ACPOC Webinar Series

Join ACPOC for webinars featuring monthly topics in orthotics and prosthetics. Stay tuned for more information on upcoming webinars.

Registration is free for ACPOC Members and $50 for Non-Members

Past Webinars

ACPOC Members can view Past Webinar Recordings on our members-only page

So Every BODY Can Move: A National Mobility Movement

April 17th, 2024, 7:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada)

Presented By: Nicole Ver Kuilen & Sam Miller, MPA

Learning Objectives:

• Learn how physical inactivity is the fastest growing public health problem in the country today (the 2022 U.S. Report Card on Physical Activity received a grade of “F” for children and youth with disabilities!).
• Learn how children and adults with limb loss, limb difference, and mobility impairment are currently limited by outdated health insurance policies that deem O&P care for physical activity as “not medically necessary.”
• Learn about a new state-based policy initiative, So Every BODY Can Move, that is sweeping the nation in an attempt to address this public health problem. And how YOU can get involved as an advocate in your state!
• Learn about charitable organizations and grants you can connect your patients with limb loss and limb difference with to get their O&P physical activity needs met now.

Mentorship and Sponsorship in Healthcare Training Programs

March 20th, 2024, 7:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada)

Presented By: Manasa Ayyala, MD 

Dr. Ayyala earned her MD from Temple University School of Medicine and completed her residency training in Internal Medicine at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. Following residency training, she completed a General Internal Medicine Fellowship in Medical Education at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. During this fellowship, she completed formal longitudinal coursework through the Johns Hopkins Faculty Development Program in both curriculum development and teaching skills.

Dr. Ayyala joined the faculty in the Department of Medicine, Division of General Internal Medicine at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School in 2017 and leads curriculum development and implementation efforts around unconscious bias, microaggressions, and structural racism in the health equity and social justice longitudinal thread for clerkship students. Her work in curriculum development around topics of health equity and social justice has been presented regionally and nationally and published in peer-reviewed journals including Medical Teacher and The Journal of General Internal Medicine. Dr. Ayyala is committed to promoting physician wellness, health equity, and humanism in medicine. She has experience in physician wellness research and peer-support interventions spanning the learning continuum from undergraduate medical education to faculty wellness. She currently serves as faculty vitality champion representing the Department of Medicine in the Rutgers New Jersey Medical School Faculty Vitality Taskforce and Chair for the Department of Medicine Wellness Committee. 

In September 2020, she was appointed as Director of the Healthcare Foundation Center for Humanism and Medicine at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School. The Center, founded in 2004 with a grant from the Healthcare Foundation of New Jersey, promotes dignity and respect for the individual, commitment to the relief of suffering, and the delivery of care that is kind, just, and humble.

Dr. Ayyala is Board Certified in Internal Medicine and practices general internal medicine in the primary care clinic at University Hospital Ambulatory Care Center and attends on the general medicine wards at University Hospital.

Psychosocial Considerations for Children with Limb Differences and their Families during and after the Global Pandemic

February 21st, 2024, 7:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada)

Presented By: Phoebe Scott-Wyard, DO, OT & Vivian Yip, OTD, MA, OTR/L

Dr. Phoebe Scott-Wyard is a pediatric rehabilitation medicine physician at Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego and an associate professor at UC San Diego School of Medicine. She is double board-certified in pediatrics and physical medicine & rehabilitation.

Originally from Maine, Dr. Scott-Wyard completed her undergraduate degree in behavioral biology at Johns Hopkins University before attending medical school at Western University of Health Sciences. She completed a combined residency in pediatrics and physical medicine & rehabilitation at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center and University of Cincinnati. She served two years as a Peace Corps volunteer in Ecuador and is fluent in Spanish.

Dr. Scott-Wyard is especially interested in treating children with limb differences. Before coming to Rady Children’s, she served as the medical director of the Child Amputee Prosthetics Project clinic at Shriners Hospital in Los Angeles for six years. She is also the vice-president of the Association of Children’s Prosthetic and Orthotic Clinics. She has served as a volunteer for Camp No Limits, Challenged Athlete’s Foundation, and Angel City Games.

Vivian Yip OTD, MA, OTR/L has worked with children with limb differences since 2006. She worked as an occupational therapist with a comprehensive clinical team to provide care to children with limb differences at the former Child Amputee Prosthetics Project at Shriners Hospitals for Children- Los Angeles. She is also an OT at UCLA- Orthopedic Hospital. Vivian has presented various topics pertaining to pediatric limb difference and prosthetics for the Association of Children’s Prosthetic and Orthotic Clinics (ACPOC), Myoelectric Control Symposium (MEC), Skills for Life (SFL), American Occupational Therapy Association(AOTA), Occupational Therapy Association of California(OTAC).

She is a clinical instructor and invited guest lecturer for various MOT programs in Southern California. She is currently on the Board of Directors for ACPOC. Completion of her doctorate included qualitative research of individuals with congenital limb loss and their relationship with their prosthesis. She has various publications including co-authored chapters in the Atlas of Amputation and Limb Deficiencies. She has regularly volunteered with Camp No Limits (for children with limb loss) and is on their IDEA committee.

Clinical Case Forum

January 17th, 2024, 7:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada)

Presented By: Jorge Fabregas, MD & Corey Gill, MD/MA

Dr. Fabregas is Residency Director at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. He is a past president of the Association of Children’s Prosthetics and Orthotics Clinics, and serves as a Board Member of the Georgia Pediatric Neuromuscular Care Committee. He is also co-director of the Limb Difference Program at CHOA

Dr. Fabregas’ ongoing research focuses on pathologic fractures following osteomyelitis and optimizing the function of physician extenders in the office setting. His professional interests include spinal deformity, tumors, trauma, limb deficiency and cerebral palsy. He is a native Spanish speaker and returns to his homeland of Puerto Rice twice a year to provide care to underprivileged children.

Corey S. Gill, MD/MA, is a Pediatric Orthopaedic Surgeon at the Scottish Rite Hospital for Children and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pediatric Orthopaedic Surgery at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, Texas.  He completed undergraduate education at the University of Georgia, followed by medical school and orthopaedic residency at Washington University in St. Louis.  He completed a Fellowship in Pediatric Orthopaedic Surgery at the Scottish Rite Hospital for Children, and worked as the Medical Director of Pediatric Orthopedics at Medical City Children’s Hospital Dallas prior to his current position at Scottish Rite Hospital.  Dr. Gill is a Fellow of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) and is an Active Member of the Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America (POSNA). As a POSNA member, he has severed on the Pediatric Orthopaedic Global Outreach (POGO) Committee.

Clinically, Dr. Gill treats patients with a variety of congenital and acquired pediatric orthopaedic conditions such as musculoskeletal trauma, hip dysplasia, and clubfoot. He has a particular interest in treatment of children with lower limb differences who have undergone limb ablation surgery and/or utilize prosthetic devices.

Non-Operative Treatment of Idiopathic Scoliosis

November 15th, 2023, 7:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada)

Presented By: C. Leigh Davis, MSPO, CPO, FAAOP 

Leigh Davis, CPO is an orthotist/prosthetist at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.  After receiving a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Auburn University, she attended the Georgia Institute of Technology for her Masters in Prosthetics & Orthotics.  Following graduation, she completed her orthotics residency at the University of Michigan and her prosthetics residency at Atlantic Prosthetics & Orthotics in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. 

Leigh served as an American Academy of Orthotists & Prosthetists Board Member from 2012-2020 including serving as President 2018-2019.  She is also a member of the Academy’s Stace of the Science Program committee, the Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Panel, and a founding member of the Women in Orthotics and Prosthetics Committee.  She is the co-chair of the Academy’s Guideline Development Group writing a clinical practice guideline for Orthotic Treatment of Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis. 

Leigh’s clinical interests are in pediatric orthotics, particularly orthotic treatment of scoliosis.

Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her husband and three children.  Her hobbies include running, cycling, and outdoor activities. 

Lower Limb Kinematics and Kinetics of Normal Gait

October 18th, 2023, 7:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada)

Presented By: Robert Lipschutz, CPO 

Robert is an assistant professor in physical medicine and rehabilitation at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine. He has been an instructor of Prosthetics and Orthotics since 1993, beginning at the Newington Certificate Program in Orthotics and Prosthetics and currently at the Northwestern University Prosthetics-Orthotics Center. For several years, Robert was involved in research in the Center for Bionic Medicine and had returned to clinical practice in 2013.

Robert is highly involved in the Association of Children’s Prosthetics-Orthotics Clinics (ACPOC). He had been the Program Chair of the Annual Meetings for several years, Vice President and President of the association, and remains on the Board of Directors of ACPOC.

Prostheses for Running

Presented on September 20th, 2023, 7:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada)

Presented By: David Rotter, CP 

David is fully versed in every aspect of prosthetics. He specializes in solving challenging cases, including hip disarticulation, hemipelvectomy, upper-extremity, congenital limb deficiencies such as PFFD, and multiple limb involved patients for children, adolescents, and adults. He has come up with out of the box solutions, such as creating custom sled buckets for the US Paralympic Sled Hockey Team.

​After 20 years serving as a Chief Clinical Prosthetist for a highly reputable private company in Chicago,  David decided to start his own company. David Rotter Prosthetics is committed to creating an intimate environment and experience for his clients.

Idiopathic Toe Walkers: They Aren’t All the Same

Presented on July 19th, 2023, 7:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada)

Presented By: Jessica Hovestol, CO

Function in Orthotics and Alternative Outcomes

Presented on August 16th, 2023, 7:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada)

Presented By: Bryan Malas, MHPE, CO