Hansen and Fatone attend American Orthotic and Prosthetic Association (AOPA) National Assembly and associated events

September 15, 2008 -- Drs Andrew Hansen and Stefania Fatone attended the American Orthotic and Prosthetic Association National Assembly held in Chicago from September 10-13.  They attended sessions on topics including vacuum assisted suspension and balance confidence and fall risk in amputees.  On September 10, Dr Fatone attended a meeting of the Orthotic and Prosthetic Outcomes Initiative Steering Committee, which was held in conjunction with the National Assembly.
 
On the evening of September 11, a tour of NUPRL and RIC was conducted for participants who attended the National Assembly.  The same evening, a gala reception marked NUPOC's 50th anniversary.  On September 12, a reception in celebrated Otto Bock USA's 50th anniversary.
 
Gard invited speaker at the European Society of Movement Analysis for Adults and Children (ESMAC)

September 18, 2008 -- Steven A. Gard, PhD, was invited to speak at the 17th Annual Meeting of the European Society of Movement Analysis for Adults and Children (ESMAC), held in Antalya (Turkey) September 8 through 13.  Dr Gard presented “Does Quantitative Gait Analysis Provide Useful Information for Prosthetics Research and Development?”

NURERC Directors Attend JRRD Meeting

August 26, 2008 -- Steven A. Gard, Ph.D., Director, Prosthetics Research Laboratory and Rehabilitation, Engineering Research Program; Director, VA Chicago Motion Analysis Research Laboratory; Research Associate Professor, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Research Assistant Professor; Affiliated Faculty, Biomedical Engineering Department; and Dudley S. Childress, Ph.D., Director Emeritus of the Northwestern University Prosthetics Research Laboratory, attended the annual meeting of the Editorial Board of the Journal of Rehabilitation Research & Development (JRRD) on July 17, 2008 in Baltimore, MD.

Members of the JRRD Editorial Board met recently in Baltimore. From left to right are: Steven A. Gard, Ph.D., Robert J. Jaeger, Ph.D., Scientific Program Manager at VA, Dudley, S. Childress, Ph.D., Paul R. Meyer, Jr., M.D., and Elliot J. Roth, M.D. (Photograph courtesy of Robert J. Jaeger)

JRRD is a quarterly, peer-reviewed journal published by Veterans Affairs that is designed to inform clinicians and consumers about rehabilitation research and development. Research articles feature innovations, clinical application, and technology transfer that can help improve the lives of veterans and others living with a disability.
 
NURERC directors Dr. Gard and Dr. Childress have served on the Editorial Board of JRRD, respectively, from 2002 through the present, and from 1978 through the present. By serving on the editorial boards, NURERC directors contribute to excellence in prosthetics and orthotics research and development.

NURERC Represented at RESNA

August 25, 2008 -- Steven Gard, Ph.D., Stefania Fatone, Ph.D., and Kathy Waldera, M.S., attended the Rehabilitation Engineering Society of North America (RESNA) annual meeting on June 26-30, 2008 in Washington, D.C.
 
On June 27, RESNA hosted a "NIDRR RERC Capitol Hill Expo" that was supported by the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, the Office of Senator Michael B. Enzi (R-WY), and assisted by RESNA’s Disability Policy staff. Held in the Russell Senate Office Building, the RERC booths showcased their cutting edge research and development projects. As in past years, the Northwestern University Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center (NURERC) in Prosthetics and Orthotics is funded by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR). NURERC was one of more than a dozen RERC booths that offered Senators and their staff the opportunity to learn how RERCs improve the lives of individuals living with disabilities.
 
Immediately following the RESNA meeting, Dr. Gard and Dr. Fatone attended the NIDRR RERC Project Directors' Meeting that was held from July 1-2, 2008, also in Washington, D.C. This two-day event allowed RERC directors to share their research and broaden their knowledge regarding NIDRR.

NUPRL & RERP participates in Academy's Midwest Chapter Summer Meeting

August 5, 2008 -- Andrew Hansen, PhD, and graduate students, Brian Ruhe, MS, and Brett Johnson, MS, were invited to speak at the Midwest Chapter Meeting of the American Academy of Orthotists and Prosthetists held at Joliet Junior College, Joliet, IL on June 27-28, 2008.  Dr. Hansen's presentation was titled "Conceptual Design of an Ankle-Foot Prosthesis that Automatically Adapts to Ramped Walking Surfaces on the First Step."  Brian Ruhe presented some of his PhD thesis work on "Investigations of Standing Balance Efficiency on Level and Sloped Surfaces in Persons with Transfemoral Amputation" and Brett Johnson presented his Masters thesis research on "Gait Analysis of Reciprocating Gait Orthosis (RGO) Users."

Fatone presents at VA Workshop

April 1, 2008 -- Stefania Fatone, PhD, was an invited participant in the multi-disciplinary workshop “Current Clinical Concepts in Orthotic & Prosthetic Rehabilitation”, sponsored by the Veterans Health Administration Orthotics and Prosthetics Education Committee held on February 6-8, 2008 in San Pedro, CA.  Dr. Fatone gave two presentations:  “Functional Evaluation of Ankle Foot Orthoses in Adults with Post-Stroke Hemiplegia” and “Review of Principles and Clinical Implications of Roll-over Shape”.  The latter presentation was given on behalf of Dr. Andrew Hansen. 

NUPRL & RERP participates in Annual Academy Meeting

April 1, 2008 -- Drs Steven Gard, Andrew Hansen and Stefania Fatone, along with research engineer Katherine Waldera, MS, attended and participated in the Annual Meeting and Scientific Symposium of the American Academy of Orthotists and Prosthetists held in Orlando, FL from February 27 to March 1, 2008.  Overall seven presentations were made by NUPRL & RERP including free papers and invited presentations.