Dr. Chaz Dr. Chaz Holder, who died July 4, was a shining light in prosthetic technology development. Dr. Holder, founder and president of CZBiomed, Fayetteville, North Carolina, was himself a triple amputee. He developed Socketless Prosthetic Technology, which is comfortable, inexpensive, durable, and can be fitted quickly and easily with a minimum of follow-up. The technology has especially benefited amputees in war-torn and developing nations. In 2000 Dr. Holder traveled to Sierra Leone where he fitted 188 amputees, mostly civil war victims whose limbs were chopped off by rebel soldiers, in only eight days. Later he traveled to Vietnam to fit other amputees. More than 400 of his prostheses are in use worldwide. Among his many honors, Dr. Holder was chosen as the inaugural winner of the Knight Ridder Equality Award, sponsored by the Tech Museum of San Jose, California, Santa Clara University, and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The award presentation noted, "Holder's innovative and generous work serves the cause of equality by improving mobility and quality of life for the physically disabled." Dr. Holder also was a semi-finalist in 2000 for both the Discover Awards and the Christopher Columbus Foundation awards. In 1997 he was awarded the North Carolina Governor's Trophy as the state's Disabled Citizen of the Year. Dr. Holder was born April 6, 1947 in Michigan. He is survived by his wife, Anne, and daughter, Sarah, both of Fayetteville; and his brother John Holder, Kalamazoo, Michigan. Dr. Holder's work and dreams will continue through CZBiomed and the Global Limb Assistance Program, a nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing high-quality, high-function, durable prostheses to amputees throughout the world at a fraction of the cost of conventional prostheses. CZBiomed operations will be continued by his associate, Ruth Clark. Contributions in support of his work can be made online through a partner agency, the Marshall Legacy Institute (please specify the funds are for Global Limb prostheses), at www.marshall-legacy.org, or directly to: Global Limb Assistance Program, 3005 Marital Drive, Fayetteville, North Carolina USA 28301. For information, call 910.488.4212. For more information about Dr. Holder's life and work, visit www.czbiomed.md .
