National Medal Laureate Rory A. Cooper, PhD, PLY, is a bioengineer, inventor, Paralympic athlete, U.S. Army veteran, and lifelong disability advocate. He serves as the FISA Foundation and Paralyzed Veterans of America Distinguished Professor at the University of Pittsburgh, with joint appointments in bioengineering, electrical engineering, and orthopedic surgery. He is also associate vice chancellor for research in STEM and health sciences. Dr. Cooper is the founding director of the Human Engineering Research Laboratories (HERL), a VA Rehabilitation Research and Development Center of Excellence, where he leads pioneering work in wheelchair design, assistive robotics, and accessible transportation.
He has authored more than 400 peer-reviewed publications and holds over 30 patents. Dr. Cooper received the National Medal of Technology and Innovation from President Biden in 2023—the nation’s highest honor for technological achievement—and was inducted that same year into the National Inventors Hall of Fame, joining luminaries such as Thomas Edison and Steve Jobs. In 2024, he was elected to the National Academy of Engineering. A 1988 Paralympic bronze medalist and past world record holder in wheelchair racing, Dr. Cooper draws on his own lived experience with spinal cord injury to drive technology and policy that expand independence, social inclusion, and quality of life for people with disabilities and older adults worldwide.
Elected to the Easterseals National Board of Directors in 2020, Dr. Cooper currently serves as a member of the Development and Marketing Committee.
