October 2005 • Vol. 1, No. 4
	Advancing Orthotic and Prosthetic Care Through Knowledge

PROJECT QUANTUM LEAP UPDATE: The U.S. Department of Education Continues to Fund Activities of Project Quantum Leap

The U.S. Department of Education awarded the Academy its third $1 million grant to continue the activities started in grant years I and II. Academy President Paul Prusakowski states, "This is an exciting time for the Academy. We have made great strides in all the activities of Project Quantum Leap. This third year of funding will help maintain that momentum and advance the O&P profession."

The projects of focus within grant year III include:

• Project One (Awareness): A national O&P awareness and recruitment campaign to attract qualifi ed students to enter the field of O&P to include underserved areas as identified by geographic mapping from Years I & II;

• Project Two (Geographic Map): An analysis to identify external factors that may influence the discrepancies noted between adequately and underserved areas;

• Project Three (Strategic Planning): A meeting to review the advanced degree model with an emphasis on the funding options for advanced degree program development;

• Project Four (Master Agenda): Development of a methodology course that will result in a series of critical reviews of the literature ranking the quality of available evidence, to identify those topics from the Master Agenda that are best suited for State-of-the-Science Conferences;

• Project Five (State-of-the-Science Conferences [SSCs]): An additional conference in a series of State-of-the-Science topics in O&P;

• Project Six (Professional Continuing Education [PCE] Courses): Additional offerings in a series of online PCE courses based on the consensus of a multidisciplinary group of acknowledged experts who define State-of-the-Science on critical clinical issues; and

• Project Seven (Entry-Level Education): Continuing efforts to enable rapid adoption of new education essentials for O&P education with emphasis on critical analysis of available research to foster evidence-based clinical practice.

Support from the O&P community is always welcome. Although the Academy continues to see grant money for projects, the funding is narrowly restricted. "Financial support of PQL is extremely important," Prusakowski says. "It's an investment in the future of our profession and helps assure access to quality care for the individuals we serve."

Donations are accepted year-round through the O&P Educational and Development Fund, a 501(c)3 organization. As such, contributions may be tax-deductible. Please consult your tax advisor for details.