Date: Wednesday, January 18, 2023
Category: General
RESNA Fellow Dr. Rory Cooper is one of sixteen innovation pioneers who will be honored as part of the 50th class of National Inventors Hall of Fame (NIHF) inductees. The 2023 class was announced on January 6th at the Consumer Electronics Show in New York, NY.
Dr. Cooper is the founder and director of the Human Engineering Research Laboratories (HERL), a collaboration between the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the University of Pittsburgh. A biomedical engineer, he holds 20 US Patents in wheelchair technology innovations that have improved manual and power wheelchairs. His inventions have advanced the health, mobility, and social inclusion of people with disabilities and older adults.
A RESNA member since 1988, Dr. Cooper has served on numerous RESNA Committees, on the Board, and as President and Treasurer of the organization. He was inducted into the RESNA Hall of Fellows in 2002, and was named the 2023 Colin McLaurin Distinguished Lecturer at last year’s RESNA conference. RESNA’s Colin McLaurin Distinguished Lecture Award recognizes a scholar and leader who has made substantial and innovative contributions to the field of rehabilitation engineering and assistive technology through research, education, and/or practice. He will be presenting his lecture at the University of Pittsburgh in the fall of 2023.
Other members of the 2023 NIHF Hall of Fame include Gene Editing and reCaptcha innovators, Nobel Prizewinners, and the researchers that developed the mRNA technology for the COVID-19 vaccine. The ceremony will be held on October 26, 2023 at The Anthem in Washington, DC. It will mark the 50th anniversary of the National Inventors Hall of Fame.