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Ronald F. Altman CPO(E): A Lifetime of Making a World of Difference
By Jodi Mills
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Ronald Altman, center, with October 2005 CSPO graduating class. |
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For some, it can take a lifetime to discover what
direction to take, which path to pursue. For others, circumstances
beyond themselves set wheels in motion and before they can ask why
or how, life takes them somewhere they never may have imagined.
Ronald F. Altman CPO(E) has experienced the latter.
Retired from private practice, his primary focus now is
overseeing and providing guidance for the clinical placement
students of the Cambodia School of Prosthetics and Orthotics (CSPO)
in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. A world away from his career as a
practitioner in the US, Altman truly has immersed himself in the
culture of Cambodia and its people. He describes his journey as
"each twist and turn, each up and down cycle along the way, was
designed to bring me to where I am now."
Throughout his illustrious career in O&P, Altman often has
worked with those less fortunate. He participated with Alan
Finnieston, CPO, in a prosthetic orthotic clinic Finnieston
established in Nassau in the Bahamas. In the early 1970s he was a
Peace Corps volunteer. This led Altman to help establish O&P
services in the South Pacific and the Fiji Islands. Some time
passed, and then Mel Stills, CO, rekindled Altman's interest in the
developing world, leading Altman to perform evaluations for USAID
in Africa and South East Asia and evaluating O&P programs
throughout the Third World. As retirement from the field of O&P
approached, a well-deserved break was warranted, but only a short
one.
 Not wanting her dad to let moss grow under his
feet, Altman's daughter Elizabeth Mansfield piqued his interest
with information about a teaching position in Cambodia at CSPO.
Mansfield has been involved in fundraising for "Adopt-a-Minefield"
for several years. The organization is one of the supporters of
Cambodia Trust, which in turn is the parent organization of CSPO.
Knowing of her parent's love for that country from their time spent
there in 1995 during Altman's participation in an ISPO conference,
Mansfield was fairly certain her dad would jump at the
opportunity--and he did.
Students arrive at CSPO from various countries in
Indochina--Afghanistan, Laos, Japan, Pakistan, Myanmar, North
Korea, Iraq, Georgia, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, and of course,
Cambodia. More than 50 percent of the population of Cambodia
itself is 20 years of age or younger. According to the World
Fact Book located at www.cia.gov, "The population (of young people)
lacks education and productive skills, particularly in the
poverty-ridden countryside, which suffers from an almost total lack
of basic infrastructure. Fully 75 percent of the population remains
engaged in subsistence farming."
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Pam Altman with a new group of students. |
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Given the environment many of these young people
have been born into and the lack of opportunity afforded them, it
is truly inspiring for Altman to have a role in assisting them to
become productive members of their society and the O&P
community in particular. These young people are helping to
establish an international O&P organization for their
neighborhood, their part of the world. This organization, OPEN
(Orthotists and Prosthetists of Emerging Nations) has great goals
on the horizon. A website and blog for O&P educational
organizations is under development that will connect 14 different
countries from Australia to Japan. The Strategic Alliance of
Prosthetic and Orthotic Schools (SAPOS) is another group that will
prove to be an important force.
Altman speaks with pride about those involved in the creation of
these groups and what they intend to accomplish, "We are working on
mechanisms for continuing education and professional development
for the graduates of CSPO. All of these efforts are to help those
involved in O&P--the educators, the practitioners--to become
full-fledged participants in the larger world of O&P, rather
than just recipients of outdated, preconceived notions of what is
appropriate as determined by those of us from the West." He
describes the whole process as a lot of fun. Why? It is giving him
an opportunity to learn and quench his thirst for knowledge right
alongside the young people he is teaching.
The support of Altman's family is amazing. In addition to his
daughter's input, his son James is responsible for the
implementation and development of the opoedh.org website.
An IT expert, he is working in the Academic Technology Office at
Northwestern University in addition to the endless hours
volunteered to help Altman bring opoedh.org to reality. In
Cambodia, Altman's wife Pam has been an invaluable partner at
CSPO. She facilitates a class for the female students called "The
Women's Well-Being Class." Given the lack of regard for women in
general in some of the countries where they reside, topics such as
self-esteem, health, and hygiene (AIDS being a rampant disease for
instance) are important focuses. The dormitory these students share
is hot and rather crowded so another feature of the class is
discussing relaxation techniques and giving the students a forum
for discussing personal concerns as well as cultural differences.
Pam beams, "I feel honored to have their trust."
In the field of O&P, Altman has garnered the respect and
admiration of his colleagues as he continuously involved himself in
all aspects of the field. During his more than 40-year tenure in
the profession, he has served as an examiner for the American Board
for Certification in Orthotics and Prosthetics. (ABC)
prosthetic/orthotic credentialing examinations, chair of the
National Examination Committee, a member of the board of directors
of ABC, president of ABC, and vice chair of NCOPE (National
Commission on Orthotic and Prosthetic Education). In 2005 Altman
was honored with the American Academy of Orthotists and
Prosthetists (the Academy) Clinical Commitment Award. The
description of this tribute says it all--it honors Academy members
who quietly have demonstrated a commitment to ABC's Canon of Ethics
and to improving the professional image of O&P to patients,
co-workers, and colleagues.
Altman's experience covers the entire spectrum as a patient,
researcher, employee, employer, supervisor, teacher, manager,
owner, and consultant. With all he has personally achieved, he
humbly gives credit for his pursuit of excellence to those that
came before him. In 1948 when he was nine years old he was run over
by a truck in Brooklyn, New York. That is the life-altering
incident that sparked his interest in prosthetics. There was no
such thing as a CPO at that time, but Earle Daniel, a prosthetic
specialist working with Howard Rusk, MD, had a huge influence on
his choice of career. Altman says with respect, "He openly pushed
me in this direction."
Sidney Fishman, PhD, was another mentor that in Altman's opinion
opened the door for O&P to become a true health profession by
establishing the very first university degree program in O&P at
New York University. Reflects Altman, "Although Fishman knew a
degree wasn't necessary for the application of O&P services as
they then existed, he felt a college degree was the barometer, the
measure of intellectual capacity required to raise O&P from
being an activity of artisans to that of a full-fledged health
profession." Another fine teacher and mentor, Hans Richard
Lehneis, PhD, CPO, inculcated the value of the highest standards
for patient services in those he influenced. It is apparent that
Altman absorbed what those surrounding him taught and allowed them
to influence his choices and work ethic as the years passed.
Altman's sense of humor is another notable quality. When asked
what two pieces of advice he would give to someone starting his'
own business he replied, tongue in cheek, "The first thing I'd tell
him is not to put his facility too close to any woman-owned
facility because she just may be the superior practitioner." The
second thing he would tell all practitioners is to get a very good
accountant. Also, make sure you are integrated with the
bioinformatics and bioengineering department of your
universities.
Altman sees an extraordinary future in which prosthetic/orthotic
specialists are accessing how bioinformatics are relevant to
O&P. He feels microelectronics will revolutionize O&P
technology. "All this will assuredly result in methods of
establishing or re-establishing levels of function not even dreamed
of in the 20th century," Altman states. He is concerned however,
that CPOs collectively do not have the ability to remain relevant
in a time of such incredible multifaceted technological
advances.
"It is, I think, absolutely out of the hands of the field of
O&P, as we know it, to control our own destiny." Altman
continues, "I believe that to be a direct consequence of our
failure to stay ahead of the curve in educational and credentialing
standards. But it does bode well for those who need these
services." He notes that in the Far East there are efforts to
integrate a variety of disciplines, including O&P, under a
rehab engineering core. The concept is based on the premise that
traditional education in O&P linked to conventional
"technology" will be obsolete in the very near future.
What is next for the Altman family? Considering the commitment
level both Altman and his wife feel toward CSPO, it would seem the
possibilities are endless. As long as there are students to teach
and patients to care for, there will be a strong desire on their
part to be involved and contribute as much as they possibly can to
the field of O&P. Their example should inspire and motivate
anyone and everyone who can do more to help others in whatever walk
of life they choose. 
Table Of Contents - April 2006
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