Rory Cooper, Distinguished Professor of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, FISA Foundation/Paralyzed Veterans of America Professor of Rehabilitation Engineering, associate vice chancellor for research for STEM-Health Sciences collaborations and director of the Human Engineering Research Laboratories (HERL), School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, is a recipient of the King Salman International Award for Disability Research.
The award, established by King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia, is a prestigious international honor, drawing 770 nominations from 111 countries in five categories. Cooper’s award is for technological applications in disability.
The award “honors individuals whose work has made a significant impact on advancing knowledge, prevention, rehabilitation and quality of life for persons with disabilities.” It will be presented at the seventh International Conference on Disability and Rehabilitation, Oct. 11-13 at the Intercontinental Riyadh. The funds from the award will go to Pitt in support of HERL.
“I wish to thank the King Salman International Award for Disability Research selection committee for this honor,” Cooper said. “This recognition of our team at the Human Engineering Research Laboratories provides motivation to continue with our work to create and deploy reliable, meaningful and beneficial technologies.”
Cooper, who uses a wheelchair as a result of a spinal cord injury sustained while serving in the United States Army, is an elected member of the National Academy of Engineering and a fellow of the National Academy of Inventors. In October 2023, he was awarded the National Medal of Technology and Innovation by the President of the United States, and he was inducted into the 50th class of the National Inventors Hall of Fame.
He leads efforts in physical access and transportation for people with disabilities, focusing on innovative wheelchair design, robotic devices and inclusive vehicle and airline boarding solutions. He is the author of two books: “Rehabilitation Engineering Applied to Mobility and Manipulation” and “Wheelchair Selection and Configuration,” and coeditor of “An Introduction to Rehabilitation Engineering,” “Warrior Transition Leader: Medical Rehabilitation Handbook,” and the award-winning book, “Care of the Combat Amputee.”
“My vision for the future of disability research is that we have greater engagement of people with disabilities throughout the entire process,” he said, “from conceptualization to realization of technologies and research, as well as provide more engagement, employment and community participation to opportunities for people with disabilities, so that all of us can fully participate in society side by side.”