Valerie Beecher completed both her undergraduate and graduate work in Industrial Engineering at UB in 2002. While at UB, she was involved in research under the direction of professor Victor Paquet as part of the Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center on Universal Design. Her thesis work was involved with the Universal Design of Consumer Products.
Currently, she is the ergonomics specialist for Upstate Medical University, including University Hospital in Syracuse, where she is responsible for almost 9,000 employees involved in every aspect of a medical and teaching institution, including patient care and healthcare delivery, office work, maintenance, housekeeping, laboratories, and information management. At Upstate, Valerie is responsible for the development and implementation of ergonomic policies, including safe patient handling and movement, conducting ergonomic assessments of work areas, and educating the workforce in proper ergonomic concepts.
Valerie is a leader in healthcare ergonomics and safe patient handling in New York State and is a member of the New York State Zero Lift Task Force. Her additional experience and consulting work includes ergonomic assessments and teaching in manufacturing, telecommunications and office settings. Prior to Upstate, Valerie worked as an ergonomist for Duke University and the Duke University Health System in Durham, North Carolina.