Susan Hallbeck PhD

Susan Hallbeck, Ph.D., is to improve medical device ergonomics, teamwork, health care ergonomics and lean health care systems. She is a certified professional ergonomist and professional engineer in industrial engineering with a specialty in human factors and ergonomics. She has worked with clinical faculty and staff in surgery, emergency medicine, internal medicine and anesthesiology at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, at the VA Nebraska-Western Iowa Health Care System and now at Mayo Clinic. Her projects have included the design of laparoscopic tools, ergonomic evaluation of laparoendoscopic single-site ports and tools, creation of ergonomic guidelines for the operating room (specifically, minimally invasive surgery) and addition of microbreaks during surgery, ergonomic evaluation of intubation, lean engineering and ergonomic redesign of crash-cart medication drawers, ergonomic evaluation of central venous catheterization, teamwork during code blue, positioning of prone patients for spinal surgery, evaluation of personal monitors for home health use, and remote monitoring of those devices by Mayo personnel.