Students in the first class of the Northwestern University Prosthetics-Orthotics Center (NUPOC) Master of Prosthetics & Orthotics Research (MPO-R) graduated from the program at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.
The program, the only degree program of its kind in the United States, is designed to combine rigorous clinical education with advanced rehabilitation research training to prepare graduates for careers as clinician-scientists. Over the course of nine academic sessions, the students completed requirements of Northwestern’s MPO program while undertaking additional coursework in research design, biomechanics, statistics, and scientific writing. The program culminated in an original thesis project and formal thesis defense, equipping graduates with the skills needed to serve as both clinicians and researchers.
The inaugural cohort presented and defended six original research studies addressing critical questions in prosthetic and orthotic care:
- Amanda Kemper, “Effects of Unilateral Myoelectric Prosthesis Use on Upper Body Musculoskeletal Dynamics During Goal-Oriented Tasks,” advisors Russell Johnson, PhD, and Matthew Major, PhD
- Owen Albrecht, “The Kinematics and Kinetics of Walking with a Pediatric Powered Prosthetic Knee: A Single-Subject Study of Gait Training and Analysis,” advisor Matthew Major, PhD
- Christian Moran, “The Effect of Prosthetic Foot-Ankle Stiffness on Rollover Shape Radius and Energy Return in Individuals with a Unilateral Transfemoral Amputation,” advisor Steven Gard, PhD
- Elyssia Robbins, “Towards Precision Rehabilitation: Predicting the Effects of Personalized Ankle Foot Orthoses on Symmetry in Hemiparetic Gait,” advisor Russell Johnson, PhD
- Elizabeth Ibata-Arens, “Effects of Damping Prosthetic Components on Dynamic Balance in Transtibial Prosthesis Users,” advisor Matthew Major, PhD
- Maria Gamez, “Impaired Lower Limb Proprioception and the Minimum Foot Clearance in People with Unilateral Chronic Post-Stroke,” advisor Russell Johnson, PhD
