Warrior Transition Leader Medical Handbook Biographies and Contact Information
Course Directors
 | RORY A. COOPER, PhD Contact Information |
Rory A. Cooper, PhD received the BS and MEng degrees in electrical engineering for 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, Care of the Combat Amputee, and the Warrior Transition Leader Medical Rehabilitation Handbook. 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 theU.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. | |
 | COLONEL PAUL F. PASQUINA, MD Contact Information |
Colonel Paul F. Pasquina, MD is the Chief of the Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and the Director of the Center for Rehabilitation Sciences Research (CRSR) at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS). He is a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point and USUHS. In addition to being board certified in Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation (PM&R), he is also board certified in Electrodiagnostic Medicine and Pain Medicine. He completed a fellowship in sports medicine and remains interested in all aspects of musculoskeletal medicine, especially as it relates to individuals with disabilities. He is the specialty consultant to the Army Surgeon General for Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation and a Secretarial appointee on the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Advisory Committe for Prosthetics and Special Disabilities Programs. Dr. Pasquina has authored multiple book chapters, journal articles, and policy papers. He has served as the PM&R Residency Program Director and Medical Advisor to the North Atlantic Regional Medical Command for quality healthcare. He has received multiple military awardsm as well as awards for teaching and mentorship, including the U.S. Army's "A" Proficiency Designation for academin excellence, the Order of Military Medical Merit, and Honorary Fellow of the Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America (RESNA). | |
 | MICHAEL L. BONINGER, MD Contact Information |
Michael L. Boninger, MD is professor and chair in the Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation and the Director of UPMC Rehabilitation Institute. He also serves as medical director of Human Engineering Research Laboratories and holds secondary appointments in the Departments of Rehabilitation Sciences and Technology and Bioengineering. Dr. Boninger is also the director of the University of Pittsburgh Model Center on Spinal Cord Injury, a National Institute for Disability and Rehabilitation Research Center of Excellence, and Medical Director of the Human Engineering Research Laboratories. Dr. Boninger received a mechanical engineering degree and Doctorate of Medicine from the Ohio State University. Dr. Boninger has authored over 100 peer-reviewed publications and numerous abstracts, proceedings, and book chapters. Dr. Boninger, who holds three patents, is on the editorial board of the Journal of Rehabilitation Research and the Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. Dr. Boninger has been an invited speaker on assistive technology, wheelchair biomechanics, spinal cord injury rehabilitation, and secondary prevention of disabilities around the world. In 2003, he was elected to the College of Fellows of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE), reserved for the top 2% of biomedical engineers. | |
Guest Faculty
 | ROSEMARIE COOPER, MPT Contact Information |
Rosemarie Cooper, MPT received the BA degree with a concentration in International Business from California State University, Sacramento in 1994. She received the MPT degree in Physical Therapy from the University of Pittsburgh in 1998. She is currently employed at the University opf Pittsburgh in the School of Health and Rehabilitation Science as an Instructor within the Department of Rehabilitation Science & Technology. She is working as a Clinical Coordinator at the Human Engineering Research Laboratories and as a Clinical Instructor/Wheelchair Seating Clinician at the UPMC Center for Assistive Technology. Preceding her PT studies, she has worked as a Research Associate for the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Division of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation. Prior to coming to Pittsburgh, she has served as an Executive Committee Member at the National Wheelchair Athletic Association (NWAA) Paralympic Training Camps held in Sacramento, CA during Spring 1989-1994. Rosemarie Cooper has been an author of several articles on wheelchairs and seating. She is a member of Beta Gamma Sigma, the business academic honor society, and a member of APTA. | |
 | RON DRACH Contact Information |
Ron Drach is a Veteran of the Vietnam War and has devoted his entire career to working for and on behalf of Veterans. Most recently, he served as director of Goverment and Legislative Affairs at the U.S. Department of Labor's veterans Employment and Training Service (VETS), where he worked with Congressional staff, the labor Department's Office of the Solicitor, and other Labor offices on all legislative employemnt issues that affected the Departments of Defense, labor, and Veterans Affairs. After he was wounded in Vietnam in 1967, Mr. Drach began work with the VA's Pittsburgh regioanl office and then was recruited by the Disabled American Veterans (DAV), where he worked until 1998. At DAV he contributed significantly to America's response to the needs of Veterans affected by post-traumatic stress disorder, homelessness, and other socioeconomic issues, and appeared before Congressional committees on numerous occasions to offer expertise and recommendations for legislative change. | |
 | LTC DANIEL (DANNY) DUDEK Contact Information |
LTC Daniel (Danny) Dudek has over 19 years of active duty service in the U.S. Army as an Army Officer and 3 years in the U.S. Army Reserve. LTC Dudek enlisted in the Army Reserves during the summer after his junior year in high school and completed Basic Training at Fort McClellan, Alabama. The next summer he completed Army Airborne School and Advanced Individual Training at Fort Lee, Virginia for the 43E MOS (parachute rigger). In 1989, he completed PLDC at Fort Jackson, South Carolina. In 1990, he completed the Army Air Assault School at Fort Campbell and Bachelor of Science Degree in Geography from Appalachian State University and was designated a Distinguished Military Graduate. That May, he attended the Field Artillery Officer Basic Course (FAOBC). After completion of FAOBC, he attended the Army Ranger School but upon successful completion of the mountain phase he succumbed to a severe case of pneumonia. His first assignment in Jorea included Tank Company Fire Support Officer, Platoon Leader for an M109A3 Battery in 1-15 FA and an MLRS Operations Officer in 6-37 FA in the 2nd Infantry Division, Korea, from May 1993 to April 1996. In September of 1996, LTC Dudek and his new wife moved to Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, where he served as a Field Artillery Intelligence Officer, Attack Aviation Battalion Fire Support Officer, Light Infantry Battalion Fire Support Officer and Battery Commander. Following Battery Command in December of 2000, they moved to Hohenfels, Germany, where LTC Dudek worked as the task Force Fire Support Officer O/C and as the Senior Fire Support Analyst in the TAF. In 2005, LTC Dudek completed the Command and General Staff College (CGSC), earning the 3H (Joint Planner) ASI and a Masters Degree in Computer Resources and Information Management from Webster University. Upon completion of CGSC, they moved to Fort Lewis, Washington, where LTC Dudek was assigned to the 2d Cavalry as the Regimental (later redesigned the 4th Brigade, 2d Division -Stryker) and in April 2007 they deployed to Iraq. LTC Dudek was wounded on 19 July 2007 and rehabilitated with the Fort Lewis WTB while working as the 4/2 SBCT Reset Planner, CTP Coordinator and WTB BN Executive Officer until taking battalion command of the Warrior Transition Battalion from 17 June 2009 to 25 May 2011. He currently remains on the Continuation on Active Duty Program (COAD) and serves in the G3/5/7 division of the Warrior Transition Command. LTC Dudek's awards and decorations include the Purple heart, Meritorious Service Medal (w/OLC), Army Commendation Medal (w/2 OLC), Army Achievement Medal (W/1 SLC and 2 OLC), Army Reserve Component Achievement Medal, National Defense Service Medal (w/2 Service Stars), Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Korean Defense Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon. He was also awarded the Combat Action Badge, Air Assault Badge, and Parachute Rigger Badge. | |
 | CH LTC DOUGLAS ETTER Contact Information |
CH LTC Douglas Etter is the Public and Community Relations Manager at the Lebanon VA Medical Center. Mr. Etter is responsible for all internal and external communications as well as developing symbiotic relationships with community partners, donors, and other stakeholders in the nine county areas which the medical center serves. The creation of this new position highlights the importance of the medical center's connection to the local community. LTC Etter received his BA in History and Religion from Grove City College and obtained a Master of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary. LTC Etter is also an ordained Presbyterian minister and state certified paramedic. His hobbies include high altitude mountaineering, rock climbing, and backpacking. LTC Etter has published several articles and is currently working on his first book, Into the Mouth of the Wolf: A Shepherd and His Flock Go to War. LTC Etter is married to the former Jodi Gruver. they have three children. | |
 | MARY GOLDBERG, MEd Contact Information |
Mary Goldberg, MEd received her bachelor's degree in Psychology & Spanish and a Masters of Education in Administrative and Policy Studies from the University of Pittsburgh. She has been the Lead Education and Outreach Coordinator at the Department of Rehabilitation Science and Technology and the Human Engineering Research Laboratories since 2007, where she has served as co-PI on four training programs in the field of assistive technology for undergraduates, Veterans, and Masters students. She is dually involved with the Research Experience for Undergraduates and Teachers programs, in addition to other education initiatives at the Quality of Life Technology Center, all funded by the National Science Foundation. Ms. Goldberg is pursuing her PhD in Administrative and Policy Studies of Education, focusing on measuring the effectiveness of online training related to assistive technology, with an expected completion of Spring 2013. | |
 | MICHELLE L. SPORNER, MS, CRC Contact Information |
Michelle L. Sporner, MS, CRC received her BS in Rehabilitation Sciences and her MS in Health and Rehabilitation Sciences with a concentration in Rehabilitation Counseling from the University of Pittsburgh in 2006 and 2008 respectively. During her education, she has received extensive training on assistive technology and the service delivery process and completed a certificate in rehabilitation technologies. She completed her clinical internship at Walter Reed Army Medical Center working with service members with traumatic brain injury and is a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor. Currently, she is an Instructor at the University of Pittsburgh in the Rehabilitation Counseling program and the Program Co-Coordinator of a Cognitiove Skills Enhancemnet Program. Ms. Sporner is actively involved in several research projects involving cognitive assistive technology, brain injury, and other cognitive disabilities, particularly in Veteran populations. She is also a doctoral candidate in Rehabilitation Science with a focus on psychosocial implications of diability at the University of Pittsburgh. Ms. Sporner is currently working on her dissertation on the efficacy of telerehabilitation for delivery of cognitive rehabilitation. | |
Faculty Disclosure
Faculty for this activity have been required to disclose all relationships with any proprietary entity producing health care goods or services, with the exemption of non-profit or government organizations and non-health care related companies.
No relevant financial relationships with commercial entities were disclosed by Rosemarie Cooper, Ronald Drach, Douglas Etter, Mary Goldberg, Paul F. Pasquina, or Michelle Sporner.
The follwing information was disclosed:
- Daniel Dudek: Speaking engagements - Army Wounded Warrior Program and Efforts of the Warrior Transition Command
- Michael L. Boninger: Patent royalties through the University of Pittsburgh and Three Rivers Holdings
- Rory A. Cooper: AT Sciences patent agreements, Three Rivers Holdings, LLC patent agreements
Disclaimer Statement
The information presented at this CME program represents the views and opinions of the individual presenters, and does not constitute the opinion or endorsement of, or promotion by, the UPMC Center for Continuing Education in the Health Sciences, UPMC/University of Pittsburgh Medical Center or Affiliates and University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Reasonable efforts have been taken intending for educational subject matter to be presented in a balanced, unbiased fashion and in compliance with regulatory requirements. However, each program attendee must always use his/her own personal and professional judgment when considering further application of this information, particularly as it may relate to patient diagnostic or treatment decisions including, without limitation, FDA-approved uses and any off-label uses.
