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Academy Meeting Focuses on Best, Latest in O&P
By Miki Fairley
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Dudley Childress, PhD, delivers the keynote address. |
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"Education is not the filling of a
pail, but the lighting of a fire"
-William Butler Yeats
This statement, quoted by Don Katz, CO, FAAOP, aptly sums up the
purpose and accomplishments of one of the O&P community's most
eagerly awaited meetings: the Annual Meeting and Scientific
Symposium of the American Academy of Orthotists and Prosthetists
(AAOP).
About 1,450 attendees and 162 exhibitors were drawn to the 29th
annual event March 19-22 in San Diego, California. Fifty-five
attendees hailed from 12 different countries, including 27 from
Canada. Heightened national security kept many Latin American
practitioners from obtaining a visa in time to attend: only four
were able to come, as compared with 46 last year, according to the
Academy.
Academy Faces Challenges
Three major issues continue to be a challenge, said Academy
President Frank H. Bostock MBA, CO, FAAOP, as he welcomed
attendees. He identified them as 1) competitive bidding, which is
still on track in Congress; 2) the Negotiated Rulemaking (NegReg)
Committee's efforts as it works to reach consensus on who is a
"qualified provider" of O&P services; and 3) funding for
Project Quantum Leap. "Project Quantum Leap (PQL) is the most
important initiative in the Academy's 30-year history," he
declared. Regarding NegReg, he noted that while many of the
organizations represented seem to be centered on patient care, some
focus on financial interests. "The Academy can't agree to anything
that would compromise patient care," he stressed.
"The ultimate purpose of a professional association is to build
a knowledge base," said Don Katz, Texas Scottish Rite Hospital,
Dallas, as he provided an overview of the Academy's Clinical
Standards of Practice (CSOP) conferences. Katz provided a detailed
preliminary report on the first CSOP consensus conference in
February 2002, which discussed "Orthotic Treatment of Idiopathic
Scoliosis and Scheuermann's Kyphosis."
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Dennis E. Clark, CPO (right), receives the Distinguished Practitioner Award from Academy President Frank H. Bostock, MBA, CO, FAAOP. |
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The purpose of a consensus conference is to define
the current status of patient care, establish points of consensus
in treatment, and to define research priorities, Katz said.
The next consensus conference, scheduled for late May 2004 in
Chicago, Illinois, will focus on "Post-Operative Amputation
Care."
Childress Discusses Shape of O&P
What identifies a profession? In his talk on "The Shape of the
O&P Profession," keynote speaker Dudley Childress, PhD, listed
three attributes of a profession: 1) skills or "know-how," 2) its
body of knowledge, and 3) its "indwelling ethic." Childress, who
has received many awards during a long and illustrious career, is
the director of the Northwestern Engineering Research program in
Prosthetics and Orthotics and a professor of Biomedical Engineering
and Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Northwestern
University, Chicago.
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Samuel E. Hamontree, CP (right), receives the Titus Ferguson Award for lifetime achievement from Frank Bostock. |
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Ethical standards are imparted to upcoming
generations by example, he noted, with integrity being the most
important quality in a profession.
"The profession has been shaped by those who have preceded us,"
he continued, as he paid homage to a roll call of distinguished
pioneers in O&P and rehabilitation. "These pioneers of O&P
established a strong indwelling ethic," Childress said. Quoting
William Faulkner, he said, "The past is never dead. It's not even
past."
Discussing the interaction between scientists and engineers,
Childress noted that scientists seek knowledge, and engineers,
along with O&P professionals, look for practical applications
of knowledge.
Childress also discussed research on the "roll-over shape" for
prosthetic feet, the "squirt shape" for sockets, and dilatency sand
casting.
James Campbell, PhD, CO, was honored for his accomplishments as
editor-in-chief of the Academy's Journal of Prosthetics and
Orthotics (JPO). As he steps down, taking the helm of the
publication is Jeff Nemeth, CPO, FAAOP.
High School Students Learn About O&P
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T. Walley Williams, Liberating Technologies Inc., demonstrates a myoelectric hand to the students. |
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To raise awareness of O&P as a career choice,
the Academy invited 100 high school students from the San Diego
area to visit the meeting. After hearing a short presentation about
the orthotic and prosthetic profession from Kel Bergmann, CPO,
SCOPe Orthotics & Prosthetics Inc., and a description of the
O&P program at California State University-Dominguez Hills
(CSUDH) from Scott Hornbeak, CPO, FAAOP, program director, the
students were paired with O&P students from CSUDH and the
University of Washington, Seattle. Together they toured the exhibit
hall to see the latest technologies firsthand.
Jim Chea, a University of Washington student, was impressed by
the students' astute questions, noted Julie Hayes, the Academy's
director of Development and Communications: "They were extremely
interested in learning more about how the orthotic or prosthetic
device worked as a substitute for an individual's natural function
when walking, jumping, or running. Although the high-tech look of
some components was appealing, they were very intrigued by the
cosmetic covering and how realistic the artificial devices could
appear."
Bostock announced National O&P Awareness Week to begin in
2004. The Academy has not named a specific week, preferring to
allow local practitioners to tie the week in with related existing
events in their area, such as Disability Awareness Month, National
Rehabilitation Week, and National Job Shadowing Day. Materials for
the special week include a poster, career brochures, instructions
on how practitioners can participate in the week, sample
activities, and tips on involving students from local high schools.
Career and other information also is included on a website, www.opcareers.org
Sessions Stimulate Thought
The meeting featured an abundance of symposia, instructional
courses, professional development sessions, technical workshops,
free papers, and a dynamic technician program on Saturday. "Society
Select" presentations were developed by the Academy societies to
focus on current issues relating to their areas of interest. Also
presented were certificate modules which compose the Certificate
Programs for Professional Development leading to becoming a Fellow
of the Academy. Twenty-eight Fellows were inducted at this year's
meeting.
"Business Management Versus Patient Management," a provocative
session chaired by Dennis Clark, CPO, examined a series of
scenarios involving difficult decisions. The audience voted on
their choices of possible decisions, which also were discussed by a
panel composed of David Schultz, CPO; Terry Supan, CPO, FAAOP; and
Steven Whiteside, CO, FAAOP. Lively discussions resulted.
Modern body-powered technology provides numerous options for
persons with hand and arm loss, noted Robert Radocy in an
Upper-Limb Society Select session.
The Carlyle formula and other body proportion guidelines useful
in designing prosthetic and orthotic devices have developed from
both artists and engineers, according to a free paper by Gerald E.
Stark Jr., BSME, CP, FAAOP. The artist uses aesthetically
acceptable guidelines, while the engineer uses anthropometrics, the
study of human dimensions, to create devices for human use. Stark
pointed out that both have their value when creating devices, such
as prostheses, that must function, yet remain appealing with the
human form.
With deep regrets, Judy, Marti and I were not able to attend
this year's conference due to the "worst blizzard Colorado's seen
in 90 years!" Who expected we'd get over three feet of snow or that
the airport would be closed for two days? We missed all of you. We
look forward to seeing you at other meetings throughout the
year!
Tonja Randolph, president, Western Media LLC. 
Table Of Contents - May 2003
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