University

  16 shared

• Hannah H. Nam

  Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center

  16 shared

• David M. Harrild

  Harvard University

  14 shared

• Patricia Sabin

  14 shared

• Adam B. Scanlan

  Thomas Jefferson University Hospital

  13 shared

Labs

• Matthew A Jolley's LabPI

Education

• MD

  University of Washington

  2003

• BS, Chemistry

  Stanford University

  1998