Shane Wurdeman
VP, Scientific Affairs
Background
Shane Wurdeman, PhD, CP, FAAOP(D) is the Vice President of Scientific Affairs within Hanger’s
Department of Clinical and Scientific Affairs. He entered the field of P&O as a technician. He then earned
his MS in P&O at Georgia Tech, followed by residencies in orthotics and prosthetics. After working in the
Shriner’s and VA systems, he went back to school to earn his PhD in Biomechanics. He more recently
returned to school to earn another MS degree with a focus in value based care through the University of
Texas business and medical school. Dr. Wurdeman has co-authored more than 60 peer-reviewed
manuscripts and 4 book chapters, presented more than 100 conference abstracts within the field of
orthotic and prosthetic rehabilitation, has been awarded the 2018 Carlton Fillauer Prize for Outstanding
Contribution to Prosthetics Science and Practice and the 2020 Academy Research Award, and is a 7-time
Thranhardt Award recipient. He has previously served on the Board of Directors for the Academy, and
currently serves on the Board of Directors for AOPA as well as the Past-Chair for the Orthotics and
Prosthetics Foundation for Education and Research. He has served as PI or co-PI on 9 federally funded
grants from NIH, DOD, and NIDILRR. Clinically, he has had the benefit of helping hundreds of patients
achieve their goals, including 2 ESPY award winning athletes.
Why did you apply?
I applied for my original fellowship to help advance my PhD research. I was driven to do O&P research, and
specifically a project that investigated prosthetic feet. I was met with resistance in the laboratory I was
working in because of known constraints related to recruiting participants from a smaller population. The
fellowship award was enough to convince my mentor and the PI for the lab that my passion would be
enough to ensure we would be successful in pursuing a research project focused on individuals with
amputation. Fast forward, my dissertation ended up being one the largest sample sizes of any of my
mentor’s prior students. For me, this award was the catalyst that allowed me to pursue my passion.
How did the funding help you meet your goals?
I completed my dissertation, for which part of the dissertation was funded by the fellowship award. It
would have been hard to do research to complete my PhD in an area that was not my passion- O&P. Now
the laboratory has multiple researchers focusing on O&P.
How did the funding impact your career?
The fellowship award was a springboard for my career. It was the first substantive award I was able to
demonstrate on my CV that I could effectively manage an award and yield a deliverable from that money
entrusted to me. As a result, I have now been a PI on multiple grants for which total funding exceeds
$30M.
What did the funding mean to you personally?
The award enabled me to push forward with my career aspirations. I will always be grateful for the award
and opportunity, and encourage everyone to donate and give the next person their opportunity to pursue
their dream to help advance and improve O&P care.
