The Orthotics and Prosthetics Foundation for Education and Research awarded its 2024 Early Career Research Grants to Sara Peterson-Snyder, CPO, PhD, and Kyle Leister, CPO, PhD.
The grant supports clinically relevant, investigator-initiated research in O&P. The one-year, $30,000 award is intended to help early career investigators initiate lines of research that will be competitive for larger funding opportunities through agencies such as the National Institutes of Health, the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, or the Department of Defense.
Peterson-Snyder is a research prosthetist and consultant for O&P Clinical Innovations. Her most recent experience is working with the Human Engineering Labs as a research prosthetist and prosthetic clinician.
“I am deeply honored and excited for the opportunity this support provides to advance our research,” said Peterson-Snyder. “This grant will allow us to make significant strides in quantifying muscle characteristics in individuals with transtibial amputations. By focusing on these critical aspects, we aim to enhance our understanding of muscle function and contribute to the development of more effective prosthetic solutions, ultimately improving mobility and quality of life for this population.”
Leister is an assistant professor and program director for the Master of Science in Orthotics and Prosthetics Program at East Tennessee State University. His research focuses on innovative interventions to enhance the quality of life for individuals with limb loss, with an emphasis on investigating the efficacy of transcutaneous neuromuscular electrical stimulation on residual limb health in this population. 
“It is an honor to receive the Early Career Research Grant from the O&P Foundation. This award is a significant step in my journey as a scientist, and I look forward to leveraging the support to advance our understanding of lower-extremity residual limb health,” Leister said.
