Patient Care Ergonomics Expert Witness

Expert Qualifications

This expert is a board certified professional ergonomist and an internationally recognized expert in patient care ergonomics. She provides safe patient handling and mobility (SPHM) consultation and training related to equipment requirements, safe patient handling techniques, program implementation and maintenance, ergonomic design in health care facilities, and cost/benefit analysis. She researched, developed, implemented, and sustained the Veterans Health Administration's (VHA) national SPHM Program in 153 VA facilities, bringing national recognition to the VA Program while she also provided consultation to the other governmental and non-governmental entities, and international organizations. She led the American Nurses Association (ANA) team to develop the Safe Patient Handling and Mobility Standards, now included in National Legislation. Her expertise and tenacity led to the incorporation of safe patient handling design criteria in the Facility Guidelines Institute (FGI) 2010 National Guidelines for Design and Construction of Health Care Facilities. She assisted in the development of the Safety Risk Assessment (SRA) that was included in the 2014 FGI national Design Guidelines. She also serves as an advisory board member for the University of South Florida NIOSH Sunshine Environmental Resource Center. She was the recipient of the 2011 "Advocacy Award for Improved Caregiver Safety" and the NIOSH National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA) "Partnering Award for Worker Health and Safety" in 2006.