"We translate complex science into terms the non-scientist can understand and relate to."
Chris Atack, Atack Associates

Inventing solutions to everyday problems

Throughout his career in rehabilitation engineering, Dr. Geoff Fernie has worked to find innovative ways to help people with disabilities overcome the day-to-day difficulties they encounter, especially in later life.

"I focus on the common problems of daily living," says Dr. Fernie, Vice President of Research at Toronto Rehab and creator of a wide range of assistive devices and technology for people with disabilities.

"I look for unique and creative ways to help people with different disabilities to regain functionality, independent and better quality of life," he says. "For example, as people age, they often aren't able to get into the bath tub as easily. I try to come up with practical solutions."

A biomedical engineer by training, Dr. Fernie brings a unique perspective to his work. "Bioengineers look at the body as a piece of machinery," he explains. "We try and analyze it using engineering theory and come up with solutions that are partly engineering solutions."

Dr. Fernie and his team have transferred six products to the marketplace and have many others in development, including devices to assist older people in day-to-day living. Among their inventions: a simple device that increases the height of a toilet easily and discreetly; a powered wheelchair that can move in all directions including sideways; and a battery-powered patient lift to help caregivers move patients without hurting themselves.

"What I'm most proud of is creating research teams with members from a broad range of disciplines, working together in an environment with a buzz. Our teams typically include industrial designers, engineers, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, nurses and doctors. We produce good science that gets published in top journals - but we also produce practical solutions, many of which you can buy at a shop.

"We need good science to understand the problems and come up with creative solutions. At the same time, our job isn't finished until we build a useful product or develop a new building code or a new method of treating someone. We want tangible results."

Bioengineering research has three distinct parts, according to Dr. Fernie. "First, we have to understand the problem. Second, we have to create a solution. This involves creative thinking, trying out new ideas and seeing what works. Finally, we have to check and measure, to be sure we've created a useful, functional product."

Dr. Fernie's focus on practical solutions fits with his vision of modern rehabilitation. "The whole approach to rehabilitation is changing dramatically," he says. "Today, we use much more intensive processes than in the past, and we use technology much more effectively. Rehab today is more aggressive and dynamic - and that's what people expect.

"As baby boomers grow old and can no longer go to the cottage or play golf, they won't just say, 'oh well, that's what happens when you get old.' They are going to expect solutions. We need to supply those solutions."

Recipient of the 2002 Jonas Salk Award, Dr. Fernie has played active roles in launching three spin-off companies and has six innovative products on the market. His committee roles include the advisory boards of the CIHR Institute of Aging, the Medical and Assistive Devices Consortium of Ontario and Western New York, and the Veteran's Administration Research Center in Atlanta. He is an executive member and team leader of the very successful Ontario Rehabilitation Technology Consortium.

Dr. Fernie first became interesting in bioengineering while working as an undergraduate at a combination school and hospital for children with disabilities.