You might be surprised to see where Tampa falls on the list of some of the largest metro areas. Cost of living is a huge factor to consider when making decisions on where to attend school. Check out the article below and see for yourself why Tampa is a smart financial move!
Over the last several months, the International Institute of Orthotics and Prosthetics has been making serious changes in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now that our classes are transitioning from online to on-campus, we are excited to welcome students back once again. Policies and procedures described below will help all our students, faculty, patients, and visitors of IIOP to feel safe and protected.
• Upon initial entry to the building, we are asking all students and visitors to complete a questionnaire about recent travels and potential contact with the virus.
• All students, faculty, and visitors will undergo a contactless temperature check each morning upon entering the school.
• Hands will also be sanitized before advancing beyond this temperature check.
• Mandatory masks will be provided to students and faculty for DAILY use
. • Social distancing will be observed in classrooms, labs, and common areas.
• Niko Mahairas has been appointed Safety Officer to maintain the daily sanitation of the individual tools and machines in the lab, in addition to collecting temperatures daily and ensuring that students and faculty have their PPE.
• Twice daily sanitization of all common surfaces will occur in the mornings and afternoons.
• Ventilation in the lab areas has been increased to allow for better air evacuation.
• The plaster modification room has been expanded to ensure that social distancing can be enforced during cast modification.
• Outdoor seating has been added to give students more room to enjoy their breaks.
We hope that with these policies and the cooperation of our students and faculty, we can minimize the risk of transferring the virus, and keep everyone on the right path of achieving their educational and professional goals.
THANK YOU TO OUR STUDENTS AND STAFF FOR YOUR HARD WORK AND ADAPTATION!
Alan joined the faculty team at IIOP in October 2019. He is a Certified OrthotistProsthetist and Licensed in the State of Florida. His received his undergraduate degree from the Ohio State University and his Orthotics & Prosthetics degree from New York University. While attending NYU he trained at the V.A. in Manhattan, and upon graduation he was offered a position with RGP Orthotics & Prosthetics in San Diego. In 1980 he relocated to Florida and took a position with Florida Brace & Limb in Tampa before opening his own business, Suncoast Orthotics & Prosthetics, Inc. in Sarasota in 1981.
Eventually Suncoast Orthotics & Prosthetics expanded to include offices in Bradenton, Venice, Englewood and Port Charlotte. His business was acquired by the Hanger Clinic in 2013. He remained on staff with Hanger until 2019 when he retired. Alan served with the American Board for Certification in Orthotics & Prosthetics as an examiner and as Chairman of the Exam Development Committee. He was a member of the Florida Association of Orthotists and Prosthetists and served as Chairman of the Committee to seek licensure in the State of Florida.
Alan has now completed his first semester at IIOP and is very excited to continue this new chapter in his life. He and his wife have two grown children. He enjoys remaining active and hobbies include vegetable gardening, rowing, cooking (and eating great food) and traveling.
U.S. Navy Veteran John Dusseau came a long way from Detroit, Michigan to Tampa, Florida to represent his team at the Department of Defense’s Warrior Games. His specialty: shooting. What he didn’t expect was to return home with a pair of custom-designed silicone pads, stacked and sewn, to fill a void in his backside where a large portion of his glute muscles were removed during a surgical repair. The loss of his musculature led to pain in discomfort during long periods of sitting, and the pelvic obliquity due to lack of support was causing low back pain. John tried to create his own support using rolled up towels and T-shirts, but they lacked the proper balance of softness and support. John was introduced to the IIOP team, and explained what he needed, and within thirty minutes, they were on the track of creating the custom devices John would soon love. It started with a Silicone distal end pad manufactured by Alps in St. Petersburg, Florida. The X-large pad is about 6” in diameter and 2.5” in depth, which perfectly contoured to the concavity on John’s backside. The silicone material is very skin-friendly and is sometimes used to soften scar tissue following surgery. Using 6- and 9-millimeter thick prosthetic liner material provided by Alps with a fabric backing, the layers were stacked and tested for an afternoon before being sewn together. Six months later we followed up with John, who said “the design and materials [used] forms to my surgery site and gives me the support needed… I do not go on a trip without it.” We asked him too if he needed another pair, but he says they “still look and feel like the day I got them,” which speaks to the durability of both the silicone distal end pad as well as the silicone liner material used. From
Restore POC is very proud to have achieved another milestone as they recently formalized their relationship with the International Institute of Orthotics and Prosthetics (IIOP) in Tampa, FL, opening their 22nd clinic within the educational building on the IIOPcampus. With the support of IIOP’sDirector, Arlene Gillis, they have worked together to create a sponsorship by Restore POC of the Institute, designed to further pre-licensure and post-licensure education of clinicians in ourindustry. Restore POC’s affiliation with IIOP means their clinicians now have access to the outstanding resources of the Institute including the ability to collaborate with their faculty on research and development concepts and practices to better our industry.
We are thrilled to be a part of the cutting-edgework and progressive thought and actions happening at the Institute for the furtherance of the industry through new methods and products designed to support our mission to Restore capabilities to those in need.Thank you to Arlene and the Institute for thisopportunity!” – Rebecca Irish Restore POC President &CEO
IIOP Director Arlene Gillis is very excited for the potential that the affiliation will provide for the Institute’s students. “This helps us create a valuable experience for student during both aspects of the NCOPE education: academic and residency. In addition, it gives current practitioners the chance to enhance their skills by working collaboratively with IIOP to enhance O&P outcomes and research” says Gillis. Arlene is sure to thank Rebecca Irish and her wonderful leadership team, who “saw the value in supporting our mission and helping support an innovative approach to enhancing O&P workforce and O&P education.
The Prosthetics and Orthotics industry is no stranger to multi-generational practices, with the descendants of practitioners taking part in the family business. Many Florida clinicians are familiar with Mid-Florida Prosthetics and Orthotics and the Bustamante name, or the Fredricks and their O&P operation named Rehab Engineering LLC. in South Georgia and North Florida. Our neighbors to the North have probably heard of the Millers of Ohio and West Virginia, and their innovative work with 3D printed sockets for their three-legged dog, Keating.
The International Institute of Orthotics and Prosthetics is proud to have members of all three of these O&P families enrolled in the Masters of Prosthetics and Orthotics (MPO) program. Alex Miller, James Fredrick, and Victor Bustamante have been exposed to the Orthotics and Prosthetics world from a very young age and are expected to graduate in 2021 with the rest of their talented cohort. We asked them what their plans are after graduation, as well as how they chose what O&P program to attend.
It is refreshing to hear the goals of these three students. When asked what they hoped to do after graduation they all has similar aspirations of working for, and potentially taking a leadership role in their family’s company. But is it enough to share a name with a successful Prosthetist or Orthotist to seamlessly fall into succession? Hand skills aren’t given at birth, but rather carefully learned and practiced. The intangible elements that make a great clinician, however, cannot always be taught but instead are a result of our upbringing. The curriculum at IIOP will provide plenty of opportunity to hone the hand skills of the next generation of practitioners, but it also emphasizes the essential functions that help a clinician build a strong relationship with the patient.
When making the decision of what school to attend, there are a lot of factors to consider. Alex Miller admitted “I toured another school, and this place, the facility, just blows everything out of the water that I’ve ever seen,” before adding “it’s going to kind of spoil us, I think.” IIOP is proud of it’s 40,000 square foot facility equipped with a 3D-printer, three-axis carver, and several 3D white-light scanners, but can assure its students will learn all the basics before being exposed to time-saving methods. The students all agreed that a large factor in their decision was the Institute’s devotion to Prosthetics and Orthotics, how everything is focused solely on O&P education, and it’s clear that it’s the main goal of IIOP.
Wadad Lahoud was born and raised in Houston, Texas, but her family is originally from Beirut, Lebanon. She graduated with a BS in mechanical engineering from the University of Houston. During her undergrad she had the opportunity to work with a nonprofit organization called eNABLE that 3D printed mechanical transradial arms for children with upper limb amputations. She later went on to work on two different 3D printed myoelectric arms, one of which won first place in a poster competition at A&M university. She is a huge advocate of Camp No Limits, a camp for children with limb differences and their families. She’s been volunteering with Camp No Limits since 2017 and plans to do so throughout her career as a student and a professional. She enjoys playing recreational sports like basketball, volleyball and ultimate frisbee. Wadad also enjoys photography, videography, and traveling in her free time. She particularly enjoyed visiting Jordan last year and exploring Petra and the Dead Sea.
Please see link below for the news release and a short video. :
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