The American Orthotic & Prosthetic Association (AOPA) named Nicole Ver Kuilen to its new position of manager of public engagement.
Ver Kuilen lost her right leg to cancer when she was 10 years old. In 2017 she co-founded Forrest Stump, a nonprofit organization that works to remove barriers for persons with disabilities to participate in physical exercise and expand access to adaptive technologies. She began working and partnering with AOPA and other O&P advocacy groups, including the National Association for the Advancement of Orthotics and Prosthetics (NAAOP). In May 2018, she was named NAAOP’s inaugural fellow for a ten-week health policy and advocacy fellowship in Washington DC to learn orthotic and prosthetic policy, advocacy, and how NAAOP and other O&P organizations function.
“We are very excited to have Nicole join the AOPA staff,” said Eve Lee, AOPA’s executive director.
Ver Kuilen said, “As a prosthesis user for the past 20 years, I know firsthand how orthotic and prosthetic care transform lives. I will bring my extensive nonprofit and communications background to help raise the profile, public awareness and knowledge about the world of O&P.”
