McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine faculty member Rory Cooper, Ph.D., director of the Human Engineering Research Laboratories and professor in the University of Pittsburgh School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences’ Department of Rehabilitation Science and Technology, will emcee and speak at the third annual Community Response Symposium at the Hiram G. Andrews Center in Johnstown, PA. The symposium will identify best practices for meeting the needs of service members returning from Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.
Local, state, and federal government officials along with community leaders will speak at the event, which is sponsored by the University of Pittsburgh’s Department of Rehabilitation Science and Technology, Hiram G. Andrews Center, Veteran Community Initiatives, and Veterans Leadership Program of Western Pennsylvania.
Discussion topics include care of the combat casualty; meeting needs of wounded, injured, and ill service members; women veterans’ health issues; veterans and families respond; and caring for Pennsylvania’s veterans and military service members.
“This symposium and ensuing dialogue are critical for the Commonwealth and our military veterans,” said Dr. Cooper. “Veterans and members of the armed services and their families need the support of local communities. Our goal is to bring together local, regional, and national leadership to continue a dialog with veterans, families, researchers, and service providers. The symposium is organized by people at the grass-roots level who work with veterans and are committed to the successful reintegration of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom veterans into the community. We plan to build upon the programs and services that have grown out of previous symposia, as well as provide feedback to statewide and national leaders. As a result, everyone in attendance should benefit.”
Dr. Cooper is a U.S. Army veteran with a spinal cord injury, FISA & Paralyzed Veterans of America chair, distinguished professor of the Department of Rehabilitation Science and Technology, and professor of bioengineering and mechanical engineering at the University of Pittsburgh. He is director and VA Senior Research Career Scientist of the Center for Wheelchairs and Associated Rehabilitation Engineering, a VA Rehabilitation Research and Development Center of Excellence. Dr. Cooper currently serves as a member of the U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs Prosthetics and Special Disability Programs Advisory Committee. He also is actively consulting with the Indian Spinal Injuries Centre in Delhi, and the Artificial Limbs of India Manufacturing Company in Kanpur on increasing access to quality services and devices for people with disabilities in India. In addition, Dr. Cooper is a professor at the University of Pittsburgh’s Departments of Bioengineering and Mechanical Engineering and at the UPMC’s Departments of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and Orthopaedic Surgery.
Illustration: McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine.
Read more…
UPMC/University of Pittsburgh Schools of the Health Sciences Media Relations (08/08/08)
Pennsylvania Disabled Veterans Rehab and Vocational Retraining Project: Community Response Symposium III