AOPA is Pleased to Announce the 2020 Thranhardt Award Winners

Anton Johannesson, PhD, CPO, Caitlin Deom, PT, DPT, and John Frederick, CPO/L are recipients of the 2020 Howard R. Thranhardt Award. The Award, established in 1996 by a gift from J.E. Hanger in memory of Howard R. Thranhardt, CP, has become one of the most distinguished honors in the orthotics and prosthetics profession. The winners will present their research at the 2020 American Orthotic and Prosthetic Association Virtual National Assembly on September 10.

“These individuals represent the best in orthotic and prosthetic patient care and the American Orthotic and Prosthetic Association is proud to name them as 2020 Thranhardt Award winners,” said Jeff Lutz, CPO, President, American Orthotic and Prosthetic Association. “The Thranhardt Lectures are a highlight for National Assembly attendees. We look forward to hearing about their research and honoring them September.”

Johannesson will present Systematic Procedure in Lower Limb Amputation – The Scandinavian Approach. He currently serves as Clinical Manager of Prosthetics at Össur. He is also lead clinician in Prosthetics at Teamolmed in Sweden. He earned his PhD in orthopedics from University of Lund, Sweden and his research interests include lower limb amputation in patients with vascular disease.

Deom and Frederick will present High Intensity Gait Training for Stroke Patients: The Neuroplastic Principles Behind this Evidence-Based Treatment Modality, Comparison to Conventional Physical Therapy and Effect on Orthotic Management. Deom is a Therapy Manager at the Brain Innovation Center at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab where she manages an interdisciplinary team, orchestrates logistics surrounding delivery of patient care, works on various projects, and provides interventions to patients at the inpatient setting. Her clinical experience includes seven years of practice specializing in the management of stroke and brain injury patients. Fredrick is an ABC Certified and Illinois Licensed Orthotist-Prosthetist who provides orthotic care to inpatients at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab’s Flagship hospital. Practicing since 2005, he has expertise in spinal, lower extremity, and upper extremity orthotic management, specializing in Neuromuscular and Pediatric populations. He mentors Shirley Ryan AbilityLab Orthotic Residents as well as students from Northwestern University’s Prosthetic/Orthotic Center. He also provides educational in-services to physical and occupational therapists.

More information about the 2020 Virtual National Assembly is available at www.AOPAassembly.org.