Hsiao-Wecksler is new President-Elect of ASB

Professor Elizabeth Hsiao-Wecksler was recently nominated and elected to be the 2021-2022 President of the American Society of Biomechanics (ASB). She will serve on ASB’s Executive Board for three years: as President-Elect for the current term (2020-2021), then President (2021-2022), and Past-President (2022-2023).

Her term began August 7, 2020 at the conclusion of the ASB annual meeting. 

Hsiao-Wecksler, a Willett Faculty Scholar, has a long history of active involvement in ASB, beginning as a student member. She has been involved in multiple ASB committees and activities, including abstract reviewer and session co-chair almost annually since 2003. In 2010, she was elected to serve on the ASB Executive Board for two years as Program Chair-Elect (2010-2011) and Program Chair (2011-2012). In 2018, Hsiao-Wecksler was named a Fellow of ASB.

“I am truly honored to be nominated for President-Elect of ASB. As ASB President, I will continue to give back to the society. As an advocate for diversity, inclusion, and mentoring, I am especially interested in promoting additional Strategic Plan activities, practices, and policies that increase and support the currently low racial, ethnic, and ability-status diversity of meeting attendees/presenters, ASB members, and test participants in biomechanics research studies to better represent the diversity of the American population,” Hsiao-Wecksler said. “During the COVID-19 pandemic, members of our biomechanics community have quickly stepped up to address essential needs. Going forward, additional ASB members will be encouraged to use our skills to address new areas and issues associated with self-quarantine, remote health, and social distancing. I hope to help lead our community into this new normal.”

Hsiao-Wecksler’s Human Dynamics and Controls lab uses methods from musculoskeletal biomechanics, mechatronics, soft robotics, and wearable technologies to investigate and improve movement control and function related to locomotion biomechanics and assistive device design. They have developed improved signal processing methods to quantify movement patterns during gait and wheelchair propulsion, and pioneered designs for pneumatically powered ankle-foot orthoses, pneumatic ergonomic crutches, multi-geared wheels for manual wheelchairs, and medical training simulators that mimic movement disorder related abnormal neuromuscular behaviors.