When PSYONIC CEO and Founder Dr. Aadeel Akhtar was 7 years old, he met someone with a limb difference for the first time. She was his age, living in poverty in Pakistan, missing her right leg. At the time, he wondered how they could share the same ethnic heritage but have such vastly different qualities of life. As he grew older, he realized that this was due to a lack of resources. For that reason, he started PSYONIC, a company whose mission is to develop advanced prostheses that are affordable for everyone. PSYONIC's first product is the Ability Hand--a prosthetic hand that moves all five fingers, is the fastest available, is impact resistant, and gives users a feeling of touch. Dr. Akhtar received his Ph.D. in Neuroscience and M.S. in Electrical & Computer Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2016. He received a B.S. in Biology in 2007 and M.S. in Computer Science in 2008 at Loyola University Chicago. His research is on motor control and sensory feedback for upper limb prostheses, and he has collaborations with the Bretl Research Group at Illinois, the Center for Bionic Medicine at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, the John Rogers Research Group at Northwestern University, and the Range of Motion Project in Guatemala and Ecuador.

Ahmahn Peeples, LCPO has been a practicing practitioner for 17 years. He specializes in patients requiring newer technology, both orthotic and prosthetic, challenging high level lower extremity cases as well as upper extremity. He enjoys the process of figuring out puzzles and complex cases to bring new and better options to his patient population.

Alex Smith was a three-time Pro Bowl quarterback who saved his most inspirational act for last. Smith suffered a devastating leg injury that almost resulted in the amputation of his right leg. With the help of a CPO, a brace, and 2-years of rehab, Smith found his way back to the field with the Washington Football Team in 2020. He helped them win the NFC East Division title and was named NFL Comeback Player of the Year before retiring after the season.

Amaya Schilder, BSc, MSc is a masters student in Biomedical Engineering at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands.

Andrea Giovanni Cutti, PhD, MEng, CPO received his master in Electronic Engineering at the University of Bologna and a PhD in Biomedical Engineering in 2006. He became a CPO in 2018. He is currently serving as Applied Research Manager and Manager of Lower Limb O&P services at the INAIL Prosthetic Center in Italy and president of ISPO Italy. He serves as Adjust Professor at the University of Bologna and as member of the ISO TC 168 committee. Dr. Cutti received the Thranhardt Lecture Award in 2017.

Dr. Hahn serves as Corporate Vice President Clinical Research and Services for Otto Bock. He is responsible for the company’s global clinical research strategy and implementation. Trained as a physicist, he received his PhD from Oxford University, UK.

Andreas Kannenberg, MD (GER), PhD graduated from Charité Medical School at Humboldt University in Berlin and worked as a physician in Germany for more than 10 years. He joined Ottobock in 2003 and has been serving as Executive Medical Director North America since 2013. He coordinates Ottobock´s clinical research in the Americas and is part of a global medical and research team to consult R&D, product management, reimbursement and sales on medical subjects and provide medical support to negotiations with health care payers in the US and Canada.

Colonel (RET) Andrea Crunkhorn, PT, DPT is the Chief, Clinical Affairs for the Extremity Trauma and Amputation Center of Excellence, responsible for strategic planning and operational implementation of limb trauma related policies and regulation for the Department of Defense. Dr. Crunkhorn previously served as a military physical therapist for over 28 years, deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, commanded medical facilities and served as the Chief, Army Physical Therapy and Physical Therapy Consultant to the Army Surgeon General.

Angie brings over 30 years of Medicare expertise to the Provider Outreach and Education team and currently serves as the DME CERT Task Force lead for Jurisdiction B and Jurisdiction C. Angie is committed to helping providers with the challenges of understanding documentation and policy requirements and navigating the Medicare audit process. Her ultimate goal is to provide instruction that will result in Medicare provider compliance at the time of initial claim submission.

Benjamin Groeschel holds a Masters of Mechanical Engineering. Before making the switch to O&P he worked in engineering consulting. He has been working for 5 years in O&P. Currently he is the Head of Technical Strategic Sales at Mecuris.

Benjamin E. McDonald is a senior embedded software design engineer at Liberating Technologies, Inc. (LTI), located in Holliston, Massachusetts. Benjamin has a BS in Computer Engineering from Tufts University, a MS in Computer Engineering from Northeastern University and more than 20 years of embedded systems design experience. His experience includes low-level embedded microcontroller firmware, printed circuit board design, Bluetooth communication, motor control, signal conditioning and project management. Since joining LTI, Benjamin has been involved in the electrical and software development of several projects including myoelectric videogame training, instrumented scoliosis brace, voice recognition prosthetic controller, wireless sensor development, a microprocessor-controlled ankle, a socket fit sensing system and other various designs.

Bianca Weber holds a Bachelor of Medical Engineering as well as MBA & Masters of Eng. She has 6 years work experience medical engineering environments and for the last 2 years she is the Head of Software at Mecuris and spearheads all of the digital development projects in the company.

Blair Lock is co-founder and CEO of Coapt, LLC, a provider of pattern recognition systems for upper-limb prosthetics. He was formerly the Director of Operations in the Center for Bionic Medicine at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (now the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab). Mr. Lock holds graduate degrees in engineering and technology management and entrepreneurship from the University of New Brunswick, Canada and has been dedicated to advancements in the field of upper-limb prosthetics and myoelectric control for over a decade.

Brad Hendershot, PhD is the Facility Research Director with the Extremity Trauma and Amputation Center of Excellence team at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda. Dr. Hendershot’s research is primarily focused on the mechanics and neuromuscular control of human movement, with a particular emphasis on the trunk/spine and knee in both uninjured and patient populations.

Brent Wright was an avid non-digital technology user for many years. He saw first hand how the technology changed the lives of his patients at a clinic in the Jungle of Guatemala. Since 2018 Brent has been providing 3D printed definitive sockets with great success and patient outcomes. He has come full circle to now wanting to never touch plaster and only wanting use digital.

Bretta Fylstra, PhD received her PhD in Biomedical Engineering from the Joint Department of BME at NC State and UNC-Chapel Hill with a research focus on robotic prostheses and biomechanics. She is now a postdoctoral researcher at Hanger Inc. working on clinical trials and patient reported outcomes in O&P.

Brian Lane is a Certified Pedorthist.

Burhan Dhar, CPO worked as lead Prosthetist In Sunny Hills Orthopedics, Orange county CA and Ortho Engineering Loss Angeles before joining as Head of Orthotic & Prosthetic Department in King Faisal Specialist Hospital in Riyadh , Saudi Arabia. Other positions held are Residency director for NCOPE residency program in King Faisal Hospital.

Cassandra Delgado, MSPO, CPO is currently the Clinical Director at Prosthetic and Orthotic Associates and Handspring Upper Limb Prosthetics in New York. Cassandra completed her education at Alabama State University and the University of Michigan. Cassandra has been awarded the Women in O&P Research Award, has been recognized in AOPA's 2022 Limb Loss Awareness Campaign, and serves in her community as a Special Olympics coach.

Chad Duncan, PhD, CRC, CPO, is the Director of the new O & P Program at Salus University. Dr. Dunan has previously served as Program Director of NUPOC and Alabama State University. He holds several degrees from Auburn University which culminated in a PhD

Chandan K. Sen, PhD is a Distinguished Professor and J. Stanley Battersby Chair of Surgery, and Director of the Indiana Center for Regenerative Medicine and Engineering. He is also Professor of Biomedical Engineering by courtesy at Purdue University. At Indiana University, he serves as Associate Vice President of Research. At the IU School of Medicine, he serves as Associate Dean of Research. Dr. Sen is a Principal Investigator of several projects including multiple clinical trials on prosthetics. His research has been continuously extramurally funded by prestigious agencies such as five different institutes of the National Institutes of Health, US Department of Defense, US Department of Veteran Affairs, and the industry.

Christopher L. Dearth, PhD has the privilege of serving as the Chief of the Research & Surveillance Division within the Extremity Trauma and Amputation Center of Excellence. Within this role, Dr. Dearth is responsible for leading multidisciplinary research teams who conduct a diverse portfolio of cutting edge, mission driven research projects which span the full spectrum of scientific inquiry – i.e., from contemporary foundational science to multi-site clinical trials.

Christian "Zach" Smith is a Clinical Manager with Ossur Americas on the Ossur Legs team. He specializes in Lower-Extremity Prosthetics and is a specialist within his team on Transfemoral Socket Technologies.

Christina Hinton, CP, received her Bachelor of Science degree in biophysics from Furman University, and completed a post-baccalaureate certificate in prosthetics from California State University, Dominquez Hills. Discovering her niche in pediatrics, Christina then completed her residency at Shriners Hospitals for Children in Los Angeles and then transitioned to Shriners Hospitals for Children in Greenville, SC as a Certified Prosthetist. She then focused on developing a Cranial Remolding Orthotic Program for Level Four, and held positions as Director of Pediatrics and Vice President of Cranial Remolding. Christina continues to lecture internationally on cranial remolding treatment and provides training for clinicians with specific emphasis on utilizing the STARscanner and SmartSoc scanning technologies as part of a comprehensive STARband program. Ms. Hinton currently serves as Cranial Products Manager for Orthomerica.

Chris Fantini, MSPT, CP, BOCO, is a board certified Prosthetist/Orthotist with over 25 years of physical rehabilitation experience. Mr. Fantini received a Master of Science in Physical Therapy from Columbia University in New York City and earned post graduate Certification in Prosthetics from Northwestern University in Chicago. Mr. Fantini has participated in notable work on advanced prosthetic devices to help facilitate the progression of emerging concepts & technologies to their clinical application; has authored numerous peer reviewed articles and content in texts relating to prosthetic care; and has participated in the education/mentoring of Residents in the disciplines of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation and Orthotics/Prosthetics. He continues to work on strategic planning to advance the field of O&P as a National Program Manager of OPPCS.

Christopher Hovorka, PhD, CPO, FAAOP, is director and assistant professor of the Orthotics and Prosthetics program in the College of Health Sciences at Midwestern University, located in Glendale, Arizona. He is working with a team of health professionals and educators in medicine and allied health to establish an entry-level Master of Science degree in orthotics and prosthetics. Over the past 23 years, he has engaged in academia, leveraging his education, research, and clinical experiences in orthotics and prosthetics, allied health science, and applied physiology/motor control into developing collaborative orthotics and prosthetics practitioner education and research programs. He is presenting on his research regarding neuromotor adaptation to use of lower extremity orthoses.

Christopher Hoyt, CP is a graduate of the UCLA Prosthetics-Orthotics Education Program in 1983, Hoyt worked at the UCLA School of Medicine Clinical Laboratory for a few years, prior to being hired as a Senior Instructor with the Education Program. He maintained a private practice during non-teaching hours. While at UCLA, Christopher developed a quantifiable, teachable approach to Ischial Containment, and since then has educated more than 1800 prosthetists in 28 countries via hands-on seminars.

Ciera Price, CPO, LPO currently serves as a Certified Prosthetist Orthotist at the Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine. She completed her O&P education at California State University Dominguez Hills and fulfilled a dual residency in the Texas Medical Center while serving as the lead orthotist for multiple pediatric clinics and volunteering clinical services both locally and throughout Central and South America. She is currently a Texas state licensed research clinician at the Center for the Intrepid with the Extremity Trauma and Amputation Center of Excellence.

Claire Vallery, MPO, is a board-eligible orthotist completing a research fellowship at the University of Michigan Orthotics and Prosthetics Center. She graduated from the Northwestern University Prosthetics and Orthotics Center in 2021 and completed her orthotics residency at UMOPC in the spring of 2022. She earned a BS in biomedical engineering with a concentration in biomechanics from North Carolina State University. During her time at NCState and NUPOC she was an ambassador with the Range of Motion Project. This experience prompted Claire to pursue a career in O&P and she hopes to continue to learn and grow as she starts her prosthetics residency at Hanger in North Carolina in January 2023.

Conor is a Doctoral candidate in the University of Washington’s Bioengineering department. He has completed a bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry and Computer Science at Brandeis University and has worked professionally in Phase II and III clinical trialing. Currently his work is focused on wearable health technology and physiological interaction between transtibial socket stresses and skin health. His thesis work is hopeful to improve the understanding of prosthesis fit and to develop translational tools for clinicians, patients, and researchers in the prosthetics and orthotics field.

Craig Douglas currently serves as the Vice President of Payer and Member Relations at the VGM Group.

Curt Bertram is an ABC certified Prosthetist and Orthotist (CPO), Fellow of The American Academy of Orthotist and Prosthetists (AAOP) and has been in the profession since 1990. Curt is a past President of the American Board for Certification in Orthotics, Prosthetics, and Pedorthic (ABC) and the current chair for the American Orthotic and Prosthetic Association's Coding and Reimbursement Committee. He has travel both nationally and internationally presenting on pediatric orthotics, compliance, and clinical documentation. Curt works closely with clinicians on defensible documentation that will support medical necessity, policy coverage, and stand up to prior authorization or post payment audits. He also works with companies to write appeals to assist in reversing denials and recoupment of claw backs. Being able to protect revenue is the cornerstone in helping businesses thrive and enabling them to provide access to care for their patients. Curt is passionate about helping O&P business survive & thrive in today’s healthcare environment.

Dan Hickey is a sales manager at Bulldog Tools.

Danielle Melton, MD is an Associate Professor in the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at McGovern Medical School at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston and the Director of the Amputee Program at Memorial Hermann The Institute for Rehabilitation and Research. Certified by the American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Dr. Melton specializes Orthopedic Trauma and Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation with an emphasis in rehabilitation of patients after traumatic accidents and non-surgical management of patients with spine and other musculoskeletal disorders often requiring pain management.

Darren Jacoby is the CEO of Protosthetics, a leading additive manufacturing company in O&P based in Fargo, North Dakota. Darren is doing his masters at Johns Hopkins University for biomedical engineering and his undergraduate in engineering at Northwestern.

Dennis Janisse is President and CEO of National Pedorthic Services, Inc., a network of full-service Pedorthic facilities. In addition to his duties at NPS, Mr. Janisse is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the Medical College of Wisconsin. Dennis is presently on the Board of Directors of American Board for Certification in orthotics, prosthetics, and Pedorthics and a consultant for Dr. Comfort, subsidiary of DJO Global. He teaches pedorthics courses at Northwestern University Medical School and the Medical College of Wisconsin. He is past President of the Pedorthic Footwear Association and an honorary member of the American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Society. He has written extensively on all aspects of Pedorthics, with over 50 publications to his credit and has lectured throughout the United States and the world.

Drew Meyer is an ABC- certified prosthetist/orthotist who is interested in all things digital/technical in the O&P field. Mr. Meyer holds an undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering and Minor in Bioengineering from Colorado School of Mines, and Masters in O&P.

Speaker

Eric Weber is a Certified Prosthetist and Orthotist and a Fellow with distinction with the American Academy of Orthotists and Prosthetists. He is a graduate from the University of Washington’s prosthetics and orthotics program.

Erick Janisse, CO, CPed is a corporate trainer with DJO/Dr Comfort Footwear. He has over 25 years of experience in patient care and is a respected educator and author. He has served as invited faculty for courses and symposia presented by the American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Society, Washington University School of Medicine and Scott and White Healthcare. Mr. Janisse is past member of the PFA Board of Directors and the current Chairman of PFA’s Council on Pedorthic Education. He also serves on AOPA's Assembly Planning Committee and has served on task forces and committees for ABC.

Erin is a certified prosthetist/orthotist practicing with Hanger Clinic in Portland, OR and specializes in pediatric orthotics and upper extremity prosthetics. She is the Hanger residency liaison for the western part of the country and has a fellowship granted by the American Academy of Orthotists and Prosthetsists. Currently, Erin has an appointment within in the Hanger Institute for Clinical Research and Education, and provides patient care part time. She is on the board of directors for ABC and serves on the audit committee for the orthotics clinical practice management exam.

Francesca Gariboldi received her MSc in Biomedical Engineering (Biomechanical and Biomaterials) at Polytechnic of Milan (Italy) in 2019. She is currently pursuing her PhD in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Padova (Italy) regarding “Development and evaluation of technologies for the design and production of prosthetic components for paralympic athletes”. Her PhD is funded by the OLIMPIA Project, in collaboration with the INAIL Prosthetic Center (Bologna, Italy).

Fraser Allen is the Product Specialist for the SpryStep product line for Thuasne (two-ann) USA. He received a Bachelor of Science in Prosthetics and Orthotics from Strathclyde University.

Gary Berke, MS, CP, FAAOP is currently serving as an Adjunct Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at Stanford University, with teaching requirements in Orthopedics, PMR, Vascular Surgery and the Schools of Anatomy and engineering. Further, he is owner and prosthetist at Berke Prosthetics & Orthotics as well as the Chief Clinical Officer at Medical Creations, Inc in Denver, Colorado. Gary is also a past president of the American Academy or Orthotists & Prosthetists.

Geoff Balkman, PhD, CPO is an Assistant Professor at the University of Washington, Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Division of Prosthetics and Orthotics. He received a doctorate in Rehabilitation Science from the University of Washington in 2021 and has five years of clinical experience. He has a research background in health-related outcomes measurement, with specific training in instrument development, psychometric evaluation, and qualitative analyses.

Gerald Stark, Ph.D, MSEM, CPO/L, FAAOP(D) is the Director of Clinical Affairs for Ottobock Patient Care based in Austin, Texas. He has written and presented numerous topics in O & P nationally and internationally. In his 30-year career he has held various administrative positions in Engineering, Clinical Care, Product Development, and Education. As well as mechanical engineering degree and Masters of Engineering Management, he holds a Ph.D in Organizational Learning and Leadership from the University of Tennessee of Chattanooga. He currently serves as Chair of the Research Council for the American Academy of Orthotists and Prosthetists. He has been honored as “Outstanding Engineering Alumni, “Outstanding Doctoral Student” and “Outstanding Clinical Educator” by his affiliated universities and the Academy.

Graci Finco, CPO, LPO is in her junior year of her PhD studies in Structural Anatomy and Rehabilitation Sciences at the University of North Texas Health Science Center in Fort Worth. Her work examines musculoskeletal and gait symmetry as predictors of overuse injury and fall risk.

György Lévay MSE currently works as the Research Manager of Infinite Biomedical Technologies, a company focused on the advancement of upper limb prostheses. I completed my Master's degree in biomedical engineering on a Fulbright scholarship at Johns Hopkins University, where I conducted research in control algorithms and strategies for upper-limb prostheses.

Speaker

Jason Highsmith, PhD, PT, DPT, CP, FAAOP is the National Program Director for Clinical Orthotic & Prosthetic Service at the Department of Veterans Affairs and a faculty of the School of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Sciences at the University of South Florida. He is a past President of the AAOP and is currently a Captain in the US Army Reserves. In addition to his numerous research publications, Dr. Highsmith is a regular presenter at national and international O&P conferences winning the Thranhardt Lecture Award in 2012.

Jason T. Kahle, MSMS, CPO, FAAOP is a certified licensed Prosthetist-Orthotist. He is the Principal Investigator on many current, pending, and past clinical trial grants and a multiple winner of clinical and speaking awards for clinical creativity and exemplary research. Jason is a member of the Outcomes Research Committee of the AAOP and has published over 60 articles on a variety of topics regarding amputee research and rehabilitation.

Jason W. Stoneback, MD is an Associate Professor in the Department of Orthopedics at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. He is the Vice Chair of Clinical Affairs, Chief of Orthopedic Trauma and Fracture Surgery and Director of the Multidisciplinary Limb Restoration Program and Osseointegration Programs at the University of Colorado Hospital. He specializes in the treatment of simple and complex fractures, non-unions, malunions, osteomyelitis, orthopedic infections, limb-length discrepancies, deformity correction, post-traumatic limb salvage, and osseointegration surgery in amputees.

Director, Business Development, Ottobock Patient Care

Mr. Denune is American Board Certified and Licensed Prosthetist. He began working in the field of prosthetics in 1986. He has served as a board member and past president of the Ohio Chapter of AAOP. 2004 to 2018, Denune served as the Clinical Director for Willow Wood.

Jeff Wilson, Senior Business Development Manager for the Curbell O&P team, is a nationally recognized expert on the use of performance plastics for orthotic and prosthetic applications. He brings more than 25 years of plastic materials experience to customers in the O&P device fabrication industry.

Speaker

Jeffrey Cain MD currently serves as a Clinical Professor of Family Medicine at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. Dr. Cain is a past chair Amputee Coalition, a bilateral BK who received the OI surgery in 2016.

Jennifer Johansson is a Senior Research Engineer at Liberating Technologies. She received her BS in Mechanical Engineering from Union College and MS in Biomedical Engineering from Boston University. Prior to joining LTI, Ms. Johansson worked at the Gait Laboratory at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, where her research focused on understanding the effects of treatment interventions and medical devices on mobility and gait biomechanics in various patient populations.

Jennifer Richards, MA(Ed), CPO is a certified prosthetist orthotist who recently returned to the University of Michigan Orthotics and Prosthetics Center after being away for 18 years. She’s cared for orthotics and prosthetics patients at two large public institutions and at three private companies in five different states and she’s learned from her patients and colleagues at every stop. Jennifer has also had the privilege of teaching at three different Doctor of Physical Therapy programs, at the Northwestern University Prosthetic-Orthotic Center and in the School of Kinesiology at the University of Michigan. She’s been an ABC examiner and has served as an NCOPE board member and chairperson. She’s made friends at every stop along the way and has found that the field has given much more to her than she’s given to it.

Jenny Bramley is the Clinical Lead at Radii Devices. She completed a PhD at the University of Southampton, UK in 2020 investigating the physiological and biomechanical response of tissue post-amputation and is a Chartered Engineer with the IMechE. She is a registered Clinical Scientist and trained within the NHS in rehabilitation clinics primarily focused on specialist seating and gait analysis.

Jessica Norrell is the owner of MOZN Solutions. With more than 20 years of healthcare experience, Jessica partners with O&P practices to help them strategically improve their businesses. As a certified prosthetist/orthotist AND a business strategist, Jessica is uniquely qualified to help O&P practices eliminate inefficiencies and operate at their best.

ABC primary contact for: speaking and exhibiting opportunities at local and national meetings and conferences as well as in-person university or pre-certification course presentations.

Born for business, Capra started his first company when he was eight years old, which he ran profitably for 23 years. After seven years of leading youth on Outward Bound courses, his business skills, creativity, and tenacious leadership skills landed him a position as the first employee of Boa® Technology. During his 13 years at Boa, he developed hundreds of new adjustability products, thousands of consumer products, and established seven new categories of business. Seeing the positive impact that adjustability could bring to patients, Capra was inspired to focus his efforts on the orthotics and prosthetics industry. Hence the founding of Click Medical in 2013 with the mission to empower millions of people with disabilities around the globe.

Jiri Rosicky is the CEO of Invent Medical Group. His focus is on Direct Digital Manufacturing (3D scanning, computational modelling, 3D printing), integrated systems for online diagnostics and multidisciplinary cooperation with universities, clinical and industrial partners. The aim of the Invent Medical Group is the product innovation, process innovation and business model innovation in Prosthetics & Orthotics. Jiri Rosicky has graduated at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Brno University of Technology. He was active there as a researcher and a lecturer later on. Jiri is CEO of ING corporation and Ortopedická protetika Frýdek-Místek. He was an external lecturer at the University of Ostrava for couple of years. Jiri is member of ISPO (International Society of Prosthetics & Orthotics).

Joe Mahon, CP is the co-founder of Click Medical.

Dr. Ashley Mullen is the Interim Dean of the School of Health Professions at the Baylor College of Medicine.

Jonathan Naber is the Chief Program Officer at the Range of Motion Project (ROMP).

COL Joseph F Alderete Jr MD is a father of 2 wonderful children, Kaden and Jack, and married to Mrs Sunnie Alderete for 19 years. He graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1997. He then attended medical school at Pennsylvania State College of Medicine and received his MD in 2001. Internship and Residency in Orthopaedic Surgery were both completed at Eisenhower Army Medical Center from 2001 to 2006. Following residency he was a staff orthopaedic surgeon at Reynolds Army Community Hospital from 2006 to 2008. He then attended the Mayo Clinic in Rochester MN for a fellowship in Musculoskeletal Oncology; moving on to Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio where he is currently the Chief of Orthopaedic Oncology and the Medical Director for the Center for the Intrepid, Advanced Amputee and Limb Salvage Rehabilitation. He has had 4 combat deployments to Afghanistan serving in positions from staff orthopaedic surgeon to Deputy Commander for Clinical Services and Task Force Chief of Surgery, Iraq. His leadership positions include local, regional, and national roles from Associate Program Director for the SAUSHEC Orthopaedic Surgery Residency to the Medical Board of Trustees for the Musculoskeletal Transplant Foundation. He has received many awards, military and academic, including the Warren R Kadramas Memorial Educator’s Award for best teaching staff in 2013, AOA, and the Order of Military Medical Merit in 2020.

Joseph Miller, PhD, MS, CP is the Senior Advisor for Clinical P&O for the Extremity Trauma and Amputation Center of Excellence (EACE), responsible for strategic guidance of O&P related policy, regulations, data and education for the Department of Defense. He supports EACE Global Health Engagements, Research and Surveillance and Informatics divisions. He serves on several federal agency workgroups for the provision, evaluation, and coding of products. He is a Certified Prosthetist who has been in the field of orthotics and prosthetics for 40 years.

Joseph Webster, MD is a physician with over 20 years of experience in the field of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) and in working with individuals with amputations. Dr. Webster is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of PM&R at Virginia Commonwealth University and a Staff Physician at the Hunter Holmes McGuire VA Medical Center in Richmond. Dr. Webster has been serving as the National Director of the VA Amputation System of Care since 2011. Dr. Webster received his medical degree from the University of North Carolina and completed residency training in PM&R at the University of Washington. Dr. Webster is board certified by the American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.

Joshua Steer is the CEO of Radii Devices based in Bristol, UK. He completed his PhD at the University of Southampton, UK in 2019 developing computational tools to support evidence-based prosthetic socket design where he continues as a Visiting Researcher.

Mr. Poynter attended Northwestern University Prosthetics-Orthotics Center (NUPOC) at Feinberg School of Medicine and started at SRT Prosthetics & Orthotics in 2009. He was appointed Director of Clinical Care for the entire company in 2019. Current job duties include oversight of clinical operations, ensuring high quality of practitioner performance, development of residents, implementation of clinical technology and advancement, and management of patient outcomes through data review and analytics via ProApp.

Karen Lundquist, MBC has worked in marketing and communication in healthcare for more than twenty years, encompassing pharma, manufacturing, and non-profits. With the lens of impact and brand, her work focuses on how the regular rhythm of communication needs to be engaging and interactive to truly build value for the organization and its audiences.

Karl Lindborg, CPO/LP is the CEO and lead clinician for Intersect OPS LLC., specializing primarily in upper limb prosthetic consultations and fitting assistance. He has 13 years concentrated experience in upper limb advanced prosthetics technology combined with an additional 20+ years’ experience as an upper and lower limb O&P clinician/technician. He provides technical, clinical, and educational support to clinicians, manufacturers, and academic institutions. He graduated from the University of Washington’s School of Rehabilitative Medicine’s Prosthetic and Orthotic Program and has worked in the private, institutional and manufacturer sectors of the O&P industry.

Karyn Kessler is Vice President Compliance and Chief Privacy Officer at Hanger, having served in a number of leadership roles since joining Hanger 18 years ago. As VP Compliance, Karyn oversees Hanger’s compliance operations functions, including third party risk management. She has developed numerous compliance programs addressing the highest compliance risks across the entire Hanger organization--patient care, supply chain, and distribution. Karyn has a clinical background in Occupational Therapy and has practiced in a wide variety of health care settings; she also holds a Master’s in Business Administration.

Kate Allyn, CPO, FAAOP is a Washington state licensed and ABC orthotist and prosthetist, clinician, researcher, fellow, and past president of the AAOP. She completed her O&P education at Northwestern University and residency in Orthotics at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation. In clinical practice at Northwest P&O Clinic in Seattle she specialized in dysvascular populations, rehab, and traumatic lower limb prosthetics.

At the time of collaboration for a new arm, Kate was a high school senior at Kettle Moraine Lutheran High School in Wisconsin. Her accomplishments include: salutatorian of her high school class, founder of her high school’s Writing Club and an active member of other extra-curricular activities and volunteer opportunities. In 2016, she attended Camp No Limits (for children with limb differences). Kate has an extensive acting career and uses her theater experiences to help educate others about living with a disability. She has been an integral part of First Stage Children’s Theater (Milwaukee, Wisconsin) for the last 11 years. She has been engaged in mentoring, leadership, fundraising, public speaking, writing, and acting and is the founder of First Stage’s Young Company Playground Festival. She has written 4 novels, 2 plays, 9 one-acts, and a movie script. She is a winner of numerous writing awards. In the fall of 2021, Kate attended Johns Hopkins University (pre-med major declared).

Katherine Davies works as a prosthetist and clinical audit lead at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals in the UK. Her primary focus is lower limb prosthetics. Previous to this she was a clinical researcher for Blatchford, gathering evidence for prosthetic devices.

Dr. Katia Langton, DC, CPed, CPed(C), Certified in Lower Extremity Amputation Prevention & Comprehensive Management and Treatment of the Neuropathic Foot. Secretary of the Diabetic Foot Stream Committee of the International Diabetes Federation which has created international guidelines to protect the Diabetic Foot from progressing down the deleterious pathway of ulcerations and amputations. International speaker on preventing Diabetic Foot Disease and treating patients earlier in Risk Category 1 and 2 and differentiating patients with Diabetic Neuropathy from patients with Neuropathy from Lumbar Spinal Stenosis.

Kelly Gies: Kelly is a partner and the COO/CFO at Cornerstone Prosthetics and Orthotics, where she has worked for the past twenty years. Kelly is also the founder of KG Simple Solutions and Proclaim Billing Services. At KG Simple Solutions, Kelly offers a wide range of consulting services to O&P organizations and at Proclaim Billing Services she offers billing support to O&P organizations. Kelly has a master’s degree in Project management, a bachelors degree in business, and a minor in human resources.

Ken Kaufman, PhD, PE is the W. Hall Wendel Jr. Musculoskeletal Research Professor, Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Director of the Biomechanics-Motion Analysis Laboratory, and Consultant in the Departments of Orthopedic Surgery, Physiology and Biomedical Engineering at the Mayo Clinic. Dr. Kaufman is a member of the AOPA Medical Advisory Board.

Kierra Falbo, MPO, CPO is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (Biomedical Engineering) and completed Northwestern University’s Master of Prosthetics and Orthotics in 2018. She is currently a Research Prosthetist-Orthotist at the Minneapolis Adaptive Design and Engineering Program (MADE) and a doctoral student at the University of Minnesota.

Kiley Ring is the administrative manager at Cornerstone Prosthetics and Orthotics and a consult at KG Simple Solutions. Kiley brings 18 years of administrative experience and skills including project coordination, office management, and process review from her background in a wide range of industries with a focus on healthcare administration. With her inherent skills as a trainer, she compassionately and effectively creates programs and documentation processes that save time while adding consistency in workflow.

Kinsey Herrin, MSPO, C/LPO, FAAOP is a Senior Clinical Research Scientist in the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology. She received her MSPO from the Georgia Institute of Technology and completed her orthotics residency at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and her prosthetics residency at the University of Michigan O&P Center. Her research interests include movement disabilities, wearable robotics, and clinical outcomes.

Kirk Ferris currently serves as the Director of Clinical Operations for Mary Free Bed Orthotics and Prosthetics Corporation. Responsibilities include Residency Director for Mary Free Bed Orthotics and Prosthetics Corporation. Am responsible for day to day operations of the Orthotic and Prosthetic department, including the off site facilities. Marketing, public relations, clinician education, suppler negotiations, contract negotiations. Overseeing device fabrication on site and off site facilities. Responsible for workflow analysis and streamlining. Implementation of paperless EMR system.

Laurie Johnson is Manager of Regulatory Research & Assessment with Hanger’s Compliance Team. She came to Hanger with 10+ years of experience in O&P as Director of Compliance with Scheck & Siress. Since joining Hanger, Laurie has worked diligently to reduce third party risks by implementing a procurement and storage process for all necessary Business Associate Agreements across the entity. Laurie is an important part of the COVID-19 Task Force keeping Hanger in compliance with all state, federal and local regulations. As a licensed attorney, Laurie brings an in-depth knowledge of federal, state and municipal regulations to the compliance realm. She is an active member of Illinois Society of Orthotists, Prosthetists and Pedorthist as their legal counsel and sits on the Government Affairs Committee of AOPA.

Lee Childers, PhD, CP is the Senior Scientist with the DoD-VA Extremity Trauma and Amputation Center of Excellence team at the Brooke Army Medical Center, Center for the Intrepid, in San Antonio. Research there focuses on maximizing residual limb health and development of exoskeleton solutions for prolonged field care scenarios.

Leo Haenni is the Head of Product at Protosthetics. Leo has a background in Biomedical Engineering from Yale University, and previously led the development and expansion of an in-clinic 3D printing program at Abilities in Motion in Cincinnati.

Lesleigh Sisson, the founder of O&P Insight, has been part of the orthotics and prosthetics profession since 1992. She started O&P Insight because she cares deeply about three things: helping people thrive in their professional lives, advancing the profession for patients & practitioners and leaving a legacy of lives impacted for the better. While she has always had a love of teaching and helping others, it was working in administrative and clinical support roles when Lesleigh recognized the desire to assist dedicated professionals working toward this common goal: providing excellent patient care while achieving the best possible health for the business. Lesleigh helps independent O&P practices to not only survive but also to thrive in today’s challenging and ever-changing healthcare environment with its demands for efficient work flow, revenue cycle solutions and successful compliance.

Speaker

CEO at WillowWood

Malte Bellmann, PhD, CPO, is the Director of Research Biomechanics within the global Clinical Research & Service department of Ottobock. His expertise comprises biomechanical research as well as product development in prosthetics and orthotics for more than a decade. Malte participated and published particularly regarding aspects of comparative analysis of microprocessor-controlled exo-prosthetic knee joints. He earned his PhD from the Technical University in Berlin for investigating the force transfer principles in trans femoral sockets in different gait situations. He is author and co-author of several peer-reviewed publications and is a regular speaker at international O&P congresses about various topics.

Margy Imlay is the owner and president of Just Like a Woman specialty lingerie in Portland, Oregon. Her facility is recognized for its dedication to unparalleled customer service and knowledge. Margy is also employed by O&P Edu, as its lead mastectomy trainer. She assisted in the course preparation and is teaching future mastectomy fitters using O&P’s virtual platform. Margy is a health educator with over 35 years’ experience in the field. She is also a BOC and ABCOP certified fitter, and a certified cancer exercise specialist. She is currently a member of the BOC Board of Directors.

Owner, Catdaddy Consulting

Mary Beth Geiser PT, DPT, OCS, FAAOMPT has been a practicing clinician for over 30 years, specializing in orthopedics, sports medicine, spine rehabilitation and chronic pain. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Physical Therapy from Marquette University in 1990 and her Doctor of Physical Therapy degree (DPT) from Concordia University Wisconsin in 2008. She received board certification from the American Physical Therapy Association as an Orthopedic Clinical Specialist in 1999 and recertification in 2009 and 2019. She completed a Fellowship in Manual Therapy through Regis University in 2013. In addition to working 34 hours/week in direct patient care, for Advocate Aurora Health Care, Dr. Mary Beth Geiser holds active Adjunct Faculty positions at 3 different universities (Marquette University, Concordia University Wisconsin, & Concordia University- St. Paul Minnesota) and an Affiliate Faculty position at Regis University. Dr. Geiser has instructed graduate level classes in Spinal Manipulation, Advanced Orthopedics, Upper and Lower Extremity Musculoskeletal Disorders, Kinesiology, Exercise Physiology, Therapeutic Modalities, Radiology, and Pain Management. Dr. Mary Beth Geiser is president and co-owner of SCORE Advantage LLC a physical therapy provider and consulting company which offers medical screenings, consulting services, orthopedic rehabilitation, and educational opportunities. In the past she served as WPTA’s Reimbursement Chair (volunteer position) for 6 years.

Matthew Wernke, PhD is an applied research engineer. He earned a PhD in Biomedical Engineering from the University of South Florida in 2013 and was a research assistant for the Center for Assistive, Rehabilitation, and Robotic Technologies. His dissertation focused on the development of an optic-based device and motion analysis model to quantify motion of the residual limb relative to the prosthetic socket. His duties include product and technology development, outcomes studies, grant applications and management, and disseminating the research results at conferences and peer-reviewed publications.

Matt Parente, MS, PT, CPO, FAAOP is an ABC-Certified prosthetist-orthotist and a Connecticut-licensed physical therapist who serves as a Clinical Education Specialist within Clinical and Scientific Affairs. He also serves as the Director of the Master of Science in P&O at the University of Hartford. Matt was awarded the Outstanding Educator Award by the AAOP in 2019.

Megan Hodgson specializes in the development of accessories for myoelectric prostheses, including embedded software and hardware, regulatory documentation, and patient training. Currently pursuing further training in patient care. Has traveled nationally and internationally to introduce the field to new control concepts

Michael Carroll, PhD, MBA, CPO, FAAOP, is a certified prosthetist-orthotist with the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and Assistant Professor at the University of Central Florida where he completed his PhD. Dr. Carroll has traveled nationally and internationally presenting at conferences and providing clinical care, including to multiple Paralympians at the 2012 Paralympic games. In his role at the VA, Dr. Carroll has been integral in the progression of patient care and the residency program.

Michael Muratore has been practicing orthotics and protsthetics for more than 15 years. He has had the opportunity to work with the Georgetown University Hospital Center for Wound Healing and work alongside the ACA Medical Director, Dr. Terrance Sheehan. Michael has become an area leader in Prosthetic Technology, utilizing cutting edge Active Vacuum systems, advanced socket design including Comfort Flex II and REVO designs, as well as becoming versed in all microprocessor systems in the pursuit of better clinical outcomes for patients.