Rory A. Cooper, Ph.D. received the B.S. and M.Eng degrees in electrical engineering from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo in 1985 and 1986, respectively. He received the Ph.D. degree in electrical and computer engineering with a concentration in bioengineering from University of California at Santa Barbara in 1989. He is FISA & Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA) Chair and Distinguished Professor of the Department of Rehabilitation Science and Technology, and professor of Bioengineering, Mechanical Engineering, Physical Medicine & Rehab, and Orthopedic Surgery at the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Cooper is Founding Director and VA Senior Research Career Scientist of the VA Rehabilitation Research and Development Center of Excellence in Pittsburgh. He is also the Co-Director of the NSF Quality of Life Technology Engineering Research Center, a joint effort between the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University. He is the Editor of the journal Assistive Technology and the AT Research Book Series of IOS Press. Dr. Cooper serves or has served on the editorial boards of several prominent peer-reviewed journals in the fields of rehabilitation and bioengineering. He has received multiple prestigious awards to include the Olin Teague Award, Paul Magnuson Award, U.S. Army Outstanding Civilian Service Medal, James Peters Award, Maxwell J. Schleifer Award, DaVinci Lifetime Achievement Award, Veteran’s Leadership Program Veteran of the Year, and a member of the inaugural class of the Spinal Cord Injury Hall of Fame. Dr. Cooper has authored or co-authored over 200 peer-reviewed journal publications. He has ten patents awarded or pending. Dr. Cooper is the author of two books: "Rehabilitation Engineering Applied to Mobility and Manipulation” and “Wheelchair Selection and Configuration”, and co-editor of “An Introduction to Rehabilitation Engineering” and “Care of the Combat Amputee”. Dr. Cooper is an elected Fellow of the Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America (RESNA), the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE), and the Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES). Dr. Cooper has been an invited lecturer at many institutions around the world, for example the National Academies of Sciences Distinctive Voices Lecture, and was awarded Honorary Professor at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University and Xi’an Jiatong University. He has also been elected to Eta Kappa Nu, Tau Beta Pi, and Sigma Xi honorary societies.   Dr. Cooper is a former President of RESNA, and a member of the RESNA/ANSI and ISO Wheelchair Standards Committees, and IEEE-EMBS Medical Device Standards Committee. In 1988, he was a bronze medalist in the Paralympic Games, Seoul, Republic of Korea. He was on the steering committee for the 1996 Paralympic Scientific Congress held in Atlanta, GA, and the Sports Scientist for the 2008 U.S. Paralympic Team in Beijing, China. In 2009, Dr. Cooper was featured on a Cheerios cereal box for his many achievements. He has been a member of the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services – Medicare Advisory Committee, Steering Committee of the Academy of PM&R on Research Capacity Building. and Chair of the National Advisory Board on Medical Rehabilitation Research, National Institute of Child Health & Human Development, and National Academy of Sciences Keck Foundation Initiative on Human Health Span Steering Committee. Dr. Cooper is a U.S. Army veteran with a spinal cord injury and a Director of the Paralyzed Veterans of America Research Foundation. He currently serves as a member of the U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs Prosthetics & Special Disability Programs Advisory Committee, U.S. Department of Defense Health Board Subcommittee on Amputation and Orthopedics, and the Board of Directors of Easter Seals. Dr. Cooper has actively collaborated with the Indian Spinal Injuries Centre on increasing access to quality services and devices for people with disabilities in India and throughout developing countries.

Jonathan Pearlman, PhD, is HERL's Associate Director of Engineering and adjunct professor in the Department of Rehabilitation Science & Technology at the University of Pittsburgh.  Dr. Pearlman earned his BS and MS in mechanical engineering at the UC Berkeley and Cornell University, respectively.  Dr. Pearlman completed his PhD work Rehabilitation Science and Technology at the University of Pittsburgh in 2007, with an emphasis on assistive technology design and transfer to developing countries.  Dr. Pearlman’s research interests are in the areas of participatory action design, assistive technology transfer methods, and new product development.    

Justin Z. Laferrier, MSPT,OCS,SCS,CSCS, received his Baccalaureate degrees in Biology and Psychology and the Master of Science in Physical Therapy from University of Rhode Island  respectively. Prior to pursuing his PhD, Mr. Laferrier served in both the US Marine corps (enlisted) and US Army (officer). During his time with the army he served as Officer-in-charge of amputee physical therapy for Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington DC, and the Center for the Intrepid in San Antonio, TX as well as Officer-in-charge of physical therapy for the 31^st Combat Support Hospital deployed to Bahgdad, Iraq.  He is currently employed as a physical therapist with the Pittsburgh VA and the Human Engineering Research Laboratories. Mr. Laferrier holds clinical specialties in orthopedics and sports medicine and has lectured extensively on amputee care and poly-trauma rehabilitation.

Emily Teodorski, MSW is a Clinical Data Management Coordinator at the Human Engineering Research Laboratories.  She received her Bachelor of Science in Psychology and Master’s in Social Work from the University of Pittsburgh in 2003 and 2009, respectively.  At HERL, she is responsible for assisting in the development of clinical protocols, monitoring and participating in study implementation, subject recruitment, and data management. 

Michelle Oyster, MS, CCRC is a bioengineer at the Human Engineering Research Laboratories. She is responsible for assisting with the design and development of research activities carried out in the biomechanics laboratory. She also acts as a direct liaison between the University of Pittsburgh and VA IRB offices on issues related to human subject testing conducted in the biomechanics lab. Michelle is certified by the Association of Clinical Research Professionals as a Certified Clinical Research Coordinator. She graduated with from the University of Rochester with a BS in biomedical engineering with a concentration in mechanical engineering in 2003. She received her MS degree in Rehabilitation Science and Technology with a concentration in seating and mobility from the University of Pittsburgh in 2005. While completing her graduate studies, Michelle worked as a research associate at HERL.  

Zachary D. Mason, MSE is the Research Engineering Coordinator at the Human Engineering Research Labs.  His main duty is to serve as a rehabilitation technologist team manager, providing solutions and advice for faculty, staff, and graduate students on HERL’s technical research projects. Zack earned a BS in Bioengineering from the University of Pittsburgh in 2005.  While pursuing his BS, he was an undergraduate research assistant in the Visualization and Image Analysis Laboratory working on microprocessor based devices for electronics education and music.  After graduation, he became the research technician for the Orthopedic and Developmental Biomechanics Laboratory at Boston University.  While working towards his MSE in Mechanical Engineering, he took part in a variety of research projects related to the mechanics of skeletal tissues, specifically the mechanics of the spine and fracture healing.

Mary Goldberg, M.Ed., is excited to assume her responsibilities as Education and Outreach Coordinator for Engineering Research Center for Quality of Life Technology (QoLT) and the University of Pittsburgh Department of Rehabilitation Science and Technology.  Mary is responsible for the facilitation of the REU (research experience for undergraduates) and RET (research experience for teachers) and all other education and outreach seminars, conferences, and programs occurring within QoLT. Originating from eastern Pennsylvania, Mary came to the University of Pittsburgh to pursue a dual BS in Psychology and Spanish.  Afterwards, while working as a graduate student assistant at the Office of Admissions and Financial Aid at Pitt, Mary completed her M.Ed. in Higher Education Management, also from the University of Pittsburgh.  An avid traveler, Mary enjoys visiting interesting places and studied abroad for a semester in Seville, Spain.