The American Academy of Orthotists and Prosthetists (the Academy) named the winners of its 2027 Thranhardt Lecture Series Awards, which will be showcased at the 2027 Academy Annual Meeting & Scientific Symposium. The award recognizes individuals committed to advancing clinical education and research in O&P.
The winning abstracts were:
“Predicting Injurious Falls Risk Using Single Items of the Plus-M Outcome Instrument,” by Bretta L. Fylstra, PhD, a research scientist within Hanger’s Institute for Clinical Research and Education.
“Impact of Age on Success of 3D-printed Cranial Remolding Orthoses for Deformational Head Shapes,” by Tiffany Graham, MSPO, C/LPO, FAAOP(D), an associate professor at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. Graham is the Academy’s president-elect and a past chair of its Research Council, a three-time recipient of the Thranhardt Award, and the recipient of the 2025 Tamarack Award.
Each year, the Academy Annual Meeting Clinical Content Committee selects two abstracts to be presented as part of the Thranhardt Lecture Series, and each awardee receives a $500 honorarium. The abstracts are also sent to the Journal of Prosthetics and Orthotics (JPO) Editorial Review Board for potential inclusion in a future issue and become courses on the Academy’s O&P Knowledge Central.
The Thranhardt Lecture Series Award was established in 1995 with a gift from J.E. Hanger in memory of Howard R. Thranhardt, CP. This award annually recognizes individuals committed to advancing clinical education and research in O&P.
