Don Katz, CO, LO, FAAOP

The Orthotic and Prosthetic Education and Research Foundation (OPERF), Inc. is proud to announce that Don Katz, CO, LO, FAAOP, has been awarded the organization’s second Tamarack Prize for Outstanding Contributions to Orthotic Science and Practice.

Katz has been a certified orthotist for more than 25 years and is a Fellow of the American Academy of Orthotists and Prosthetists (AAOP). He served on the AAOP Board of Directors for nine years and was President from 2003 – 2004. He also served on the Executive Board for the Texas Chapter of the Academy for ten years.

After completing his residency at the Newington Children’s Hospital in Connecticut in 1986, Katz accepted a position at the Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children in Dallas where he has worked ever since. He currently serves on the hospital’s administrative staff, while maintaining a clinical practice within the Orthotics Department.

Katz has had a noteworthy and well-respected research career. His research into reciprocating gait orthoses and other lower limb orthoses, such as those used in the treatment of Blount’s disease, as well as more extensive investigations of spinal orthoses used in the treatment of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis has influenced multiple professions and helped to define standards for clinical practice in these areas.

He has authored or co-authored 12 publications in a wide range of respected, peer-reviewed scientific journals, including the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, Spine, the Journal of Pediatric Orthopaedics, and the Journal of Prosthetics and Orthotics. He is also a key contributor to one of our profession’s most respected texts, the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons’ Atlas of Orthoses and Assistive Devices.

He has received many honors, including the Thranhardt Lecture Award in 1997, 2000, and 2005 and was awarded the Academy’s prestigious Award for Research in 1997.

The Tamarack award comes with a $10,000 check which was presented to Katz by OPERF at the opening session of the Academy’s 37th Annual Meeting & Scientific Symposium on March 17, 2011, in Orlando.

The OPERF Tamarack Prize for Outstanding Contributions to Orthotic Science and Practice is awarded to an individual who has made a significant contribution to the practice and understanding of orthotic science within the last five years. Ideal candidates are those who have a history of clinical care, scientific research, and peer-reviewed publication in the orthotics profession and/or industry.

OPERF is a 501 (c) (3) not-for-profit Foundation established to raise the standards of education and research in the O&P profession and contributions made to OPERF are tax deductible to the full extent the law allows. To learn more about OPERF visit www.operf.org.

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