Ann Yamane, MEd, CO/L, is retiring as director of the Division of Prosthetics and Orthotics and associate teaching professor in the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine at the University of Washington (UW) in Seattle. She has been with the institution for 39 years.
Over the years, Yamane has served the P&O program with a commitment to improving diversity, equity, and inclusion in P&O education and the profession at large.
Yamane received her bachelor’s degree in P&O in 1976 and her Master of Education degree in instructional leadership in 2009 from the University of Washington. She began teaching at UW as a part-time instructor in 1983. She was appointed as an associate teaching professor in 2021.
In addition to serving as director of the P&O program, Yamane also developed and was responsible for teaching the large majority of orthotics courses in the P&O curriculum over her nearly four-decade career. She also contributed significantly to interprofessional education in the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine. For two decades, Yamane served in a variety of roles for the National Commission on Prosthetics and Orthotics Education , including as a site reviewer and board member. She was also recognized for her commitments to education and orthotics clinical practice by receiving the 2001 Outstanding Educator award and the 2017 Distinguished Practitioner award from the American Academy of Orthotists and Prosthetists, respectively.
As co-chair of the UW Rehabilitation Equity Diversity and Inclusion (REDI) Council, Yamane has led and will continue (as associate teaching professor emerita) to lead departmental efforts to establish an inclusive culture that encourages and celebrates diversity among the faculty, staff, and students. Her passion to improve and promote P&O education globally has also led her to establish a long-term partnership with the Brother Tarcisius Prosthetics and Orthotics Training College in Nsawam, Ghana.
