Minneapolis VA Health Care System Research Service
RECOVER Engineering and Design
RECOVER Staff: Leadership | Affiliated Investigators | Clinical & Rehabilitation | Engineering & Design | Administration & Support | Collaborators
Laura Hogan, MS
Rehabilitation Engineer, RECOVER Center, Minneapolis VA Health Care System
Laura was born in Michigan and raised in Kansas and has loved math since she was old enough to know what it was. A strong childhood fascination with fantasy and science fiction led her to pursue the design of futuristic prosthetic limbs in college. She earned two degrees in Bioengineering (BS from Wichita State University, MS from University of Colorado Denver) and wrote a thesis on a novel neural interface for upper-limb prostheses. During graduate school, she was "unofficially adopted" by a neighboring lab that specialized in assistive technology, especially custom wheelchairs, and fell in love with that, too. She started with the VA in 2018, and has worked since then with Veterans, caregivers, and clinicians as a subject matter expert on AT and custom fabrication methods. The intersection of engineering principles and clinical decision-making is where she feels most comfortable, and VA research allows her to bring this expertise to those who need it most.
Timothy Truty, MS
Research Computer Scientist, RECOVER Center, Minneapolis VA Health Care System
Tim has been working in research technology for over a decade. After his undergrad at Illinois State University (BS Psychology 2011) he started as a research assistant at Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center administering memory tests. From there, he advanced to coordinating research projects using wearable devices and novel technology. He went on to receive his master's in information technology management from the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago. Tim has been at the Minneapolis VA since 2021 developing apps, software, and technology for the RECOVER center to improve the lives of Veterans with amputations and spinal cord injuries. His work includes a mobile app to capture and visualize data from wheelchair pressure mats, an augmented reality iPad app to help with phantom limb pain, and a VR experience to help train new clinicians to perform Bronchoscopies.
Steve Morin
Instrument Maker, RECOVER Center, Minneapolis VA Health Care System
Steve previously managed the Minneapolis VA machine shop as part of the Biomed service. His strong design, build, and prototyping skills led to increased collaboration with rehabilitation researchers and ultimately to joining the RECOVER team.
Colin Kenow, BS
Research Biomedical Engineer, RECOVER Center, Minneapolis VA Health Care System
Colin Kenow received a degree in Biomedical Engineering from the Milwaukee School of Engineering. Before joining RECOVER in 2021, Colin worked in industry developing medical simulators to aid in educating the next generation of healthcare providers. Currently, his work as a research biomedical engineer with RECOVER aims to assist VA staff and researchers in developing and disseminating novel medical devices and therapies through the Technology Transfer Assistance Program, as well as through various research and development grants. Colin is driven by the opportunity to bring his colleagues' ideas to fruition with the goal of improving the quality of our Veterans' lives.
Stuart Fairhurst, BSEE
Research Biomedical Engineer, RECOVER Center, Minneapolis VA Health Care System
Stuart Fairhurst got his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Minnesota. Stuart has been working at the Minneapolis VA since 2011. His research and development interests include medical device design and development, particularly in the fields of prosthetics, wheelchairs, and rehabilitation devices or technologies. His primary focus is on the development of electronic hardware and software systems to provide an interface between Veterans, caregivers, and medical devices.
Drew Davis, BS
Research Biomedical Engineer, RECOVER Center, Minneapolis VA Health Care System
Since 2008, Drew Davis has worked in Additive Manufacturing. His unique background with traditional manufacturing methods led him to Application Engineering and eventually to managing Additive Labs in both California and Minnesota. His wife affectionately calls him a "manufacturing nerd" and his two young boys say that he "knows a little about a lot of things." He has had experience with most manufacturing techniques and vast experience in design for manufacturing. Drew manages the Additive Lab for The RECOVER Center.
Emily Mursu, BA
Research Biomedical Engineer, RECOVER Center, Minneapolis VA Health Care System
Industrial design has been my sense of purpose in life, similar to the Japanese ikigai concept, a reason for living. I have worked in several design-related industries & companies, from 3M, Stratasys, Rockler, & MASHstudios in LA, to name a few. I've also picked up several patents and Design Awards along the way, while launching 100+ blue-sky/whiteboard products with extensive Front End Innovation development work. My career goals are to continue to grow as a designer in this fulfilling career which allows for lifelong learning and making meaningful contributions, while evaluating and implementing how we might do things better for everyone, from clients, patients, society, stakeholders, to nature. I've been enjoying meeting and learning from everyone about the different healthcare specialty areas and hope to continue to help create the best design solutions possible to help people become more efficient and happier in their lives.
Gregory Voss, BSME, MBA
Research Biomedical Engineer, RECOVER Center, Minneapolis VA Health Care System
Acting Director of Quality, VA Office of Advanced Manufacturing, Office of Healthcare Innovation and Learning
Paul Christian, PhD
Product Designer, RECOVER Center, Minneapolis VA Health Care System
Paul started at the Minneapolis VA in October 2023 following a 33-year career in industry R&D pursuing technology innovation and new product commercialization, along with management of process improvement, and business development of healthcare segments at 3M, United Health, and Ecolab. He has received his bachelor's from St. John's University and his PhD from the University of Minnesota in Chemistry and is a certified Six Sigma Black Belt. Paul joined the VA RECOVER team excited to work on opportunities to serve and give back to the inspiring Veterans in our community through development of beneficial assistive technologies, working side-by-side with strong engineering talent and skilled clinical professionals. Paul and his wife are life-long Minnesota residents, with two daughters and one son, who is an active-duty army officer with the 3rd Battalion 75th Ranger Regiment.
