Author: Gary L. Albrecht

Katherine D. Seelman, Ph.D. is associate dean and professor of rehabilitation science and technology at the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences at the University of Pittsburgh, USA. She holds a secondary appointment in the School of Public Health and is co-scientific director of the National Science Foundation- supported Quality of Life Technology Engineering Research Center. During the Clinton Administration, she served as Director of the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR). Her research and education interests include science and technology R&D trends that enhance independence for people with disabilities and older adults; end-user and stakeholder participation; Disability Studies; Science, Technology and Public Policy and International Rehabilitation. In 2006, Dr. Seelman was invited to serve on the World Health Organization 9-member international editorial committee to guide the development of the first world report on disability. She has lectured and keynoted in countries throughout the world including Japan′s National Rehabilitation Center for Persons with Disabilities and World Health Organization′s Center in 2003 and in Vietnam for the World Bank in 2002. On the U.S. local and state levels, Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell appointed her to two disability State Advisory Committees. She serves on the Pennsylvania Senate Technology Healthcare Working Group. The Mayor and the County Executive appointed her to the City of Pittsburgh/Allegheny County Task Force on Disability which she co-chairs. She was named “A Person Who Made a Difference” in 2002 by Pittsburgh′s leading newspaper, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.