Biography

Ashli Molinero, DSc, graduated from Chatham College in 1993 with a B.A. in Communications. She completed her M.Ed. at the University of Pittsburgh and earned a Doctorate in Information Systems at Robert Morris University in 2004. Her commitment to patient advocacy and the delivery of exceptional care is demonstrated in her extensive history of 23 years of working in the hospital & health care industry concentrating in program evaluation, policy making, instructional design, curriculum development, facilitation, standards development and compliance, service excellence and service recovery. Prior to joining UPMC Community Provider Services as the Director of the Disability Resource Center in 2015, Dr. Molinero was an Assistant Professor at the University of Pittsburgh, Department of Rehabilitation Science and Technology. In her current role at UPMC, she ensures accessible healthcare for people with disabilities through education and resource development, staff awareness and training, policy development and patient advocacy.

Dr. Molinero's commitment to health and wellness for people with disabilities is evident in her not only in her professional career, but also through her personal life as a competitive handcyclist and endurance athlete. An advocate for participation in mainstream sports for people with disabilities, she has completed and placed in the top 3 of her category in more than 15 marathons including: Pittsburgh, New York, Miami, Los Angeles, Seattle and Boston. In addition to marathons, she competes in mainstream cycling events across the country. She was one of two women among 12 cyclists to compete in the Alaska Challenge in 2014. Covering 280 miles from Anchorage to Fairbanks over five days, the race is known as the most grueling handcycle race in the world and “The Tour de France of Handcycling”. Locally, she races for the Pittsburgh Steelwheelers handcycling team, of which she is a founding member. She is an honorary member of the Paralyzed Veterans Racing Team for her efforts in supporting and encouraging veterans to get into the sport of cycling for its impact on physical, mental and emotional health.

Biography

Dan Standage is the national authority on Disability in the student veteran space.  His experience as a Marine, Chapter leader, student veteran resource center director, and project coordinator for congressionally-directed research on veteran reintegration, provides a level of expertise that is both unique and valuable.  As Director of Disability in Education at Student Veterans of America, and Chair for the AHEAD-Veterans special interest group at Association on Higher Education and Disability, he is working to change the landscape of disability design in higher education.  His strategic plan focuses on effective, veteran-inclusive communication, using servant leadership to change the veteran culture around disability, and connecting employment in a more meaningful way.  In addition, he is collecting data and conducting primary-source research in this exclusive field and demographic.  He holds a BS in Rehabilitation and a MA in Peripatology from The University of Arizona.

Biography

David Algood serves as the Vice President, Global Strategic Portfolio for Permobil products and is based out of Nashville, TN.  He has an undergraduate degree in Biological Engineering and earned his Master’s in Science from the University of Pittsburgh in Rehabilitation Science and Technology in 2003.  While earning his Master’s, David served as the Clinical Rehabilitation Engineer at the University of Pittsburgh’s Center for Assistive Technology.  David joined Permobil in 2004 where his primary role has been strategic product management and product development.  His current responsibilities involve developing the product road map for Permobil worldwide, developing business cases for new product offerings, aligning product development activities across various business areas, and supporting commercial release activities across business regions. In addition to his work activities, David is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Business Administration at the Stockholm School of Economics.  

Biography

James E. Taylor, Ph.D.
Chief Diversity, Inclusion and Talent Management Officer
UPMC

James E. Taylor is both chief diversity and inclusion officer and chief talent management officer at UPMC, one of the nation’s largest and most successful integrated health care delivery and finance systems. In his capacity as chief diversity and inclusion officer, Dr. Taylor is responsible for the development and implementation of leading-edge diversity initiatives that differentiate UPMC. To this end, he executes next-generation inclusion strategies that advance the diversity management capability of UPMC, and its national presence as a health care provider and insurer. As chief talent management officer, Dr. Taylor provides oversight to the design and execution of an integrated roadmap that provides UPMC with highly effective and technologically advanced employee learning, organizational development, succession planning, and consultative services aligned to the institution’s long-term priorities.

Prior to joining UPMC, Dr. Taylor served as chief learning and diversity officer at Carolinas HealthCare System. In this role, he was charged with driving the transformational culture of the organization through the development of products and services that improved its competitive position in the marketplace. Dr. Taylor has also served as executive director, diversity strategy execution and workplace inclusion at Kaiser Permanente, one of the nation's largest not-for-profit health plans.

Dr. Taylor earned both a doctorate and master’s degree in organizational psychology from the California School of Professional Psychology at Alliant International University, and completed his undergraduate studies at Ithaca College in New York, where he now serves on the board of trustees. He received an executive leadership certificate from the Harvard Business School. Dr. Taylor has been awarded for his work both within and outside the health care industry, as he is actively engaged in many philanthropic and community-based endeavors, holding multiple board appointments and supporting numerous charitable activities.

Biography

Mike Urbin, PhD is a motor-systems neuroscientist with an interest in the neurophysiology of stroke and spinal cord injury. He is a health scientist in the Human Engineering Research Laboratories and an assistant professor in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. Dr. Urbin earned a doctoral degree in Kinesiology from Auburn University in August 2012. He is currently funded a Career Development Award through the Veterans Health Administration.

Biography

Anthony Delitto is the dean of the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences (SHRS) and professor in the Department of Physical Therapy. He received his BS in Physical Therapy from SUNY Buffalo, NY, his MHS in Physical Therapy and his PhD from Washington University, St. Louis, MO. He is active in the Sections on Orthopedics and Education, and Past-President of the Section on Research for the APTA. Delitto has authored or co-authored over 100 peer-reviewed research papers. He actively treats people with painful musculoskeletal disorders and his current research is focused on implementing classification and treatment effectiveness studies into quality improvement initiatives. He is also conducting trials in exercise interventions for people with Parkinson's disease. He was awarded one of the first large pragmatic trials from the Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI), a multi-site, $13-million grant (the TARGET study) to investigate innovative ways to reduce the transition of acute low back pain by having physical therapists partner with primary care and deliver psychologically informed physical therapy to patients with acute low back pain who are at risk for persistent pain.

His awards include: Golden Pen Award, APTA, 1992; Steven J Rose Award for Excellence in Research, APTA Section on Orthopaedics, 1993, 1994, 1996, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2015; Marian Williams Award for Research in Physical Therapy, APTA, 1997; Catherine Worthingham Fellow of the APTA, 2000.

Biography

Josh Kanode is a graduate of the Commonwealth Technical Institute, with associate degrees in Mechanical and Architectural drafting, and a student engineer at Community College of Allegheny County. He graduated from and subsequently assisted with HERL's Advancing Inclusive Manufacturing program, and currently performs CAD modeling and design for many of HERL's assistive technology prototypes.

Biography

Sanjeev Schroff, PhD
Professor and Gerald E. McGinnis Chair in Bioengineering
Engr-Dept Chairperson's Office, Medicine, Clinical and Translational Science Institute, Bioengineering Department
Ph.D., Doctor of Philosophy (Bioengineering), University of Pennsylvania, 1976 - 1981
M.S., Master of Engineering (Electrical), McMaster University, 1974 - 1976
B.S., Bachelor of Technology (Electronics), Indian Institute of Technology, 1969 - 1974

Biography

Dr. Gwendolyn Sowa, MD, PhD is the Endowed Professor and Chair of the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the University of Pittsburgh/UPMC. Dr. Sowa also serves as Co-Director of the Ferguson Laboratory for Orthopaedic and Spine Research, and Medical Director of UPMC Total Care- Musculoskeletal Health. She holds joint appointments in the Departments of Orthopaedic Surgery and Bioengineering.

Dr. Sowa completed her PhD in Biochemistry and Medical Degree at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and her PM&R residency at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, Northwestern University.  She has served as a clinician scientist in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation for over ten years, where she also functioned as Vice Chair for Clinical Outcomes and Quality Care.  She has been active in developing new models of care, assessment of patient reported outcomes, and inter-disciplinary work groups to improve the quality of care that we provide.  In particular, she has fostered collaboration between various disciplines to improve care of patients with low back pain.

As Co-Director of the Ferguson Laboratory, which has a rich history in musculoskeletal research, she leads a diverse group of scientists including engineers, physiatrists, molecular biologists, orthopaedic surgeons, and neurosurgeons working together to develop innovative treatments for spine conditions and low back pain. The ultimate goal of her research program, which has garnered national and international recognition, is to apply this knowledge to the development of individualized treatment programs for low back pain. Dr. Sowa has also established herself as a committed teacher and mentor, and is active in multiple professional societies with diverse membership, underscoring her collaborative approach.