OF Garth Johnson (1952-1958), a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, is an Emeritus professor in the School of Mechanical and Systems Engineering at Newcastle University.
Garth graduated in mechanical engineering at the University of Leeds in 1967 before working as a research engineer in the machine tool industry. In 1971 he returned to Leeds University to study for a PhD in Bioengineering and he has been in this field ever since. After a period of 7 years working in the National Health Service, he was appointed as Reader in Biomedical Engineering at the Newcastle University in 1981. He was appointed Professor of Rehabilitation Engineering in 1995.
Since his retirement from his full time academic position in 2008, and a spell as part time Professor at Newcastle, he has been Head of Research at ADL Smartcare Ltd. He is also a Visiting Professor in the Department of Bioengineering at Imperial College.
His main research interest is in the biomechanics of the upper limb with application to both the implant design and to the problems of measuring neurological impairment. More recent work is focused on biomechanical aspects and the applications of assistive technology for older people. He is the author of over 200 papers and book chapters on biomechanics and rehabilitation engineering.
Professor Johnson is a past chairman of the Engineering in Medicine Committee of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers and is currently a Board Member of both the Healthcare Division of the Institution and of the Editorial Board of the Journal of Engineering in Medicine. He is currently Editor of the Journal of Rehabilitation and Assistive Technologies Engineering (RATE). He is a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, and a Founder member of the Society for Research in Rehabilitation.
