KSU master’s program in prosthetics and orthotics impresses at annual conference
KENNESAW, Ga. | April 17, 2023
Kennesaw State University’s Master of Science in Prosthetics and Orthotics (MSPO) program recently earned top honors at the American Academy of Orthotists and Prosthetists
Annual Meeting and Scientific Symposium, sweeping all three poster presentation awards
at the conference.
The three winning projects included studies on new prosthetic foot design, use of a robotic exoskeleton following stroke, and the development of crawling in infants with limb loss. Those projects involved collaborations with Georgia Tech’s Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.
First Place — Crawling Kinetics in Children with Limb Loss (Mark Geil, Emma Stockwell, Sarah Grayson, Micah Poisal, Jill Cannoy, Colleen Coulter).
Second Place — Dual-Task Paradigms in Post-Stroke Individuals Using a Smart Hip Exoskeleton (Chase Ruarks, Adesua Ojeifoh, Emily Upton, Aaron Young, Kinsey Herrin).
Third Place — Biomechanical Evaluation of a Novel, Compliant Low-Profile Prosthetic Foot (Brian Lawson, Harrison Bartlett, Mark Geil. Capstone includes Eric Schulte, Megan Testement).
"The opportunity to network and gain insights into potential clinical and research tracks was invaluable for a student like myself,” MSPO student Chase Ruarks said. “Being able to connect with accomplished PhDs and observe their groundbreaking work has been instrumental in shaping my career aspirations. The experience has fueled my passion for not only treating patients but also conducting cutting-edge research in the field."
MSPO’s performance is especially noteworthy considering its inception came fewer than two years ago. The students who will graduate from the program in May represent the first cohort to complete the program.
Also impressive, however, is the fact that all 43 MSPO students were present at the conference.
“It was exactly what we had wanted to ensure that we do have a true culture here at KSU that I think will be sustained for years to come,” Associate Professor of Prosthetics and Orthotics Geza Kogler said. “The challenge we have, though, is that we’ve done that year one out of the gate, so now we have a lot of work to do to keep up with that.”
The structure of MSPO, which is housed within the Wellstar College of Health and Human Services, allows students to become familiar with the research process and requires them to produce a capstone project before graduating, emphasizing both clinical skills and research.
The desired result is that students will be able to decipher what research literature should be the foundation for their clinical practice once they become practitioners in the field.
“That’s the reason why we tend to do very well, because the students take those two years to learn how to do a proper poster presentation, how to do impromptu discussions of their work in a very concise way,” Kogler said. “By the time they graduate, they are semi-professional research scientist, at least from a student’s perspective.”
That component is one part of an approach that trains MSPO students to become well-rounded prosthetics and orthotics practitioners.
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“The experience has fueled my passion for not only treating patients but also conducting cutting-edge research in the field.”
In addition to conducting research, students must also craft custom-made orthotics and prosthetics equipment, an interdisciplinary fusion of engineering and medicinal disciplines.
“I always say that the program developed here at Kennesaw State brings clinical professional education together with technology and research,” MSPO Program Director Adrienne Hill said. “So, if you have a love for draw and design, engineering, or even physics or exercise science; but you always wanted to have an effect on healthcare, prosthetics and orthotics is the career path for you.”
MSPO students enter the program with diverse academic backgrounds but are unified by a passion for working with clinical populations.
That diversity in discipline is matched by the MSPO faculty’s varied experience, which ranges from academic expertise to clinical care.
“You’re talking about 100 years of combined experience in prosthetics and orthotics,” Hill said. “Our students are getting a well-rounded education of research with Dr. Kogler, fabrication with Scott French, senior lab coordinator; Laura Jones CP(L), Beth Petrunich CPO(L) and myself are coming in with that clinical care experience. In addition, I’m adding in the management and business experience. As this team was formed, it really hits every aspect of this career field.”
MSPO’s state-of-the-art clinical and technical facilities include a clinical lab, machine room, device assembly lab, physical assessment labs, clinical simulation labs, and biomechanics and motion analysis labs.
Additionally, KSU’s location provides MSPO students unique opportunities to visit prosthetics and orthotics suppliers such as Southern Prosthetics Supply in Alpharetta and Fillauer in Chattanooga.
“Just this week, Ottobock, one of the prosthetics suppliers, was able to come into class and allow each of the students to use the electrodes to open and close myoelectric prosthetic hands and open and close Electric Terminal Devices (ETD) and get a feel for highly involved prosthetics,” Hill said.
According to Hill, the MSPO program received more than 100 applications this past year.
The technology surrounding prosthetics and orthotics changes rapidly, and the MSPO program is working to be on the cutting-edge of those changes, carving out niches in lower-extremity orthotics, exoskeletal robotics, and sensor integration.
“Our goal is to be the regional center of excellence in prosthetics and orthotics in the Southeastern part of the U.S.,” Kogler said. “Not only as the top-performing master’s degree program, but also in regards to research.”
