Education

• Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ B.S. 1988 - Electrical Engineering
• Rutgers University, and University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey M.S. 1992 - Biomedical Engineering
• Rutgers University, and University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey Ph.D. 1994 - Biomedical Engineering, Instrumentation Specialty
• University of Pennsylvania, The Wharton School M.S.E.  2004 - Management of Technology

Research Interests

Current research focus is in the area of rehabilitation engineering: using technology to improve ability to measure physical function in individuals with disabilities such as brain injury and spinal cord injury.  Interests in wearable measurement systems and measurement methods to capture how individuals interact with their environments and with technology.  Current projects include rehabilitation bioinstrumentation to characterize functional improvements with interventions for spasticity (a movement disorder), and developing better interfaces using new technology for rehabilitation populations. 

Professional Experience

•     1988-1989 Lab Instructor, Rutgers University, Department of Electrical Engineering, New Brunswick, NJ
•     1988-1990 Chemistry Instructor, EOF summer program, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ
•     1989-1991 Teaching Assistant, Rutgers University, Department of Biomedical Engineering, New Brunswick, NJ
•     1991-1992 Research Scientist Graduate Assistant, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ
•     1992-1994 Biomedical Research Engineer, Ackrad Laboratories, Cranford, NJ
•     1994-1996 Senior Biomedical R&D Engineer, International Technidyne Corporation, Edison, NJ
•     1995-2001 R&D Contract Systems Architect, Spadix Technologies, Incorporated, Middlesex, NJ
•     1996-1998 Member of Technical Staff, Lucent Technologies, South Plainfield, NJ
•     1998-2003 Distinguished Member of the Technical Staff, Motorola, South Plainfield, NJ
•     2003-2006 Senior Research Scientist, Rehabilitation Engineering, Kessler Medical Rehabilitation Research and Education Corporation, West Orange, NJ
•     2004-2006 Assistant Professor, Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, University of Medicine & Dentistry of New Jersey – New Jersey 
       Medical School, Newark, NJ
•     2006- Assistant Research Professor, Department of Biomedical Engineering, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, NJ

Experience in Device Research and Development

Expert in technical systems architecture and design from product concept through manufacturing.

Rehabilitation Measurement Instrumentation

Designed hardware interface for virtual reality system to retrain drivers after spinal cord injury.  Includes actual steering column and adaptive equipment necessary for an individual with spinal cord injury, and data acquisition hardware to interface with the driving simulation software.

Designed unique low cost disposable sensor glove to automatically measure finger flexion during the performance of everyday activities.  Designed for individuals with hand dysfunction who cannot don normal gloves.  Used to measure hand function with rehabilitation.

Industrial Robotics

Co-founded multi-million dollar company designing and manufacturing innovative industrial robotic control systems.  Sole software architect and developer for 7 machine types sold worldwide. 

Designed algorithms to dynamically control linear and curvilinear motion in three axes, custom software drivers for simultaneous motion using servo and stepper motors, various sensor types (piezo, thermal, proximity, resistance), custom production line communication protocol for interprocessor communications.

Wireless mobile phones

Developed proprietary instrument control algorithm that mobile phones use to search for service; method outperformed an industry leader at the time.

Software architecture and systems engineering, performance analysis.

Blood coagulation instrument, portable

Designed algorithms for medical instrument to measure blood coagulation times, created unique software, thermal and optical algorithms to isolate weak blood clots in cardiac bypass patients. 

ShockWriter™ Triaxial Accelerometer Data Logger

Designed the host/instrument software triaxial accelerometer data logger.  Developed power conservation code that collects, evaluates, and stores acceleration and temperature shocks. 

Instrumentation for measuring noninvasive cardiac output, arterial compliance

Redesigned biological sensors (piezoelectric) for use in medical instrument clinical trials.

Cardiac disease state predicted via custom signal processing algorithms.

Designed over 50 programs and hardware for signal processing, real-time collection and analysis of physiological data and patient database management.

Wavespeed, hand-held medical instrument to measure noninvasive pulse wave velocity 

Perform clinical trials with patients in SHEP (Systolic Hypertension in the Elderly Program) drug trials.

Publications

PEER REVIEWED PUBLISHED ARTICLES

• Simone LK, Sundarrajan N, Luo X, Jia Y, and Kamper DG. A low cost instrumented glove for extended monitoring and functional hand assessment.  Manuscript submitted for publication.
• Simone LK, Schultheis MT, Rebimbas J, and Millis SR. (In press). Head Mounted Displays for Clinical Virtual Reality Applications: Pitfalls in Understanding User Behavior While Using Technology.
• Simone LK, Kamper DG. (2005). Design considerations for a wearable monitor to measure finger posture.  Journal of Neuroengineering and Rehabilitation. 2:5 (1 March 2005).
• Elovic EP, Simone LK, Zafonte R. (2004). Outcome assessment for spasticity management in the patient with TBI: The state of the art.  Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation, Vol. 19, No. 2, pp. 155–177.

INVITED PRESENTATIONS  (selected)

• Mann-Liss L, Balas C, Simone A, and Pan C-M:  Beyond High Tech: A Multidisciplinary Approach to Product Salvation. (May 22-23, 1995) Proceedings of the 1995 21st Annual IEEE Northeast Bioengineering Conference Proceedings, pp 134-136, Orono, ME.

WORKSHOPS & SYMPOSIUMS (selected)

• Schultheis MT, Simone LK, Rizzo AA., Hix D. (2005). Usability issues in the clinical application of virtual reality technology.  Presentation at the RESNA 28th International Annual Conference, Atlanta, Georgia, June 25-27, 2005.
• Simone L., (1999, Spring) Introduction to CDMA000 Wireless Protocol.  Training presented at Motorola, Piscataway, NJ.
• Simone L., (2000, Spring) CDMA2000 system architecture.  Symposium for Motorola Technical Enrichment Matrix, Piscataway, NJ.
• Simone L., (2001, Fall) Overview of GSM mobile phone architecture. Training presented at Motorola, South Plainfield, NJ.

OTHER (selected)

• Nolan KJ, Simone LK, Hillstrom HJ, Sisto SA, Elovic EP. Feasibility of Dynamic Pedobarography to Evaluate Ankle Foot Orthotics Following Brain Injury. In Proceedings of  the RESNA 29th International Annual Conference, Atlanta, Georgia, June 22-26, 2006.
• Simone LK, Elovic E, Sundarrajan N, and Kamper DG. Measuring Passive, Active, and Functional Range of Motion following Brain Injury Using a Low-Cost Wearable Monitor.  In Proceedings of the RESNA 29th International Annual Conference, Atlanta, Georgia, June 22-26, 2006.
• Simone LK, Rigg J, John S, Nolan KJ, Sundarrajan N, Elovic EP. Objective Methods to Evaluate Improved Function after Intervention for ABI-related Spasticity [abstract].  Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation (in press).
• Simone LK, Elovic E, Sundarrajan N, and Kamper DG. (2005). Characterization of a Novel Sensor Glove to Explore Hand Movement Disorders Following Brain Injury. In Proceedings of the 2005 Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES) Annual Meeting, Baltimore, MD, USA.
• Sundarrajan N, Simone LK, Elovic E, and Kamper DG. (2005). Exploring Finger Posture Trends in Individuals with Movement Disorders in the Hand. In Proceedings of the 2005 Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES) Annual Meeting, Baltimore, MD, USA.
• Tulsky D, Schultheis MT, Simone L, Callahan L, Nead R. (2005). Retraining Driving Skills After SCI: A VR Approach.  In Proceedings of the 19th Annual Conference of the American Association of Spinal Cord Injury Psychologists and Social Workers (AASCIPSW), Las Vegas, NV, September 6-8, 2005.
• Simone LK, Simone JA, Mitura R, Klimchuk D, Schultheis MT. (2005). Development of a Portable Virtual Reality Driving Interface to Retrain Drivers with Spinal Cord Injury. In Proceedings of the RESNA 28th International Annual Conference, Atlanta, Georgia, June 25-27, 2005.
• Simone L. (2004).  “A Feynman approach to debugging.” Embedded Systems Programming Magazine, Vol. 17, No. 11: 20-31.
• Simone LK, Elovic E, Kalambur U, and Kamper DG. (2004). A Low Cost Method to Measure Finger Flexion in Individuals with Reduced Hand and Finger Range of Motion. In Proceedings of the 26th Annual International Conference of the IEEE EMBS, San Francisco, CA, USA, September 1-5, 2004, pp 4791-4794.
• Simone L (2004). Inertial Motion Sensors as Building Blocks for Wearable Assist Devices. In Proceedings of the RESNA 27th International Annual Conference, Orlando, Florida, June 2004.
• Mann-Liss [Simone] L, Petrucelli S, Welkowitz W, Spotnitz A, Kostis JB.  (1994) Noninvasive Estimation of Systolic and Diastolic Arterial Compliance.  In Proceedings of the 16th Annual IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, Vol. 1:75-76.
• Mann-Liss [Simone] L, Petrucelli S, Welkowitz W, Spotnitz A. (1994) A Unique Model for Noninvasively Estimating Cardiac Output and Cardiac Output Trends Over Time.  In Proceedings of the 16th Annual IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, Vol. 1:77-78.

Patents and Disclosures

• United States Patent (pending), Method and apparatus to measure finger flexion, Simone, Lisa, submitted May 2005.
• United States Patent - 6,470,562, Automatic screening machine for continuously applying spline to a window screen frame, Simone, Albert, Simone, Lisa; awarded Oct. 29, 2002.
• United States Patent - 5,535,753, Apparatus and method for noninvasive measurement of cardiovascular system parameters, Petrucelli, Steven, Welkowitz, Walter, Liss [nee Mann], Lisa K., Smith, Alan M., Orbine, III; Stephen A., awarded Jul. 16, 1996.
• United States Patent - 5,647,369, Apparatus and method for noninvasive measurement of cardiovascular system parameters, Petrucelli, Steven, Welkowitz, Walter, Liss [nee Mann], Lisa K., Smith, Alan M., Orbine, III; Stephen A.,  awarded Jul. 15, 1997.

Honors and Professional Activities

•     1988 Member, IEEE – Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
•     1989 1st Place IEEE paper writing contest, “A Neural Simulation,” Region 1.
•     1999 Employee of the Month, Motorola June.
•     1999-2002 Founding Member, Toastmasters International speaking club, VP of Education
•     2001-2002 Reviewer, IEEE Vehicular Technology Conference, Wireless Access Track
•     2001 Assistant SCUBA Instructor, Professional Association of Dive Instructors (PADI)
•     2002 Reviewer, IEEE International Symposium on Personal, Indoor and Mobile Radio Communications (PIMRC)
•     2002 Moore Fellow in the Management of Technology, University of Pennsylvania.
•     2002 Lead Proposal Reviewer, Manufacturing Technical Advisory Committee, Ben Franklin Technology Partners (venture capital firm specializing in 
      adoption of new technologies.)
•     2004 Member, Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Assoc. of America (RESNA).
•     2004 Registered Expert at AskNDLS (National Science Digital Library) sponsored by NSF.
•     2004-2006 Chair, RESNA Student Scientific Paper Competition (Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America).
•     Member, RESNA Conference Program Committee.
•     2005-2006 Member, Research Review Committee, Kesser Medical Rehabilitation Research and Education Corporation.
•     2005 Semi-Finalist Judge, Christopher Columbus Awards for middle school students combining science and technology to solve community problems
      (Christopher Columbus Foundation and NSF).
•     2005 Proposal Reviewer, Physical Sciences Technical Advisory Committee, Ben Franklin Technology Partners.
•     2005 Ad Hoc Reviewer, Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation.
•     2005 Ad Hoc Reviewer, Annals of Biomedical Engineering Journal.
•     2005 Grant Reviewer, National Institute on Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) - National Occupation Research Agenda (NORA).