Class of 2019

John-Ross Rizzo profile photo

John-Ross Rizzo

NYU Langone Health

“Mentoring is the greatest gift for a leader to bestow. The provision of knowledge and information needed to take next steps is profound when applied with the correct calculus and personalized for the mind. ‘A leader takes people where they want to go. A great leader takes people where they don’t necessarily want to go, but ought to be.’ (Rosalynn Carter) Disability engenders tremendous learning, focusing and honing the strength gleaned from adversity greatly increases the probability of accelerating evolution for the human race.”

We are proud to induct John-Ross Rizzo into the Susan Daniels Disability Mentoring Hall of Fame.

John-Ross (JR) Rizzo, M.D., M.S.C.I., is a physician-scientist at NYU Langone Health. He is an Assistant Professor, serving as the Director of Innovation and Technology and Research (Interim) for the Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, with cross appointments in the Department of Neurology, the Department of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, and the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the NYU Tandon School of Engineering. He leads the Visuomotor Integration Laboratory (VMIL), where his team focuses on eye-hand coordination, as it relates to acquired brain injury, and the REACTIV Laboratory (Rehabilitation Engineering Alliance and Center Transforming Low Vision), where his team focuses on advanced wearables for the sensory deprived and benefits from his own personal experiences with vision loss.

He is also the Associate Director of Healthcare for the renowned NYU Wireless Laboratory in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at NYU-Tandon. JR Rizzo obtained his medical degree at New York Medical Colleges an Alpha Omega Alpha Honors Society Member (Iota Chapter), and subsequently completed his residency with a chief position and fellowship at NYULMC’s Rusk Rehabilitation.

He is the Founder and Chief Medical Advisor of Tactile Navigation Tools, LLC, where he and his team work incessantly to disrupt the assistive technology space for those with visual impairments of all kinds, enhancing human capabilities. Dr. Rizzo has won numerous awards for his work in disability research, particularly focused on the intersection of ocular motor and manual motor control and on assistive technology. He was awarded the prestigious Crain’s 40 under 40 award in New York Business for his medical devices, including his wearable technology. Dr. Rizzo has also been featured in a number of lay articles and also featured in videos and press releases. In 2018, he was a highlighted speaker in NYU’s TEDx “Re-Vision” Series.