Excerpt from the E-bra website:
Dr. Elena Bodnar, currently the founder and President of the Trauma Risk Management Research Institute in Chicago, is an internationally recognized scientist with over 20 years of experience in clinical research and development of novel diagnostic and therapeutic modalities. She managed the Electrical Trauma Research Program at the University of Chicago and collaborated with the World Health Organization and the International Atomic Energy Agency on projects related to the Chernobyl nuclear accident. Her areas of scientific expertise are trauma risk management strategies and long term health consequences of radiation exposure and electrical trauma. She has authored numerous scientific publications and book chapters.
Dr. Bodnar started her professional career as a medical doctor in Ukraine, where she participated in evacuation and treatment of children from Chernobyl. This experience inspired her to design the Emergency Bra, the invention for which she was awarded the Ig Nobel Prize in Public Health in 2009.
About The Emergency Bra
The Emergency Bra's primary function is that of a conventional bra. In case of emergency, it can be quickly and easily converted into two face masks without removing any clothes. In case of emergency, where no specialized respiratory devices are available, it can decrease the inhalation of harmful airborne particles. Because the Emergency Bra masks can be securely fixed to the head, it frees a survivor’s hands to keep balance while running and removing objects on the way out of danger. In certain situations, by providing the wearer with a sense of security and protection, the Emergency Bra can reduce the chance of panic attack.
