Biography:

 

Dr. Cripton did undergraduate work at Dalhousie University and graduate work at Queen’s University in Kingston, Canada. His PhD was collaborative with the University of Bern in Switzerland, where he conducted the majority of the experimental research associated with his PhD. He did post-doctoral work at Yale University and worked at the Exponent consulting company in Philadelphia before joining UBC and founding an injury biomechanics laboratory in 2003. Dr. Cripton’s research interests include impact biomechanics, injury prevention, spine, spinal cord and hip biomechanics, helmet and seat belt efficacy and sex-differences and pregnant occupant protection in motor vehicle collisions. In addition to developing a helmet to prevent spinal cord injuries during head first impacts in sports called the Pivot™ helmet, Dr. Cripton and colleagues perform research focused on preventing hip fractures. Other specific projects focus on preventing cervical spine injuries in automotive rollovers, mountain biking and diving, developing improved mechanical surrogates for injury experiments (i.e. crash test dummy necks and physical models of the spinal cord), and using advanced MRI imaging techniques to better understand seat belt efficacy.