Good News Opens Academy's Annual Meeting

Academy President Wendy Beattie, CPO, FAAOP, presents Maurice LeBlanc with the Titus-Ferguson Award. Photograph courtesy of Eric Chen. The American Academy of Orthotists and Prosthetists (the Academy) 34th Annual Meeting & Scientific Symposium opened with good news for the association as its president, Wendy Beattie, CPO, FAAOP, announced the formation of a new O&P Education and Research Foundation. This fundraising arm of the Academy will help continue the organizations educational mission. Beattie said that the Academy received a $1 million grant for the new fund from the U.S. Department of Education, and representatives from the Academys New England and New Jersey chapters contributed additional funds. The Academy donated another $10,000 toward the foundation. The Academy Board of Directors approved the creation of the Tamarack Prize, to be awarded by the O&P Education and Research Fund. The $10,000 prize will be awarded for published research in orthotics. The Research Committee of the foundation is examining specific criteria for determining the prize. Education Offerings Well Received Nearly 1,600 people, including a record number of exhibiting companies and organizations, attended the meeting held February 27 through March 1 at the Caribe Royale Hotel in Orlando, Florida. Practitioners had the opportunity to earn a total of 37.5 PCE credits, and a number of informational courses pulled in good crowds. "Practical Outcome Measures of Daily Patient Care" presented by John W. Michael, CPO, FAAOP, FISPO, saw nearly 150 attendees, as did the presentation by Peter Harsch, CP, on "Challenges and Successes in the Prosthetic Treatment of Our Armed Forces Personnel Returning from the Middle Eastthe Navy Experience." The biggest draw at this years meeting was the symposium "The Future of O&P: Will We Really Just Be Gnomes in the Basement?" Presented by Gary Berke, MS, CP, FAAOP; H. Kazerooni, PhD; Todd Kuiken, MD, PhD; Michael Oros, CPO; and Douglas G. Smith, MD, the discussion drew in more than 300 people. Presenters discussed topics ranging from what O&P professionals do, things that undermine the profession today, robotic technology in upper- and lower-extremity prostheses, neural/machine interfacing, the expanding role of the O&P practitioner, and how the National Commission on Orthotic and Prosthetic Education (NCOPE) is going to prepare future clinicians to maximize technological advances now and in the future. "The O&P clinician is the bridge between technology and patient care," said Oros. In addressing the question of whether or not there is a need in the medical community for O&P clinicians, Smith said that while an O&P clinicians knowledge and skills do overlap those of various allied health professionals, "nobody else knows how to fit and modify [like an O&P clinician]. You are the experts of the interface and the device. I do think there is a definite need." Academy Awards The Academy also recognized the accomplishments and work of a number of practitioners with the presentation of the annual Academy Awards. Maurice LeBlanc, MSME, CP(E), a lecturer at Stanford University, California, was presented with the Titus-Ferguson Award, a "lifetime achievement award intended to be the highest level of recognition bestowed upon an outstanding academician" who has made a significant impact on the professions growth and development. Riffing off recent sports scandals, upon receiving the award LeBlanc said, "No one ever does anything alone. Whatever I did to deserve this award, I did it without steroids." Todd A. Kuiken, MD, PhD, director of the Neural Engineering Center for Artificial Limbs (NECAL) at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (RIC), Illinois, was honored with the Clinical Creativity Award for his discoveries in neuro-controlled prosthetics. Alfred E. Kritter Jr., CPO, FAAOP, vice president of clinical services for Hanger P&O, received the Clinical Commitment Award, and Brian J. Hafner, PhD, director for prosthetics research study at the University of Washington, Seattle, collected the Research Award. Donald G. Shurr, CPO, PT, a lecturer for physical therapy education at the University of Iowa, Iowa City, emphasized the need to mentor young practitioners and O&P students as he was honored with the Distinguished Practitioner Award. Steven A. Gard, PhD, and Jean Deitz, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA, were named honorary members of the Academy for their high level of knowledge and dedication to the O&P profession. Thranhardt Lecture Series Anton Johannesson, CPO, and Jason Wening, MS, CP, presented separate lectures for the always-popular Thranhardt series. Johannesson presented his research on "Vacuum-Formed Removable Rigid Dressing Compared with Conventional Rigid Dressing after Transtibial Amputation," and Wening offered "The Effects of Ankle-Foot Orthosis on Gait Parameters of Acute and Chronic Hemiplegic Subjects." Peter Rosenstein, executive director of the Academy, was pleased with all aspects of the meeting. "The evaluations were tremendous concerning the quality of education we presented, and really thats what this is all about," he said. "We anticipate another big meeting next year in Atlanta." -Brady Delander

Good News Opens Academy’s Annual Meeting

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