In this episode of O&P Rising, host Kayla Wicks, CPO, MSOP, LPO, welcomes Katherine Davis, CPO, of Cornerstone Prosthetics & Orthotics, to explore veterinary orthotics and prosthetics as a unique career path within the O&P profession. Davis shares how her early work in veterinary ophthalmology and exposure to animal prosthetics ultimately led her to human O&P before bringing her career full circle by treating animal patients alongside a rehabilitation veterinarian. She discusses how many of the same clinical skills, materials and fabrication techniques used with human patients translate to veterinary care, as well as the unique challenges of evaluating patients who can’t communicate what they’re feeling. The conversation also explores common diagnoses, cost and access barriers, collaboration with veterinarians and pet owners, and opportunities to strengthen the field through shared knowledge, professional resources, potential credentialing and volunteer efforts that could make veterinary O&P care more accessible.

O&P Rising is produced by Association Briefings.

In this episode of O&P Rising, recorded live at the 52nd Academy Annual Meeting in Nashville, guest host Emily Dinelli, PhD, MPO, CPO, a research assistant with the Center for Rehabilitation Outcomes Research at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, welcomes Fanny Schultea, MS, MSEd, CPO, LP, FAAOP(D), executive director of the Live in Motion Foundation, and Graci Finco, PhD, CPO, assistant professor in the Department of Kinesiology at Texas Christian University, for a conversation about defining and improving healthcare quality in orthotics and prosthetics. They explore AHRQ’s six domains of quality, including safety, timeliness, effectiveness, efficiency, equity and patient centeredness, and explain why quality extends beyond outcome measures and is increasingly important as healthcare moves toward value-based care. The conversation highlights the role patients, clinicians, researchers, educators, manufacturers and other stakeholders play in advancing quality, as well as how clinics can make better use of the data they already collect to drive continuous improvement and address inequities. Schultea and Finco also discuss the return on investment of quality initiatives, why practices can start small by focusing on a single measure or domain, and opportunities for O&P professionals to pursue formal training in healthcare quality through fellowship funding from the Live in Motion Foundation.

O&P Rising is produced by Association Briefings.

In this episode of O&P Rising, recorded live at the 52nd Academy Annual Meeting in Nashville, guest host Abbey Stepnitz, CO, a certified orthotist and board-eligible prosthetist at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, welcomes John T. Brinkmann, CPO/L, FAAOP(D), associate professor at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, and David Speers, CPO, instructor at the Northwestern University Prosthetics-Orthotics Center, to discuss preparing the next generation of O&P clinicians. They explore the transition from classroom to residency, the evolving role of mentorship, and strategies for helping residents build confidence, clinical judgment, and lifelong learning skills. The conversation also examines how research, outcomes, structured feedback, and reflective practice are shaping O&P education and preparing new clinicians for independent practice.

O&P Rising is produced by Association Briefings.