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VA Research Currents archive
Posted September 13, 2013
(Fall 2013 VA Research Currents; online ahead of print)
Veterans (from left) Keniel Martinez, Shawn O'Donnell, Artem Lazeckin, Gary Rethage, and Adam Benjamin Campbell listen to shop supervisor Garrett Grindle explain how to operate a drill press. (Photo by Bill George)
A joint research program between VA and the University of Pittsburgh that studies wheelchairs and related technology is now helping to train disabled Veterans for careers in machining.
The program is called Fabrication of Assistive Technology Program for Wounded Warriors. It's run by the Human Engineering Research Laboratories, a collaboration between the VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System and the University of Pittsburgh School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences.
The program is being launched this fall with the help of a $100,000 donation from Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield.
Created by director Rory Cooper , PhD, and education and outreach project director Mary Goldberg at HERL, the program will prepare participants to pass a basic machining exam. The participants will also get on-the-job training at local companies, which could lead to permanent, full-time jobs.
To learn more about HERL, visit www.herl.pitt.edu.