Photo of Ronald Triolo
Ronald Triolo

Biomedical engineering’s Ronald Triolo given highest honor for VA rehabilitation

Veterans’ Affairs Rehabilitation Research and Development (VA RR&D) named Ronald Triolo, professor of biomedical engineering, recipient of the 2019 Paul B. Magnuson Award. It is the highest honor for VA rehabilitation investigators.

The award was presented to Triolo in recognition of his extraordinary dedication to veterans; his pioneering research in the field of assistive, restorative and rehabilitative technologies; his leadership of the Advanced Platform Technology (APT) Center; his success in mentoring students, staff and future VA investigators; and his passion to find innovative solutions to return veterans to their highest level of function and independence. Part of these efforts include his development of implantable systems that allow individuals with spinal cord injuries, stroke or multiple sclerosis to be in better command of their environments.

About the award

The Magnuson award is presented annually to a VA RR&D investigator who exemplifies the entrepreneurship, humanitarianism and dedication to veterans displayed by Paul B. Magnuson during his career. As a physician, Magnuson saw his duty not only as curing, but also as restoring a patient “to his family, his job and his life.” The award was established in 1998 in recognition of the importance of rehabilitation research within the VA Health Care System.

Triolo joins two prior Magnuson awardees from the Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center and Case Western Reserve University: Hunter Peckham, the Donnell Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Orthopaedics, and Robert Ruff, professor of neurology.