Chris Ramsden
Chair (Director)
Chris Ramsden
BA(hons), MSc, Cert. Ed., DipCFHP, DipBMEC, FPSPract, MIPEM, CSci, AFPH, FLS, FCIEHF, C.ErgHF, FIMMM, FRSM, FCSD, PPCSD, FRSA
Consultant Clinical Scientist, Biomedical Engineer, Chartered Scientist, Chartered Ergonomist & Human Factors Specialist, Industrial Designer,
Past President: The Chartered Society of Designers (2 terms)
Past Senior Vice-President: European Institute of Design & Disability (Design for All Europe)
President: The Chartered Institute of Ergonomics & Human Factors
Chris has a multidisciplinary background as an Industrial Designer, Ergonomist, Biomedical Engineer and Clinical Scientist. He has extensive experience of working in industry, academia, third sector and healthcare as founder and Director of University research departments, biomedical R&D Institutes and in healthcare as Clinical Head of Department specialising in complex physical and neurological disabilities. He has a wide range of international experience from consumer product design, the development of ‘Barrier Free’ technology for disabled people, medical devices to the design and construction of biomedical flight hardware for both the ESA/NASA Space Shuttle and Russian space programmes. At Advantage West Midlands, the West Midland’s Regional Development Agency, Chris successfully established the 1st and UK’s largest Medical Technologies Cluster commissioning over £10.5 million of innovation and infrastructure projects within a 3 year period.
Chris’s lifelong passion is in improving the quality of life for people with disabilities through design, a mission he shared with the late Professor Heinz S. Wolff, with whom he would go on to co-found the Brunel Institute for Bioengineering and also to establish the ‘Tools for Living’ programme, designing aids for daily living.
Chris then moved to The Royal Hospital for Neuro-disability in Putney, an Internationally recognised specialist centre for the management of profound physical & neurological disabilities, ultimately becoming Head of Clinical Engineering & Design Systems, establishing Bioengineering, Rehabilitation and Research Engineering departments. At the hospital, Chris established the 1st Design & Human Factors led Clinical service.
Chris went on to help found The European Institute of Design & Disability, with Paul Hogan and Prof Dieter Phillipen, which grew to a network of 28 national networks of organisations involved with ‘Barrier Free Inclusive Design’.
In Public Health, Chris established the UK’s largest design led Health Action Zone programme, AHEaD, in Sandwell, West Midlands with Dr John Middleton, former President of Royal College of Physicians, Faculty of Public Health.
Chris continued to bring together the skills and resources of Academia, Business and Clinical communities to focus on healthcare needs by co-founding Medilink, which has grown over almost 20 years to be the UK’s National network for SME’s involved in Life Sciences.
Building on his own personal experience of mobility impairment, Chris has latterly trained in Podiatric Biomechanics and Orthotics and regularly works with patients with biomechanical lower limb problems.
It is now an honour to work with Dr Suresh Paul, the other Trustees of EA and of course the staff, who all share the same passion to make a real positive difference and to improve the quality of life for all.