Academy Meeting ‘Best Education Conference Ever'

The mayor of San Francisco, California, Gavin Newsom, issued a proclamation to help kick off the American Academy of Orthotists and Prosthetists (the Academy) 33 rd Annual Meeting and Scientific Symposium and declared Thursday, March 22, the American Academy of Orthotists and Prosthetists Day in San Francisco. Academy Executive Director Peter Rosenstein announced the honor during the meetings opening session. Held March 21-24 at the San Francisco Marriott, the meeting featured hands-on demonstrations of clinical techniques, product display showcases, professional development sessions, instructional courses and symposia presentations, free-paper presentations, and exhibits displaying O&P products and services. Educational Component Hits the Mark Russ Hornfisher gives a professional development session titled, "Who Moved My Dog Dish?" Academy President Gary Berke, MS, CP, FAAOP, described the meeting as "the best O&P education conference ever held," in his welcome message to attendees. New to this meeting were several Specialty Day sessions, which the Academy said were very well received. Each of the 90-minute comprehensive sessions drew in 150 attendees or more. Specialty Day topics included Orthotic Management of Infants, Sports and Recreation for the Amputee, Proximal Femoral Focal Deficiency-Surgical and Prosthetic Interventions, and Adult and Adolescent Cerebral Palsy. The last topic proved to be very popular, with more than 260 people in attendance. Other popular sessions included The O&P Management of Polytrauma, Comprehensive Management of Posterior Tibial Tendon Dysfunction, and Establishing Evidence Based Practice in O&P Focusing on the Orthotic Management of Stroke, all of which attracted between 200-300 session attendees. Both Clinical Techniques sessions-Transtibial Casting Techniques and An Introduction to the Ponseti Clubfoot Treatment Method-were completely sold out, which the Academy attributed to the hands-on nature of the sessions. "We are proud to continue to be able to raise the bar each year on the educational content of the meeting and to provide for our members the educational experiences that will make them better able to serve their patients," said Rosenstein. "The O&P profession is becoming more complex, and the Academy sees its role as providing the continuing education that allows current practitioners to keep up with the field." Rosenstein said that another highlight of the meeting was having more than 70 local high school students attend the meeting for a day and receive "the opportunity to get an introduction to the profession by meeting and talking with current O&P students." Video Premiere, Academy Awards Exhibit Hall In addition to the Thranhardt Lecture Series , the Academy premiered its new awareness video, " The Sky's the Limit ," during the opening session. The video is designed to help practitioners and other professionals in the field promote O&P careers to students and schools. Academy Awards were also presented during the opening session. William W. Schumann, CPO, was honored with the Titus-Ferguson lifetime achievement award in recognition of the significant impact he has made on the growth and development of the profession. Thomas V. DiBello, CO, FAAOP, received the Distinguished Practitioner award in recognition of his personal dedication and leadership to the advancement of the O&P profession. In honor of his humanitarian service to the O&P community, David J. Krupa, CP, received the Mohamed Amin Award for Humanitarian Service. Wayne A. Koniuk, CP, received the Academy Award for Clinical Creativity . Other award winners included Douglas G. Smith, MD, and John W. Michael, MEd, CPO/L, FISPO, FAAOP, who both received Research Awards; Sharon M. Hubbard, MS, and Stefania Fatone, PhD, who each received an Honorary Membership award; and Stan Patterson, CP, who received the Academy Award for Clinical Commitment. "The Academy is continuing to receive rave reviews for our meeting as attendees return their meeting evaluations," added Rosenstein. "We can't thank our exhibitors enough for the work they put in to making the exhibit hall such an integral part of the meeting." Next years Academy Meeting is slated for February 27-March 1 at the Caribe Royale Resort in Orlando, Florida.

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