Dr. Ram Maikala is a Subject Matter Expert and Program Technical Consultant at the National Safety Council’s MSD Solutions Lab, where he has been leading innovative efforts to advance workplace ergonomics and prevent musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) since November 2021. The Lab focuses on transforming workplace injury prevention through data-driven strategies, collaborative partnerships, and frontline engagement. ). Previously, Ram worked as a Senior Injury Prevention and Ergonomics Program Specialist at Providence Regional Medical Center in Everett, Washington, for seven years. At Providence, Ram taught and trained hospital staff on safe patient handling and mobility. Ram also provided ergonomics and safety risk assessments, as well as mitigation strategies, to Providence staff across multiple hospitals and medical clinics in various counties throughout the state of Washington. Before joining Providence, Ram served for nearly 13 years as a Research Scientist at the Center for Physical Ergonomics, Liberty Mutual Research Institute for Safety in Hopkinton, Massachusetts. His research, spanning almost two decades, focused on Work Physiology and Human Performance, leveraging a range of non-invasive physiological modalities to advance understanding and injury prevention.
Ram currently serves as the Editor-in-Chief of Ergonomics in Design. He was inducted as a Fellow of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (HFES) in 2023 and an HFES Science Policy Fellow. Ram holds a Ph.D. in Rehabilitation Science from the University of Alberta, Canada, an M.S. in Industrial Engineering with a specialization in Ergonomics and Safety Engineering from West Virginia University, US, and a B.E. in Mechanical Engineering from Osmania University, India.