Orest Z. Roy, BSc EE,
MSc EE
Born: May 11, 1934 -
Winnipeg, Manitoba
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How I got into the
field
In 1960 we at the National
Research Council of Canada were asked to assist a young man who had had a
severe stroke and could not communicate. He was completely paralyzed except for
a slight movement in his right hand. I designed and built a communication
device called the Comhandi. It was an electronic letter board. The board
allowed him to select letters and thus build up words. It was one of the first
devices of its kind in the world.
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Important event(s) that influenced
my early decision to get into the assistive technology field
My professional background is in electrical
engineering and biomedical engineering. I graduated from the University of
Manitoba in 1956 with a degree in electrical engineering and then in 1960
received a Masters Degree in electrical engineering from McGill. In 1956, I
began my career in biomedical engineering at the National Research Council. My
first project was to integrate the ecg, blood pressure monitor, etc into a unit
that could be used in the OR during corrective cardiac procedures. Over a
period of 35 years I have carried out research on cardiac pacemakers,
defibrillators, the effects of micro currents on the heart, including taser
currents and research on assistive technology. I am a founding member of the
Canadian Medical and Biological Engineering Society (CMBES) and was its
president from 1976 to 1980. I was the Secretary General of the International
Federation for Medical and Biological Engineering from 1984 to 1990. I am a
fellow of the Rehabilitation Society of North America and the Canadian Medical
and Biological Engineering Society. I am a life member of the International
Federation of Medical and Biological Engineering and a Senior Member of the
Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineering.
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Although my
major areas of interest were in the acute care field I have always championed
the importance of rehabilitation engineering. I thought the NRC, with its
laboratories and expertise, needed to have a presence in this area. To this
end, as head of the biomedical engineering at the National Research Council of
Canada, I established a rehabilitation engineering program and was instrumental
in bringing the first ICRE meeting to Toronto Canada and hosting the 1984 ICRE
2 conference to Ottawa.
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My inspiration and
mentor
I was inspired by the
dedication, optimism, and professionalism of all the people in this field. Dr.
David Symington, physiatrist and professor at Queens University, Kingston
Ontario, had a great influenced on me. Dr. Symington lived and breathed
importance of the rehabilitation process.
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My memorable successes and
greatest contributions to the field
Besides being involved with the first ICRE
meeting in Toronto and hosting the second ICRE meeting in Ottawa, I was
instrumental in establishing a marketing agency TASH, Technical Aids and
Systems for the Handicapped. With the support of NRC, TASH had a mandate, which
addressed the problem of getting useful technical aids manufactured and
available to the disabled community. In 1991 the Canadian Rehabilitation
Council for the Disabled recognized the importance of this achievement by
presenting me with the Walter Dinsdale award. The award was to celebrate
exceptional achievement in the development of technical aids for the benefit of
disabled persons.
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My most memorable
failures
I was instrumental in
establishing the NRC Associate Committee on Research and Development for
Rehabilitation of Disabled Persons. This was an important committee that
solicited input from people across Canada as to the direction and priorities of
rehabilitation engineering research. Unfortunately it was disbanded after three
years, not due to the lack of interest, but due to the lack of
funding.
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On the future of RESNA
RESNA should continue to raise the profile of
rehabilitation engineering and technical aids development. With our aging
population, all the rehabilitation sciences will gain in stature and
relevance.
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My suggestions for those just
entering the field
The work is
rewarding, the challenges are many, and it is an area of activity that
addresses a vital need.
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