Event Date
Forging a New Future: Participatory Action Design and Engineering with People with Disabilities
BME Seminar Speaker Series
Dr. Rory Cooper
Bio
Rory A. Cooper, PhD, PLY, is a U.S. National Medal Laureate, having received the National Medal of Technology and Innovation from the U.S. President in 2023 for inventing cutting-edge wheelchair technologies, cultivating the next generation of rehabilitation engineers, and championing wounded Veterans and students with disabilities. Dr. Cooper is Founding Director and CEO of the Human Engineering Research Laboratories (HERL), a VA Rehabilitation R&D Center and joint enterprise of the VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System and the University of Pittsburgh, where he holds the FISA Foundation and Paralyzed Veterans of America Distinguished Professorship in the School of Medicine. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors. A U.S. Army Veteran and 1988 Paralympic medalist, Dr. Cooper brings lived experience with disability to his life's work. He has authored more than 400 peer-reviewed publications and holds more than 40 patents. He currently leads a large ARPA-H project. He has mentored >70 doctoral graduates, and 30 postdoctoral researchers. His current and former students have won more than 100 awards. His highest honors include the Samuel E. Heyman Service to America Medal, the IEEE Biomedical Engineering Award, and induction into the National Inventors Hall of Fame.