In Memoriam: Sidney Fishman PhD
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As regular readers of this Corner learned from last month's comments, Dr. Sidney Fishman passed away early in February following a short illness. One of his most notable accomplishments was the inauguration of the world's first baccalaureate level program in prosthetics and orthotics, at New York University, which he directed for many decades. He was also very active on the international scene, particularly in Latin America, where he helped to establish a P&O school in the Dominican Republic.
Following his retirement, Dr. Fishman continued to be involved in the affairs of the profession in a variety of ways, including development of the concept of using hypobaric seals for suspension of prostheses. In recent years, Sid became a vocal advocate for raising the level of academic education for the prosthetist-orthotist, arguing that it is now time to move to a graduate degree program.
Many of today's influential clinicians are graduates of NYU and former students of Dr. Fishman. And, a number of his publications are classic papers containing valuable insights that are very relevant to today's patients. The accomplishments of his students and the insights from his research are one portion of his lasting legacy. Sid Fishman made a tremendous contribution to the field of orthotics and prosthetics, and his infectious grin and detailed arguments in support of his viewpoints will be sorely missed.
You can read more about Dr. Fishman in the tribute article by Academy President David Moretto.