MJ Ellis Distinguished Lecture Series, 2001

"Telemedicine: The Virtual Clinic for Children in Iowa"

April 24th, 6:30pm-8:00pm
Levis Faculty Center

Dr. Dennis C. Harper

Department of Pediatrics University of Iowa

Abstract

Dr. Dennis C. Harper, Professor of Pediatrics and Graduate Studies in Rehabilitation, from the University of Iowa, will present the Michael J. Ellis Distinguished Lecture on Disability Science and Practice, His lecture – "Telemedicine: The Virtual Rehabilitation Clinic for Children in Iowa," will include a history of telemedicine in the United States, the current state of health informatics, the ongoing National Library of Medicine - National Institutes of Health Research Program in Children's Rehabilitation Services in Iowa and the future of telehealth applications in rehabilitative services.

Biography

Dennis C. Harper, Ph.D., ABBP, is a Professor in the Department of Pediatrics in the College of Medicine at the University of Iowa with a secondary appointment in the Division of Counseling, Rehabilitation, & Student Development. Dr. Harper is an accomplished academician and practitioner in the area of pediatric rehabilitation psychology and his work has advanced the psychological healthcare of children with disabilities.

Dr. Harper received his Ph.D. from the University of Iowa in 1972. He has established a comprehensive line of research addressing childhood physical disability since 1983. This record of scholarship has a strong cross-cultural context, based in five different countries, and has resulted in over 20 publications and presentations.

Dr. Harper was editor of a special issue in the Journal of Rehabilitation (1990) which addressed child rehabilitation as a "new frontier". His work also extends over the life span of people with developmental disabilities, culminating in a seminal work on aging of people with developmental disabilities, including multiple studies on dementia and psychological disorders in the population. He co-authored a book chapter for a seminal handbook publication of the American Psychological Association, The Rehabilitation Psychology Handbook (2000) that addressed rehabilitation issues in working with children.

In addition to an outstanding record of scholarship, Dr. Harper has a remarkable record of service to the academic community.. He has held presidential offices in the Iowa Psychological Association, the Pediatric Psychology and Rehabilitation Psychology divisions of the American Psychological Association (APA), and he was the first psychologist to serve as president for the American Association for Cerebral Palsy and Developmental Medicine. Dr. Harper maintains Fellow status in five APA divisions, and he holds the distinguished ABPP diplomat status as an advanced practitioner within his field.