The National Association for the Advancement of Orthotics and Prosthetics (NAAOP) chose Annika Berlin as the 2025 George and Dena Breece Fellowship recipient. During the interview process, Berlin distinguished herself in a slate of exemplary candidates for this year’s fellowship, the announcement said.
Berlin earned a degree in psychology from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and works as a user experience specialist at Psyonic, a startup creating advanced bionic hands. She creates instructional resources, facilitates peer support connections, and gathers user feedback to shape device design and support systems.
“We are very excited to see her use the skills she has developed through lived experience and working for an upper-extremity prosthetics start-up company to help promote patient-centric policies and legislation while in DC. Annika has a very bright future, and we consider ourselves fortunate for the opportunity to work together over the coming months,” said Nathan Kapa, CP, NAAOP president.
The Breece Fellowship Program was created to identify and develop advocates who rely on O&P services to remain functional and independent. The 2025 Fellow will spend ten weeks this summer shadowing Peter Thomas, JD, NAAOP general counsel, who also serves as the legislative counsel for the O&P Alliance. Annika will be the eighth NAAOP Breece Fellow.
“Living with a disability since birth and using a prosthesis myself, I have experienced firsthand the barriers our community faces when accessing proper O&P care,” said Berlin. “Now, working in the prosthetics industry, I see these challenges from multiple perspectives—as both user and advocate. The Breece Fellowship resonated deeply with me because it offers a platform to translate my personal experiences into meaningful action. I am passionate about understanding the policies that shape our communities and finding practical ways to break down barriers through legislative change, industry innovation, and education.”
