KENNESAW, Ga. | Feb 27, 2025
Second-year MSPO student Jen Self earned the Student Research Award, and recent graduates Joyc鈥檒ynne Williams and Brianna 鈥淭aylor鈥 Beard were named Residents of the Year. The three were among a nationwide pool of applicants.
鈥淭hese accolades highlight the exceptional commitment of our students to advancing the field of orthotics and prosthetics research,鈥 said Adrienne Hill, MSPO director and clinical assistant professor of prosthetics and orthotics in KSU鈥檚 Wellstar College of Health and Human Services. 鈥淭he event was a platform to celebrate KSU鈥檚 rising stars and the outstanding support from our faculty.鈥
Self鈥檚 project involved comparing the efficacy of a novel low-profile prosthetic foot with other conventional low-profile feet while walking up a slope. She studied prototypes produced by Little Room Innovations, an Atlanta-based company that creates artificial limbs (prostheses) and corrective braces (orthoses), and works with KSU鈥檚 MSPO program. The unique design helped research subjects walk up the slope through its superior dorsiflexion.
鈥淥ur results showed that four out of the six subjects had a statistically significant greater peak dorsiflexion during slope ascent with Little Room Innovation鈥檚 prototype,鈥 Self said. 鈥淭his shows that this novel low-profile foot could be a potential option for clinical use in the future when having a reduced build height is a determining factor.鈥
Williams and Beard joined forces on a study of the effects of birth order on infant crawling, which earned them their honors. They graduated from KSU鈥檚 MSPO program in 2024, and each now works as a resident at Hanger Clinics鈥擝eard works at the clinic in Wilmington, North Carolina, and Williams works in Houston, Texas.
Self, who earned a bachelor鈥檚 in exercise science from KSU in 2022, expects to graduate in Spring 2025, and hopes to work in prosthetics鈥攄evices that replace the function of a missing limb. The experience with Hanger Live will put her in a good position for a strong residency next year and a long, rewarding career after that.
鈥淢y experience at 快猫成版视频 State in the MSPO program has been incredible,鈥 she said. 鈥淚've got to meet so many different clinicians and innovators in this amazing field. This career will forever be a rewarding experience because we are given the opportunity to make a positive impact in the lives of our patients.鈥
鈥 Story by Dave Shelles
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A leader in innovative teaching and learning, 快猫成版视频 offers undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degrees to its more than 47,000 students. 快猫成版视频 State is a member of the University System of Georgia with 11 academic colleges. The university’s vibrant campus culture, diverse population, strong global ties, and entrepreneurial spirit draw students from throughout the country and the world. 快猫成版视频 State is a Carnegie-designated doctoral research institution (R2), placing it among an elite group of only 8 percent of U.S. colleges and universities with an R1 or R2 status. For more information, visit kennesaw.edu.