An endowed chair of biomechanics in Speed School of Engineering with a joint appointment in pediatrics, Bertocci directs the University of Louisville’s Injury Risk Assessment and Prevention Lab. She collaborates with engineers, physicians, therapists and rehabilitation specialists at the lab on several projects that don’t fit a conventional mold.

For example, Bertocci and her colleagues use crash-test dummies and computer modeling to determine whether a child has been injured through an accident or through abuse. Not only does the effort help detect child abuse, but it protects those who are innocent of it, she explains.
 
“Our family of crash-test dummies includes a 12-month-old child, a 3-year-old and a 6-year-old,” says Bertocci, who came to UofL in 2004.
 
Improving the safety of people in wheelchairs as they ride in motor vehicles is another goal of Bertocci’s team. A study they are doing with Louisville’s public transit agency, TARC (Transit Authority of River City) could lead to a better wheelchair design and a safer way to secure the chairs in vehicles.

“Few or no studies address the safety of people who remain seated in their wheelchairs while on buses or in other types of motor vehicles,” she says.

Bertocci, who holds a Ph.D. in bioengineering and bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mechanical engineering, also has taken courses in canine rehabilitation. She is now collaborating with veterinarians and physical therapists to develop a low-cost wheelchair for paraplegic dogs. Four UofL graduate students are working under her supervision on the project, which she will describe in three papers at a research conference this summer.

“My work in this area builds upon my expertise in the area of rehabilitation biomechanics, which is not limited to humans.”
 
Besides taking an innovative approach to research, Bertocci mentors and trains women in mechanical engineering and bioengineering, a field in which females traditionally have been underrepresented.

She also was a leading voice in the creation of a new UofL office providing support and advocacy for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) students, staff and faculty.

Because of her pioneering work in bioengineering and her help in creating a safe and welcoming campus climate for all students, faculty and staff, Bertocci is a true Champion4Her.