Distinguished Engineer
Hometown: Mitchell
B.S. Agricultural Engineering ,
M.S. Agricultural Engineering ,
Kenton Kaufman received his Ph.D. degree in Biomechanical Engineering from North Dakota State, after earning two degrees from South Dakota State University. He was a professor of Biomedical Engineering and was recognized with the distinction of a named professorship in the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, the W. Hall Wendel, Jr. Musculoskeletal Research Professorship. He was the director of the Biomechanics and Motion Analysis Laboratory at Mayo Clinic Rochester and served as a consultant in the Departments of Orthopedic Surgery, Physiology and Biomedical Engineering. He was a registered professional engineer. Kaufman’s research focused on the biomechanics of human movement. He held several grants from National Institutes of Health, with projects aimed at improving the mobility of disabled individuals. He worked to advance both prosthetic and orthotic care. He was the co-inventor of the SensorWalk, a stance-control orthosis in the commercial market.
He also conducted research to decrease overuse injuries in military recruits and developed the combat boots worn by the U.S. Marine Corps. He published over 120 scientific peer-reviewed papers and 35 book chapters. He held four US patents and one international patent.
Kaufman won many awards for his research efforts including the American Society of Biomechanics Young Investigator Award in 1989, the Excellence in Research Award in 1989 and the O’Donoghue Sports Injury Research Award in 1993 from the American Orthopedic Society for Sports Medicine, the Clinical Research Award from the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons in 1996, Best Scientific Paper Awards from the Gait and Clinical Movement Analysis Society in 1999 and 2002 and the Frank Stinchfield Award from the Hip Society in 2008. He was elected as a fellow in the American Institute for Medical and biological Engineering in 2002. In 2007 he was recognized as a Distinguished Alumnus from South Dakota State University. His work has been cited in the Washington Post, Preventive Medicine, Men’s Health and WebMD. He served on the expert panel on Conditioning Exercises for Naval Special Warfare Personnel in 1994, the Expert Panel on the evaluation of the United States Marine Corps (USMC) Recruit Training Program in 1994 and the Expert Panel for Microprocessor-Controlled Knee Prostheses at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in 2003 and was a member of the Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation Sciences Study Section.