October 2006 • Vol. 2, No. 4
	Advancing Orthotic and Prosthetic Care Through Knowledge

Exceptional Education at the Academy Annual Meeting and Scientific Symposium

"The quality of the presentations is exceptional. It really differentiates us from other meetings out there." —Academy President Gary Berke, MS, CP, FAAOP

For more than three decades, the Academy’s Annual Meeting and Scientific Symposium has provided a popular forum for practitioners to learn about the latest developments in the field. But it is only in the last eight years that the meeting has become a venue in which current research is being presented so that practicing clinicians can return home knowing they have learned something they can put to use in their practice the day they return to work.

This change in the Academy meeting was spearheaded by Tom DiBello, CO, LO, FAAOP, who chaired the Blue Ribbon Task Force (BRTF), which was formed in the summer of 1998 and charged with examining the existing Annual Meeting format and recommending improvements. DiBello recalls, “We wanted the meeting to become a venue for give and take between the scientific community and the practitioner community that would apply directly to practice,” he explained. “It was our hope that the quality of the presentations could be elevated to a level where the Annual Meeting would become the premier scientific O&P meeting.”

The refocusing and restructuring that the Task Force set in motion has helped us to achieve that goal. “The quality of the presentations is exceptional. It really differentiates us from other meetings out there,” observed Academy President Gary Berke, MS, CP, FAAOP, who served on the BRTF.

Based on the recommendations of the BRTF, the meeting replaced its abstract-driven format with a multifaceted approach incorporating scientific symposia, clinical techniques sessions, free paper sessions, instructional courses, and certificate programming. All this in addition to a vastly expanded interactive Exhibit Hall.

Prior to defining this framework, planning for the Annual Meeting often was a hit-or-miss prospect depending on whatever abstracts were submitted in a particular year, making it difficult to put together a high-quality scientific program. “After the Task Force report our annual meeting committee became much more active and reached out across the globe for the best possible people to present the best possible education program,” Berke stated.

Thanks to the efforts of the many people involved in the Academy’s program planning committee over the years and who continue to be committed to achieving the BRTF’s vision, the quality of the content and the stature of the Annual Meeting have been at the highest level. “We consistently have very, very successful meetings,” said Jim Campbell, PhD, CO, FAAOP, who has chaired the Clinical Content Subcommittee for the past three years. “No doubt we’re now on the map in the O&P profession, and not only in North America, we are respected and recognized as being the best meeting of the year for O&P professionals to attend. We have a lot of international people not just presenting but attending and actively participating in the entire meeting.” In fact, international attendance at the Academy’s Annual Meeting nearly doubled between 2001 and 2006. Overall attendance has increased by nearly one-third during the same period, with close to 2,000 attendees at last year’s meeting in Chicago.

The more respected and popular the meeting becomes, the easier it is to continue to provide the highest level of education. For example, the number of free paper submissions has grown significantly, enabling the committee to become increasingly selective about presenters. “We’ve been able to set the bar higher,” Campbell observed. “And we’re seeing more submissions from outside the country and outside the profession. It’s a very, very positive sign when engineers and scientists see the Academy’s meeting as an important venue in which to present."

It’s a very, very positive sign when engineers and scientists see the Academy’s meeting as an important venue in which to present.”—Jim Campbell, PhD, CO, FAAOP

JoAnne Kanas, DPT, CPO, who has worked with Campbell on the Clinical Content Subcommittee for the past few years, emphasized that the program planners also focus on introducing new information to attendees. “We want it to be something really cutting edge, not something that our practitioners may have heard before at another meeting or at their own state meetings. The national meeting is where we launch new topics and introduce new speakers that chapters might want to bring to the state level to reach people who may not have had the opportunity to come to a national meeting,” she explained.

Kanas wholeheartedly believes attendees should be inspired by their experience at the Academy’s meeting and take home knowledge they can immediately apply in their practices. “They benefit by learning about new technologies and new ideas. They see evidence-based practice in motion and learn about how that’s really changing the profession,” she said, adding that recent meetings also have provided a forum for the rebirth and refinement of older treatments, such as last year’s presentation on the Ponsetti clubfoot treatment.

As Kanas pointed out, the Annual Meeting increasingly reflects the current emphasis on evidence-based practice in O&P. “I truly think it has grown into a much more sophisticated meeting,” she commented. “It’s not enough anymore to just say that what we do helps people. We have to prove to ourselves, our patients, physicians, and payers that it works.”

Berke agreed that the Annual Meeting plays a valuable role in reinforcing the value of evidence-based practice. “Through the scientific program, we’re providing the justification for the basic things we do, and that’s having a positive impact on the profession. Better presentations mean more to take home, and more influence on the society around us,” he said. “With our clinical techniques program, the goal is to give practitioners hands-on training but even beyond that, they can take a scientific paper back to their local insurer and say, ‘See, what we’re doing works, and you need to pay me.’ That can be incredibly valuable to our practitioners.”

At the same time, Berke observed, the Annual Meeting also offers the opportunity to find out what the profession does not yet know, which also can be helpful. For example, he pointed out that rather than saying to a patient, “I (an individual practitioner) don’t know why you have this pain,” a practitioner could explain, “We (as a profession) don’t know why.” Berke added that, ideally, a clinician who stays current with the latest research through the Annual Meeting and other educational resources the Academy provides might eventually be able to explain, “Here is the latest scientific explanation we have and what we are continuing to do to find out and help you.”

In addition to all the educational opportunities, the Annual Meeting has expanded opportunities for interaction between attendees and presenters in recent years, as well as opportunities to discuss in detail new products and possibilities with our exhibitors, recognizing the importance of sharing knowledge on a one-on-one and small-group basis. “That’s truly where learning can occur—sharing information, thinking it through, and applying it,” Kanas noted, especially when a range of participants contribute to the discussion. “Last year we had more O&P students than ever before attending the meeting. They were encouraged to ask questions in all the sessions. They got the opportunity to sit with long-time practitioners, as well as those who were just finishing their education and those who were newly certified—all levels of experience—all learning and sharing from each other. Everyone’s comments were appreciated and valid,” she said.

“They see evidence-based practice in motion and learn about how that’s really changing the profession.”—JoAnne Kanas, DPT, CPO

Berke described last year’s meeting in Chicago as one of the best interactive meetings in all his years with the Academy. He credits not only the improved quality of the presenters, but the increased quality of the questions asked by attendees. “People are asking more intelligent, well-thought-out questions and demanding data. This really changes the impact of the meeting in positive ways. It forces presenters to be on top of their game and really know their material,” he said, noting that discussions also enable practitioners to gain by hearing the perspectives of others who may have differing opinions or approaches.

In its original report, the task force recommended that Annual Meeting planners keep the program flexible, setting the stage for constant innovation and re-evaluation. As a result, the planning committee has consistently tried to introduce new and interesting programming to “shake things up,” according to DiBello. The 2007 meeting, to be held March 21–24 in San Francisco, is no exception. Although final details are currently being ironed out, plans are already underway to institute a “Specialty Day” which will offer several different concurrent tracks, enabling participants to concentrate on a particular area in-depth. “We recognize that some of our members and colleagues have become sub-specialists. Not everyone is doing general O&P these days,” Campbell said.

The specialty day concept grew out of the planning committee’s continual evaluation of the meeting and as a response to the needs of our attendees. “We’re not trying to create programming in a vacuum,” Campbell commented. “We’ve been on a mission to continually change and improve the Annual Meeting and we’ve seen that the emphasis has changed because of what we learn from our attendees. We get demographics and feedback on every session so we can find out, ‘What format do they enjoy? What do members really want?’” In addition to the unparalleled learning oppor­tunities the 2007 Annual Meeting is guaranteed to offer, there’s the draw of the site itself. “I’m thrilled we’re back in San Francisco. It’s a great city to visit and a wonderful venue for our meeting,” Berke said. “In terms of content we know it will again be a very exciting meeting.”

When they got the ball rolling back in 1998, DiBello and the BRTF recognized that change is a constant. DiBello has been impressed with the results the program committee has achieved as they work to make each year more exciting than the last. He observed, “They continue to be on the right road and I continue to be proud of the results of the BRTF.”

Annual Meeting Presentations Grow in Popularity

Jim Campbell is not surprised by the dramatic rise in recent years in the quantity and quality of abstracts submitted for possible presentation at the Annual Meeting. “It’s a reflection of the move toward evidence-based practice in the profession. It’s part of the evolution of O&P. People understand the importance not only of conducting research but of presenting it,” he said.

“We get demographics and feedback on every session so we can find out, ‘what format do they enjoy: What do members really want?’”—Jim Campbell, PhD, CO, FAAOP

“We’ve been receiving so many good submissions in the past few years that we’ve been able to set the bar higher,” noted Campbell, who heads the Clinical Content Subcommittee which makes the final selections for all sessions. Anyone is welcome to submit an abstract to the Academy for consideration. Abstracts for the 2007 Annual Meeting to be held March 21–24 in San Francisco were due in mid-August.

"Unlike other shows, the Academy Exhibit Hall is an open forum and allows interaction between exhibitors and practitioners."—Jason Bradshaw, CO