Our Professional Staff
Dr. Karlene Ball
Dr. Karlene Ball brings the country’s top talent in visual attention and cognition research to Visual Awareness Research Group, Inc.. Karlene has devoted her life to science and has focused on improving the lives of older adults and others with impaired attentional or cognitive functioning. She is an inventor who coined the phrase “Useful Field of View” and developed and patented the Useful Field of View (UFOV®) screening and remediation systems.
In addition to her activities with the Company, Karlene is a Professor of Psychology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). She currently directs the UAB Edward R. Roybal Center for Research on Applied Gerontology, funded by the National Institute on Aging. Karlene also directs the UAB field site in the ACTIVE (Advanced Cognitive Training for Independent Vital Elderly) clinical trial.
Karlene has served on many Federal Government Public Advisory Committees, including the Transportation Research Board/National Research Council, Committees of the National Academy of Sciences, and the National Institutes of Health. She is a frequent speaker and consultant on projects and expert panels regarding setting standards for commercial drivers. Karlene is also a prolific author on visual, attentional and other cognitive changes that occur with age.
Her research has garnered many awards, including a M.E.R.I.T. award from the National Institutes of Health, University awards for Research and Creativity, and a Highway Safety Award from Nationwide Insurance Company. Karlene’s high caliber research and contributions to science enable Visual Awareness Research Group, Inc. to provide the highest quality products and services through its licensee, Posit Science, Inc.
Dr. Daniel Roenker
Dr. Daniel Roenker (Dan) is Vice President of Research and Technology at Visual Awareness Research Group, Inc. Dan is not only an inventor and researcher, he can answer any technical questions that may arise about the Company’s Useful Field of View (UFOV®) screening and remediation systems.
Dan received his Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology from Kansas State University in 1973, has published numerous articles and has presented at numerous national conferences. Dan has received the recognition of University Distinguished Professor at Western Kentucky University.
Dan has collaborated with Dr. Ball on many research endeavors. He has continually refined methods for re-training attentional skills in older drivers. Dan’s inventiveness, research contributions and relaxed style help Visual Awareness translate its research into programs that can help the people who can most benefit – senior drivers and others with cognitive impairment.
Kristina Berg, J.D.
Kristina Berg (Kristi) is the President of Visual Awareness Research Group, Inc. Initially, Kristi was the attorney for the Company and, after years of working closely on many levels with the researchers and officers of Visual Awareness, she became its President.
Kristi is one of the founders of the Company and was a visionary in recognizing, at an early stage, the many benefits that UFOV® technology could provide to seniors and others with cognitive impairment. She assisted the Company in identifying entities in both the public and private sectors that could help bring the UFOV® programs to the people who needed them.
Kristi was instrumental in bringing Drs. Karlene Ball and Daniel Roenker together with Posit Science, Inc.’s like-minded researchers and business development team. Together, Visual Awareness and Posit Science have deepened their research and brought the benefits of UFOV® technology into peoples’ lives.
