Kevin Carroll, MS, CP, FAAOP, vice president of prosthetics, Hanger Prosthetics & Orthotics, Austin, Texas, was honored with the Roscrea People of the Year International Award by Roscrea People, a community publication of Roscrea and District Roscrea, County Tipperary, Ireland. Carroll, who grew up in Roscrea, was selected for this honor for his innovative prosthetic work with amputees over his 30+ years as a practicing prosthetist, visionary researcher, and skilled educator. In the awards’ 25-year history, this is only the second time the international honor has been awarded.
“The Roscrea People Awards always seek out a person who goes that extra inch or who does something extraordinary,” said George Cunningham, MLitt, FSA, the founder of the Roscrea People Awards and editor of Roscrea People magazine. “With Kevin’s international notoriety for his work in the field of prosthetics, he was a perfect candidate. We are very proud of Kevin in this small midland town of Roscrea, County Tipperary, and would like to show it.”
“We are very proud of Kevin’s dedication to advancing the field of prosthetics and enhancing human physical capability,” said Hanger CEO Thomas F. Kirk. “It is thrilling to see him honored internationally, especially by a respected organization in his native Ireland.”
Carroll is a member of the International Society for Prosthetics and Orthotics (ISPO), a professional advisor for the Amputee Coalition, a member of the National Association of Professional Geriatric Care Managers, and a member of the British Association of Prosthetics and Orthotics (BAPO). Born and raised in Roscrea, County Tipperary, Carroll’s practice began in Ireland in 1978 at the National Medical Rehabilitation Center, Dublin. Carroll has appeared on news broadcasts such as Dateline, 20/20, CBS Early Show, NBC Nightly News, ABC’s Good Morning America, and the Discovery Channel.
“I am extremely honored to be selected as the recipient of this award and would like to thank Roscrea People and the selection committee for thinking of me so far away on the other side of the Atlantic,” Carroll said. “Although I wasn’t able to receive the award in person, I was certainly there in spirit and happy my brother Gerry was able to accept on my behalf.”
The Roscrea People Awards were presented January 18, 2012, at a formal gala evening in Roscrea.