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This Thursday morning session at the Academy’s Annual Meeting drew a standing-room crowd. Moderated by Steve Charry, MS, CPO, faculty member at the University of Hartford, the session explored sustainable models for international O&P care, emphasizing ethical engagement, collaboration, and innovation. The session centered on three organizations—Dreaming Working Together, Penta Medical Recycling, and The Limb Kind Foundation—each offering distinct but complementary approaches to expanding global access to prosthetic care.

 

Charry first shared the evolution of Dreaming Working Together, a nonprofit focused on building sustainable prosthetic services in Lima, Peru. Founded in 2005 as a grassroots effort, the organization initially focused on delivering care during short-term missions but quickly recognized the need for long-term partnership. “It’s very easy to jump on board and say, we’re going to see as many patients as we can… and then what happens when we leave?” he reflected.

 

That question reshaped their strategy toward year-round mentorship, telehealth consultations, and collaborative training with Peruvian clinicians. The group developed innovative fiberglass socket fabrication techniques using locally accessible materials. “We’re learning from them, they’re learning from us,” Charry explained, underscoring the bidirectional nature of sustainable outreach.

 

Mijamin Strong of Penta Medical Recycling then highlighted the global imbalance between prosthetic need and material waste. “Ninety percent of the people in the world who need prosthetic care simply do not have access,” she noted, pointing to World Health Organization estimates. Meanwhile, an estimated 300,000 limbs are discarded annually in the U.S.

 

Penta acts as what Strong called a “logistical bridge between the waste in the U.S. and the need all around the world,” collecting surplus and gently used components from over 900 donors and redistributing them to vetted international partners in 29 countries. Rather than shipping random supplies, Penta utilizes a request-based system that ensures clinicians receive exactly what their patients require.

 

Rob Schulman, CPO, founder of The Limb Kind Foundation, brought an energetic and personal perspective to the discussion. Inspired by volunteer work following the 2010 Haiti earthquake, Schulman described how witnessing unmet need transformed his career trajectory. “This trip changed my life,” he said of his early humanitarian experience.

 

Today, Limb Kind conducts annual pediatric-focused mission trips in multiple countries, fabricating 40–60 prostheses per visit using traditional lamination methods. Embracing what he humorously called a “MacGyver” mindset, Schulman described the ingenuity required when working in resource-limited settings: “When you’re in Kenya, Ethiopia… there is no option like that,” referencing the absence of easy supply-chain solutions common in U.S. practice.

 

Schulman also shared a forward-looking initiative integrating 3D printing through HP’s Multi Jet Fusion technology. In pilot projects across Kenya, Sri Lanka, and Zambia, digitally scanned sockets were designed and printed in the U.S., then delivered for fitting abroad. “The goal is that we want to be able to put these printers in country,” he explained, envisioning a self-sustaining model where local clinicians can produce sockets year-round.

 

This shift from episodic mission work toward infrastructure development echoed the broader theme of the session: innovation must be tied to long-term empowerment.

 

Throughout the discussion, one theme remained consistent—partnership. Whether through hospital alliances in Peru, component redistribution networks, or international training models, each organization emphasized collaboration as the foundation of meaningful humanitarian work.