Elaine Trefler, M.Ed., OTR, FAOTA, is a private consultant in assistive technology in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and an assistant professor in the department of Rehabilitation Science and Technology, University of Pittsburgh. She has worked for more than 20 years in the field of rehabilitation engineering at the Hugh MacMillan Medical Centre in Toronto, the Rehabilitation Centre for Children in Winnipeg, and the University of Tennessee Rehabilitation Engineering Program in Memphis. Her areas of special interest are the application of assistive technology for both adults and children, including seating and mobility systems, augmentative communication devices, and computer access.Ms. Trefler graduated from the University of Toronto in physical and occupational therapy. She received a B.O.T. from the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, and an M.Ed. from Memphis State University. In 1988 she was made a Fellow of the American Occupational Therapy Association for her contribution in the area of assistive technology.Douglas A. Hobson, Ph.D., is currently associate professor and Director, Rehabilitation Technology Program in the Department of Rehabilitation Science and Technology, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Pittsburgh. From 1990 to 1992, he was the President and CEO of the Canadian Aging and Rehabilitation Product Development Corporation in Winnipeg, Canada. He began the Rehabilitation Engineering Program, University of Tennessee in 1974 within the Department of Orthopedic Surgery. It was a program in which many of the seating principles and systems were developed and shared by others in the field.
Dr. Hobson received his undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Manitoba and his Ph.D. in bioengineering from the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, Scotland. His dissertation research was on the relationship between sitting posture and the seat interface pressure and shear factors.
Susan Johnson Taylor, B.S., OTR/L, has worked in the field of rehabilitation technology for more than 12 years. Receiving a B.S. in occupational therapy from Boston University, she has worked with the University of Tennessee Rehabilitation Engineering Program and with a supplier of rehabilitation technology. Currently she is occupational therapy pediatric coordinator of seating clinic staff at Shepherd Spinal Center in Atlanta.Ms. Taylor is actively involved with RESNA, including the Education Committee and the Meetings Committee, of which she is the Instructional Program Chair. She also serves on the professional advisory committee of Team Rehab.
Lynn C. Monahan, M.P.A., OTR, is currently the director of the Seating/Mobility Service of United Medical in Memphis, Tennessee. When she was an occupational therapist with the University of Tennessee Rehabilitation Engineering Program, she was involved in assessing and providing seating systems, mobility aids, and technical devices for individuals with severe disabilities.Ms. Monahan received a B.S. in occupational therapy from Eastern Kentucky University, and an M.P.A. in public administration from Memphis State University.C. Greg Shaw, M.Sc., is a rehabilitation engineer who has served as both the director of client services and acting technical director for the University of Tennessee Rehabilitation Engineering Program. He has also served as the vice president of the Center for Design/Project Enable, a pilot effort to help people with disabilities via volunteer help. He is currently a research scientist at the University of Virginia Rehabilitation Engineering Center, and a senior rehabilitation engineer for product research and development.
Mr. Shaw received a B.S. and an M.Sc. in mechanical engineering from Stanford University. He is presently working on a Ph.D. in bioengineering from Strathclyde University in Glasgow, Scotland.
