Keynote Speaker

Ed Lemaire

Professor Edward Lemaire received a PhD in Bioengineering from the University of Strathclyde (Glasgow) and MSc in Biomechanics from the University of Ottawa. In addition to academic appointments in the uOttawa Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Dr. Lemaire is a member of the Ottawa-Carleton Institute for Computer Science and the Ottawa-Carleton Institute for Biomedical Engineering, and he is President-Elect of the International Society for Prosthetics and Orthotics (ISPO). His research focuses on applying asssitive and mHealth technology to improve mobility for people with physical disabilities.

Invited Speakers

Matthew Major

Dr. Matthew J Major, PhD, is an Assistant Professor at Northwestern University and a Research Health Scientist at the Jesse Brown VA Medical Center in Chicago IL. He is a faculty member of the Northwestern University Prosthetics-Orthotics Center where he instructs for the Master’s in Prosthetics and Orthotics clinical education program and manages the NUPOC Prosthetics and Orthotics Rehabilitation Technology Assessment Laboratory (PORTAL). Dr. Major’s research focuses on the design and optimization of rehabilitation interventions to enhance mobility of individuals with musculoskeletal and neurological pathology. He serves on the Editorial Board for the Journal of Prosthetics & Orthotics and the Research Committee of the Orthotic and Prosthetic Education and Research Foundation.

Stephanie Fatone

Dr. Stefania Fatone is a Professor in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation in the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, Illinois USA. She completed her undergraduate degree in prosthetics and orthotics and her doctoral studies at La Trobe University in Australia. Dr. Fatone has nearly 20 years of experience conducting prosthetics and orthotics research and currently leads multiple research projects funded by federal agencies, professional organizations and industry. She also contributes to the Masters in Prosthetics and Orthotics program at the Northwestern University Prosthetics-Orthotics Center (NUPOC). Her research includes a broad range of qualitative, experimental and review studies in areas such as transfemoral prosthetic socket biomechanics and design, orthotic management of upper motor neuron lesions, and partial foot amputation. She has published more than 80 journal articles, book chapters, editorials, commentaries, and evidence notes and presents regularly at conferences nationally and internationally. Dr. Fatone is an honorary Member of the American Academy of Orthotists and Prosthetists and a recipient of the Academy’s distinguished Research Award. She is also co-Editor in Chief of Prosthetics and Orthotics International.

Jan Andrysek

Dr. Andrysek is a Senior Scientist at the Bloorview Research Institute of Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation hospital, Canada’s largest teaching hospital focused on paediatric disabilities. He is also an Associate Professor within the Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto. His research program focuses on the development and improvement of treatments and assistive technologies for children and adults with mobility impairments. Specific areas of study include prosthetic and orthotic limb control, bio sensing and biofeedback systems, and instruments to measure assistive-technology-facilitated mobility and physical activity in real-life environments. Current research is also focused on understanding the global need for prosthetic technology, and impact on mobility, physical function, and quality of life. He is the recipient of prestigious awards including the 2017 Ontario Profession Engineers Engineering Medal for Research and Development, Clifford Chadderton Award for Prosthetics and Orthotics Research, and first price at the 2015 Accessibility Innovation Showcase Tech Pitch Competition sponsored by the Government of Ontario. Dr. Andrysek is also the co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer at Legworks Inc., a social for-profit enterprise focused on improving prosthetic technologies and care for individuals with amputations worldwide.

Michael Payne

Dr. Payne is an Associate Professor in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Western University in London, Ontario. He completed his undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering at Queen’s University in 1996, followed by a Masters degree in Kinesiology at Western University in 1998. He completed his undergraduate medicine degree at Western University in 2002, followed by residency training in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the University of Ottawa in 2007. Dr. Payne then completed a one year fellowship in clinical neurophysiology and general rehabilitation in Sydney, Australia. Dr. Payne is the Medical Director of the Regional Amputee Rehabilitation Program and runs the Regional Orthotics Clinic, a consultant physiatrist for St. Joseph’s Health Care’s Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation Program at Parkwood Hospital, and a Clinical Electromyographer certified by the Canadian Society of Clinical Neurophysiologists. Dr. Payne is a past President of the Canadian Association of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and has held executive positions with the Canadian Physiatrists’ Research and Development Fund, and the Ontario Association for Amputee Care.

Robert Gregg

Robert D. Gregg IV received the B.S. degree in electrical engineering and computer sciences from the University of California, Berkeley in 2006 and the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in electrical and computer engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2007 and 2010, respectively. He joined the Departments of Bioengineering and Mechanical Engineering at the University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) as an Assistant Professor in June 2013 with an adjunct appointment at the UT Southwestern Medical Center. Prior to joining UTD, he was a Research Scientist at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago and a Postdoctoral Fellow at Northwestern University. Dr. Gregg directs the Locomotor Control Systems Laboratory, which conducts research on the control mechanisms of bipedal locomotion with applications to wearable and autonomous robots. He is a recipient of the Eugene McDermott Endowed Professorship, NSF CAREER Award, NIH Director’s New Innovator Award, and Burroughs Wellcome Fund Career Award at the Scientific Interface. Dr. Gregg is a Senior Member of the IEEE.