Rory Cooper, associate vice chancellor for research for STEM-Health Sciences collaborations, director of the Human Engineering Research Laboratories and Distinguished Professor of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, has been named to the Forbes Veteran 250 list, part of the publication’s coverage of America's 250th anniversary.
According to Forbes, this ranking is for America’s most successful living veterans. It celebrates “reinvention, second acts and the American Dream—with a special focus on saluting American military heroes’ large-scale successes after serving their country.”
The entry on Cooper says; “Paralyzed in 1980 during his Army service in a biking accident, Cooper won a bronze medal at the 1988 Paralympics and founded Pitt’s Human Engineering Research Laboratories in 1994, where he designed wheelchair technology that helps reduce repetitive use injuries.”
Cooper posted on LinkedIn that he was honored to be listed alongside his friends Rocky Bleier and Patricia (Patty) Horoho. He added: “A few fellow honorees feel like kindred spirits: Melissa Stockwell, a U.S. Army veteran, four-time Paralympian and bronze medalist; and Michael Naranjo, blinded during his service in Vietnam, who went on to become a celebrated sculptor. Their stories, like so many on this list, are proof that service doesn’t end when the uniform comes off, it just changes shape. I’m deeply grateful to be counted among this group, and I’m looking forward to celebrating together.”
A celebration of the honorees will be held on Veterans Day, Nov. 11, in San Diego, including business leaders, philanthropists, policymakers, investors, executives in the defense industry and leading voices on veteran matters including mental health and health care affordability.