Month: June 2012

A group of lower-limb amputees gathered recently at the University of California, San Francisco’s Mission Bay campus to participate in the Amputee Comprehensive Training program at the Orthopaedic Institute. The day-long program uses boot-camp style conditioning exercises, training and conditioning…

The National Commission for Certifying Agencies reaccredited the Board of Certification/Accreditation International’s orthotist, prosthetist, orthotic fitter and mastectomy fitter certification programs through 2016. The National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA) reviewed programs and procedures, skill sets, assessment methods and statistical…

Stony Brook University, in collaboration with NextStep Fitness, announced plans to build the NextStep Fitness Center at Stony Brook Medicine, the first fitness and wellness facility in New York state for people with paralysis and spinal cord injuries. Plans for…

Hanger Orthopedic Group, Inc. announced its company name has been changed to Hanger, Inc, after approval by the company’s stockholders at the company’s annual meeting of stockholders on May 10, according to a press release. The change comes after more…

The House of Representatives passed a bill repealing a 2.3% excise tax for medical devices, which would be levied on manufacturers and importers of surgical tools, artificial hips and knees, coronary devices and X-ray machines. The Congressional Joint Committee on…

Helen Huang, PhD, assistant professor of biomedical engineering at the University of Rhode Island, received a $520,000 grant to investigate and quantify the interactive effects between lower limb amputees and powered prostheses, according to a press release. Currently, Huang is…

The Department of Veterans Affairs has implemented the Amputee Coalition’s Amputee Resilience Program to improve and enhance the recovery and readjustment of more than 41,000 veterans with limb loss. The program is being implemented throughout the VA’s Amputation System of…

Michael Estrada, executive vice president of new business initiatives of Thorlo, Inc., has been appointed to serve a 3-year term on the Amputee Coalition’s board of directors, according to a press release. “I am thrilled to be elected to the…

The Orthotics and Prosthetics Center at the University of Michigan underwent $1.2 million in renovations, coinciding with the university’s centennial anniversary, according to a press release. Over the last 5 years outpatient visits have increased 32%; currently the center sees…

Two recent hearings of the House and Veterans Affairs committee addressed prosthetic procurement and an audit of outside contractors that provide prosthetic services to the Department of Veterans Affairs. In a prepared video statement, Peter W. Thomas, general counsel for…