Vinod Namboodiri, a Lehigh professor in the department of community and population health, was named the College of Health’s inaugural Ellen and Vincent Forlenza, ‘75, Endowed Chair in Health Innovation and Technology at the beginning of this semester.
The appointment was announced in an email from the Office of the Provost sent to the Lehigh community on Jan. 22, which stated Ellen and Vincent Forlenza, ‘75, established this position “to drive innovation in health and technology to advance the mission of the College of Health and the Lehigh community at large.”
According to Lehigh’s Forlenza Chair Employment Prospectus, the person appointed to this position must have experience developing rehabilitative technologies and the drive to “build out the Disability Independence research cluster.” The research cluster is an interdisciplinary group of researchers working to develop and apply technologies that can help those with disabilities.
“The holder of the Forlenza chair will create research partnerships with community organizations, businesses and health systems, and will actively shape future investments in the college,” the Prospectus said.
Beth Dolan, the dean of the College of Health, said Namboodiri was nominated for the position and reviewed by a committee consisting of dean chairs. Namboodiri’s initial appointment will be for five years.
Namdoodiri has dual appointments at Lehigh in the College of Health’s department of biostatistics and health data science, and the College of Engineering’s department of computer science and engineering.
Dolan said Namboodiri’s diverse academic background in computer science and engineering makes him a particularly qualified figure in the field of rehabilitative research.
“He doesn’t only have technical knowledge, but he knows how to work with communities of people that have a particular health need,” Dolan said.
Namboodiri said being selected to serve as chair indicated to him that his work is important and seen as beneficial to the community.
“It’s recognition that you are doing good things, and they want you to continue,” he said.
Namboodiri also serves as the director of the Assistive and Accessible Computing Research Laboratory. There, he conducts research helping those with disabilities. His position as endowed chair will provide more funding for this research, he said.
Namboodiri said his research is intended to increase accessibility for those with disabilities by creating a mobile tool that shows its users accessible routes to their destinations. This work, he said, combines his expertise in developing technology with his commitment to serving the community.
The mobile tool is called MABLE, and the system functions like a GPS for indoor environments.
“You can essentially use a smartphone and punch in a specific destination, and it will tell you how to get there,” Namboodiri said. “It gives you turn-by-turn directions.”
Dolan said Namboodiri’s research is impactful and effective in helping individuals with disabilities achieve independence and improve their overall quality of life. She also said his work makes indoor spaces more accessible to those with challenged mobility.
Won Choi, associate dean and professor in the College of Health, said she thinks Namboodiri’s appointment will foster positive change within the College and the greater Lehigh community.
“This will help him give opportunities for undergraduates and graduate students to be part of the team to advance and develop technologies,” Choi said. “He is giving opportunities to faculty, not only in the College of Health, but other colleges to work together to have a greater impact.”
Namboodiri said being chair will allow him to focus entirely on his research without being redirected to other projects, creating ample opportunities for advancement. He also said it will be useful for forming relationships with other collaborators.
The money he receives as chair can go towards any research that advances health and technology, he said.
“(The funding) comes with a clear mandate — ‘This is what we want you to do,’” Namboodiri said.
He said he hopes this position will raise awareness about accessibility on campus, which he believes is an issue often overlooked.
“The idea is to just keep highlighting that accessibility is important,” Namboodiri said. “It’s more like a platform which puts accessibility and research in that direction for people with disabilities on a higher pedestal so it doesn’t get hidden.”
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