Fellow Spotlights

Growing up in the world of O&P, I always admired those who had attained their Fellow designation from the Academy. It signified a commitment to the profession, both to those under our care as well as to the advancement of the field. Earning my Fellow with Distinction was a tremendous honor. Joining this collection of accomplished Academicians has served as a strong reminder of the importance of working hard to make a meaningful impact on the lives of our patients and to the future strength of our profession.

Most of my weekends and summers as a child were spent in an O&P clinic. In fact, the earliest injury that I can remember came from when I got a nasty cut after running into an alignment jig. Family vacations typically aligned with where the Academy Annual Meeting or Amputee Coalition National Conference was being held, which means many within the profession remember me as a wild child running around the exhibit hall or when slightly older volunteering at these meetings.

I was interested in O&P but hesitant to move away from home, so I started my undergrad career studying biology and chemistry. After my freshman year, I ran into multiple O&P students at an adaptive sporting event in my hometown, which helped me realize that there was a program relatively close by. With the distance concern abated, I jumped at the opportunity to enter the profession and haven’t looked back since.

Outside of the office, most of my time is spent with family and friends. My wife and I, along with our young children, like to stay active and spend a lot of time outdoors at local parks and lakes. We enjoy traveling whenever time allows. I’m also very lucky that our family lives nearby, as do many of my childhood friends, so I get to see them quite frequently, too. 

For those still in school, I’d highly encourage you to seek out mentors. The Academy’s mentoring program is a great catalyst for this, but you should also find mentors who may work in areas that are of particular interest to you (both specialties and localities). I still regularly connect with one of my mentors, who I’ve now known for 15+ years.

For those who have transitioned to residency, continue to foster the mentor-mentee relationship while focusing on time management. The addition of full-time employment and learning can be tricky for some to manage, so it is critical to find a method to maximize your time. If you can come up with a solution early in your residency, it will be particularly helpful when you ramp up your exam prep.

After residency, it is important to continue to build from your success. Even though you may think you’ll have extra time when you have passed your boards, more will undoubtedly be added to your plate. You will gain more responsibility at work and might start a family. Having a good grasp of how to efficiently and effectively manage your time will help make you a better and timelier clinician while also allowing you more time and energy to dedicate to your personal life and maintaining self-care.

This is a difficult question to answer as there are so many patients who stand out, but I think the most critical thing that I’ve accomplished has been participating in resident education. Teaching the next generation of O&P providers is so rewarding but also important for the future of our profession and the care of our patients. Seeing residents become clinicians and begin to practice independently is highly rewarding, and I’d encourage my colleagues who have the knowledge to share to get involved by hosting a residency program or partnering with an O&P school.

Being added to the ranks of Fellows means that I am amongst my peers who have found a passion and have devoted time to the field of O&P. Being a Fellow means that I am being recognized for the extraordinary work I have given to my patients, colleagues, and students. But the work is not complete, this is a stepping stone for me to do more by bringing awareness of the profession and expanding our reach in healthcare.

P&O has been a part of my family since I was a little girl. My great-grandfather was a bilateral above-knee amputee. He walked around in "stubbies" when I was a little girl and then put on "Grandpa's magic leg," and that was the first time I fell in love with prosthetics. Then in 2000, my father was helping a lady change her tire in the rain, and another car came and sideswiped the vehicle on which he was working. My father is now a right below-knee amputee, and he was active with his prosthesis until 2017. These personal undertakings made me fall in love with the O&P profession.

I always say I am a mom, wife, clinician, and now professor. So my loves outside of the office, are my 2 sons (9 and 13). They are heavily into sports right now. I seem to go from TaekwonDo tournaments to football games; gymnastics to sports conditioning. They call us their personal Uber drivers. I have the most amazing husband who supports our family with so much love. These are the things that bring me joy. After cheering on my husband and kids, I enjoy community outreach by teaching young students and professionals about the field of O&P.

My advice is that the sky's the limit. No matter if you love art and design, engineering, or helping people, Prosthetics and Orthotics is the profession for you. We bridge the gap between healthcare and engineering by sprinkling in creativity through arts, crafts, and design. Prosthetics and Orthotics has now hit every aspect of the world from fashion, acting, broadway to AI, robotics, and architecture. The O&P profession is a great mix of drawing, design, mechanics, and technology. If these are things you love, this one profession encompasses them all. This profession allows one to be active in healthcare without being a surgeon. We affect the positive outcomes of patient's lives through technology. I want everyone that wants to be a part of healthcare but are maybe squeamish around blood or needles to look into the O&P profession.

OH wow! I am proud of every aspect that I have accomplished thus far. I am even proud of my failures because they have shaped who I am today. I probably would share that my most proud accomplishment is spreading the word of O&P through outreach. I enjoy going into classrooms with my O&P Toolboxes and allowing students to assemble a prosthesis for the first time. As well as, filming my current MSPO students learning something new in the clinical labs at KSU from our industry leaders. The first time a student gets that lightbulb moment of understanding that is what gives me joy and makes me feel accomplished.

I have been very fortunate in my career in Orthotics and Prosthetics to have been involved in many different aspects of the profession. Earning my Fellow with Distinction designation was an honor, being recognized as having been able to contribute in so many different areas of the profession. The (D) is a testament to my appreciation of the opportunities I have been given to contribute. I am very proud of having been able to be involved in so many different ways.

I, like many, was headed in the direction of Physical Therapy after graduating from college. My undergraduate degree was Pre-Med and Chemistry. I got a job at the Childrens’ hospital in Denver in the Occupational Therapy dept. They ended up having me make all of the orthoplast splints because they had a hard time handling that material (it can be tricky). The OT and Physical therapy departments were connected and I heard the frustration of the PT’s when their kids came, over from the school next door, for treatment and didn’t have their HKAFO’s on. They were too heavy and cumbersome metal and leather and the mom’s didn’t have the time.    

My dad was an industrial designer. I spent a lot of time with him as he designed and worked with plastics at a company that made display cases for BIC pens and TIMEX watches. So, I questioned why these braces for the kids weren’t being made from plastic? Of course, I was then told to go do something about it! I was directed to Scott Orthopedics to see how one would do something about it, and Darrell Womack CO pointed in the direction of Rancho Los Amigos Medical Center in California. Being young and free - I though CA would be a fun place to check out. – so off I went. Darrell Clark took me in and convinced me to stick around when I asked for more details about the program. He said I would figure it out. I guess I did.   

Years later, I was so fortunate to join Roy Snelson CPO, on his trips to El Forte, Mexico to provide care to that community. Many small private planes with dentists, doctors, translators would fly in and land on a dirt runway, as the kids from town would come to greet us and help park the planes and unpack the supplies. I provided Orthotic services, fitting corsets for aching backs (although some wanted the corset because it made their friend look so thin). MiAnna Medical supply donated lots of items that were so very useful. We had no extra Prosthetist with us those days – so I was often asked those prosthetic of questions. Not feeling qualified to answer them was my encouragement to go back to school for prosthetics.      

So – I guess I never really decided to get into O&P. I just lucked out! The profession is perfect for me.  A wonderful mix of the medical field, art and design and hand crafts along with the patient care I love so much and a bonus of working with some of the most creative, fun, compassionate and skilled out of the box problem solvers I have ever met.

I never seem to have enough time to do all the things I like to do. My TO DO list keeps growing. I like to bake to share with my co-workers. I like to try new restaurants and try new recipes. I love to travel, especially to a beach, but am always up for a new adventure. I like to read and garden in my back yard. I have cats, yes cats. Five of them, four rescues and a foster – so herding cats keeps me busy. I also like to go to the theater, movies and concerts. When I do finally sit down, I spend time watching Hallmark movies and Nascar races.

The profession of Orthotics and Prosthetics is full of opportunities to change peoples lives. There is such a sense of satisfaction to be a part of someones hope, to be able to offer a service and make something that may decrease their pain , help with their healing and recovery and can improve their quality of life. The field allows one to use creativity to solve problems for each individual patient. There are so many opportunities to find the area that fill your heart and soul for a long and rewarding career and to be able to contribute back to the profession.

There are many and it’s hard to pick which one I am most proud of.       

I loved my experiences at Rancho. So much that I went back in 1991 to be the Educational Coordinator for the Orthotics Certificate Program. I loved being able to share my enthusiasm for Orthotics and being able to challenge the students and encourage critical thinking and problem solving. I loved seeing them put the pieces of knowledge together as they progressed through the program.

I am proud that I got the opportunity to work alongside Dr. Jacqueline Perry and the Polio clinic at Rancho for years and was able to learn so much and call her a friend.

I am proud that I was able to serve on the Board of Directors for the American Academy of Orthotists and Prosthetist and eventually be elected President.

I am proud that I have been able to volunteer my services to ABC, NCOPE and AOPA.

I am proud that I have been asked to share in many educational presentations.

And I am proud that I have been able to help care for so many patients and be a part of their recovery and so happy to have worked with so many amazing practitioners and technicians over the years.

It’s been a good career and I’m not done yet.