COPA Fall Symposium 2021
SCHEDULE OF EVENT
ABC 10.5 CEUs: 6.25 SCIENTIFIC; 4:25 BUSINESS
BOC 11.5 CEUs: 7.5 SCIENTIFIC; 4 BUSINESS
THIS EVENT HAS PASSED. WE THANK ALL OUR ATTENDEES, EXHIBITORS, AND SPEAKERS!
Attendees will be contacted for your accreditions. Should you have issues, please call the COPA office at (626) 244-2696 or email to: admin@californiaoandp.com
COPA Fall Symposium 2021
SPEAKERS
CHELSEA WELCH, Certi fied Orthotist
Southwest Education Outreach Specialist, Naked Prosthetics
A certifi ed orthotist, Chelsea Welch earned her bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology from San Diego State University and her master’s in Orthotics and Prosthetics from Loma Linda University. She has worked in the Southern California O&P space since then, eventually following her passion for education and positively a ecting patient outcomes to an Education Outreach Specialist role with Naked Prosthetics.
THOMAS KAROLEWSKI, MA, CP/L, Orthotist, FAAOP
Doctoral Candidate at Concordia University Chicago/ NCOPE
Thomas Karolewski, MA, CP, FAAOP is the chair of the NCOPE Board of Directors. Tom brings over three decades of clinical and educational experience having served in multiple leadership roles including the Director of Prosthetic Education at Northwestern University and the Supervisor of the Hines VA P&O department. Tom continues to grow as a professional and is currently working toward the completion of his dissertation in education at Concordia University Chicago. Tom resides in the city of Chicago with his wife, Lori.
ASHLIE WHITE, MA
Director of Strategic Alliances, American Orthotic and Prosthetic Association (AOPA)
Ashlie White, MA, is the Director of Strategic Alliances for the American Orthotic and Prosthetic Association. Prior to joining AOPA, she served as the Director of Operations for Beacon Prosthetics and Orthotics. She served eight years as the Director of Government Affairs for the North Carolina Orthotics and Prosthetics Trade Association (NCOPTA), and four years on the Board of Directors for the National Association for the Advancement of Orthotics and Prosthetics (NAAOP). Ms. White holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and Mass Communication and a Master’s Degree in Digital Communication from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
TRES WRIGHT, CP
Clinical Director, Medical Creations
Tres has 20 years of experience in the prosthetics industry. Tres earned his undergraduate degree from Texas Tech University and attended California State University Dominguez Hills for prosthetics. He currently applies his lifelong passion for prosthetics to innovating prosthetic socket design as the Clinical Director of Medical Creations.
PAMELA HALE, CPO
Clinical Consultant, Becker Orthopedic
Pam Hale graduated from UT Southwestern in 1994 and has a variety of experience in patient care, clinic management, clinical education, work comp, and compliance within the O&P industry. Currently, Pam provides consulting services to Becker Orthopedic to provide clinical expertise in lower extremity orthotic applications such as Stance Control KAFOs and Triple Action Ankle Joint applications.
AMBROSE CAVEGN
Director of O&P Technician Program at Spokane Falls Community College
Ambrose graduated from SFCC in 2009 with an AAS degree in O&P Technology. Since then, he has worked around the United States at several nationally renowned rehabilitation centers, including The Center for the Intrepid at Brooke Army Medical Center, the Washington DC VA Medical Center, Walter Reed Army Medical Center, and MedStar National Rehabilitation Hospital. Ambrose has been a Certified Technician of Orthotics and Prosthetics since 2010, a Certified Prosthetic Assistant since 2012, and he became a Certified Prosthetist with the BOC in 2016. He has been teaching Prosthetic Technology since 2017 and last year became the Program Director. Ambrose earned his Bachelor of Applied Science Degree in Professional Technical Education and Instructional Design from South Seattle College in 2019.
JILL NEUVIRTH
President, Monetek, LLC
Jill is President and Co-Founder of Monetek a boutique firm that provides R&D tax credit consulting services to the O&P industry. She is also a transfemoral amputee of 36 years, bringing unique expertise and experience to this area of tax.
LINDA COLLINS
Director, Össur & COPA Board Member
Linda Collins is the Director of Reimbursement Strategy at Össur. In that role, she develops and delivers programs and services related to coding, coverage, and reimbursement to O&P practitioners. She also is one of the founders and authors of Össur’s R&R, Reimbursement and Regulatory Bulletin. She currently serves on the board for the California Orthotic and Prosthetic Association and is the Chair of the Reimbursement Committee. Linda received her undergraduate degree from the University of Iowa and her Master’s from Arizona State University.
AARON NAFT
Global Director of Sales and Marketing, Comb O&P
Aaron uses years of O&P experience to help practitioners around the world identify and understand the value of implementing 3D scanning into their clinic.
WILLIAM COX, CPO
Director of Clinical Education, Thuasne USA/Townsend Design
William is an ABC certi ed prosthetist orthotist with 13 years of clinical experience. He holds post-bachelor certi ficates in online education and digital branding. William has worked as a product manager, clinical educator, and is the co-creator of the Thuasne USA Academy. William is passionate about education and developing creative learning strategies to help practitioners improve their outcomes with advanced composite solutions.
ANTHONY RYSTAD, CPO
Director of Education, WillowWood
Anthony is the Director of Education at WillowWood. He earned degrees from UCLA in Neuroscience and Physiological Sciences. He’s a clinician with signi ficant crossover into research, education, product development, and marketing. He was a full-time lecturer and faculty at California State University Masters O&P Program. Anthony served on NCOPE committees for residency and program accreditation. He’s also led start ups with LIM Innovations and Amparo to globally introduce modular socket innovation.
MAHESH MANSUKHANI
CEO, WillowWood
Mahesh brings over 25 years of experience in Health Care, Industrials and Management Consulting. He held the position as President of Össur (reporting to CEO), the #2 global Orthotics and Prosthetics medical device manufacturer for nearly 5 years, where he grew the bracing and prosthetics businesses consistently 3-4 times the market in that time. At Össur, Mahesh’s accomplishments include successfully convincing Medicare’s granting of two new L-codes for a micro-processor ankle (Proprio Foot) and Power Knee, acquiring and integrating 10 US acquisitions, and overhauling the marketing and sales functions in the US. Mahesh also served on the boards of the American Orthotic and Prosthetic Association (AOPA) and the Amputee Coalition of America, and currently serves as Vice President of the California Orthotics and Prosthetics Association (COPA).
SPENCER GREENE, MS, CPO
Regional Director, Central California, Hanger Clinic
Spencer Greene earned a Bachelor’s degree from UC Santa Barbara and a Master’s degree from the University of Colorado at Boulder. He pursued O&P at Northwestern University and entered the field in 2004. He was determined to make a positive impact on patients and those around him. Since entering the field, Spencer has grown from a resident to a CPO, to a Clinic Manager to an Area Clinic Manger to a Regional Director at Hanger Clinic. He is dedicated to using his knowledge and experience to empower O&P professionals to use a unified voice to improve the mobility and quality of life for patients in California. Spencer currently serves as President of the California Orthotics and Prosthetics Association (COPA).