Affordable Robots for Rehabilitation after Brain Injury Worldwide: Current Efforts and Barriers
Date: February 18, 2025 @ 11:00AM-12:00PM | Location: MERL 203 | Speaker: Professor Michelle Johnson | Affiliation: UPenn
Join us for an insightful seminar by Dr. Michelle J. Johnson, Associate Professor of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania. A leading expert in rehabilitation robotics, Dr. Johnson will present her talk, "Affordable Robots for Rehabilitation after Brain Injury Worldwide: Current Efforts and Barriers."
Bio:
Dr. Michelle J. Johnson is an Associate Professor of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. She has secondary faculty appointments in the
Departments of Bioengineering and Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences at University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Johnson holds a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University, with a specialization in design, robotics and rehabilitation. Her pioneering work focuses on developing robotic and sensor-based technologies to assist individuals recovering from neurological injuries, such as stroke and other non-traumatic brain injuries. As the Director of the Rehabilitation Robotics Lab (A GRASP Lab), Dr. Johnson leads an interdisciplinary team that designs and evaluates assistive robots and therapeutic devices to improve motor control, physical function, cognitive function and quality of life in older adults and adult and children with disabilities. Her research integrates principles from robotics, neuroscience, and rehabilitation science to create innovative solutions for real-world clinical applications. Dr. Johnson has published extensively in leading scientific journals and has secured significant research funding from prestigious agencies, including the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Science Foundation (NSF). Her projects emphasize human-robot interaction, adaptive technology design, and equitable access to rehabilitation tools for local and global underserved communities. She is a Fulbright Scholar.