March 2006 • Vol. 2, No. 1
	Advancing Orthotic and Prosthetic Care Through Knowledge

Welcome to The Academy TODAY

This edition of the Academy Today celebrates the one-year anniversary of this new Academy publication and its integration with the Paul E. Leimkuehler Online Learning Center. The Academy is excited about the continued development of these new initiatives, and we continue to encourage your involvement and feedback in helping us make these resources a valuable benefit for Academy members.

Since our Annual Meeting in 2005, the profession has faced a lot of challenges that have forced the Academy to evolve as an organization and as an integral part of the entire O&P profession. Important professional issues related to qualified provider standards have challenged all of the national O&P organizations to evolve to a new level of cooperation and effectiveness. I am proud to say that through tremendous effort and dedication of the leadership of ABC, AOPA, the Academy, and NAAOP, our profession will be taking a monumental step forward in the coming years through a newly established commitment to work together as a single unit in the legislative arena. More information about this initiative will be shared at the Academy meeting and in future publications.

As the Academy continues to move forward in cooperation with the other organizations, we have identified the following priorities as issues that we feel are critical to the future success of our profession:

1. Continued funding of current AAOP Federal Grant and other grant and research funding opportunities.

2. Supporting and funding of quality standards and qualified provider standards for orthotics and prosthetics.

3. Support and promote funding for O&P education.

4. Support and promote increased educational standards for the field of O&P.

5. Support and promote licensure for the profession.

The Academy board is committed to making sure that these priorities continually guide our efforts to ensure that our profession evolves with all the other Allied Health professions.

For those of you attending the meeting in Chicago, we are sure that you will really enjoy the incredible efforts of the Annual Meeting Committee. This year will bring together the best in the field to present key clinical sessions that cannot be found elsewhere. World renowned Dr. Ignacio Ponseti’s presenting on the Integration of Contemporary Orthopedic and Orthotic Management of Clubfoot, as well as sessions exploring research in Neuroprostheses and Osseointegration presented by national and international experts are just a few of the highlights that will make this meeting world class.

I look forward to seeing many of you in Chicago, and again thank you for your continued support of the Academy and its initiatives to improve and elevate our profession. Please feel free to contact me with any of your thoughts or concerns, or to find out where you too can contribute to the efforts of the profession.

Sincerely,

Paul Prusakowski, CPO, LPO, FAAOP