Graci Finco
Background
Graci Finco, PhD, CPO is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Kinesiology at Texas Christian University. She directs the Limb Loss and Difference Lab, where her research focuses on improving prosthetic care for people with limb loss (i.e. amputation etiology) and limb difference (i.e. congenital etiology). Her primary research directions are: 1) fall risk screening, 2) musculoskeletal health, and 3) perspectives on ethics, research, and technology. She also teaches courses in biomechanics.
She is currently on the Board of Directors for The O&P Foundation, where she serves on the Research and Board Development Committees. She has mentored a wide variety of students in clinical research, secured competitive funding, published manuscripts in peer-reviewed journals, and has been invited to speak at numerous national conferences.
Why did you apply?
I applied for the AOPA-COPL award to fund the main project of my PhD dissertation work.
How did the funding help you meet your goals?
Without the AOPA-COPL award, I would not have been able to complete my dissertation work. Further, the COVID-19 pandemic forced me to shift my dissertation work further from clinical practice. Receiving this award not only allowed me to complete my dissertation work, but allowed me to resume the line of clinically relevant research I began pursuing prior to the pandemic.
How did the funding impact your career?
Overall, the AOPA-COPL award served as a springboard for my research career, which has allowed me in turn help springboard the career of other CPOs pursuing PhDs. Specifically, I received an NIH R21 award related to ethics of advances in prosthetic technology where I was able to demonstrate, through receiving the AOPA-COPL award, that I could lead a funded study. Additionally, each of my grant proposals lists CPOs who are pursuing PhDs (or early-career CPO/PhDs) to help push our field forward together. I also get to shape the future of research in our profession by serving with the O&P Foundation, where we distribute research funding via donations through a competitive application process.”
What did the funding mean to you personally?
This award symbolized (and continues to symbolize) my field’s commitment to me (as a CPO going back to school for a PhD) to benefit our profession and our patients.
What projects or activities have you been working on since you received this award?
The award allowed me to finish data collection for my PhD dissertation. Since finishing my PhD, I’ve completed a Postdoctoral Research Fellowship and have established my lab as a tenure-track faculty member. I’ve built on the award through multiple grant proposals, and have subsequently added ethics and perceptions of prosthetic technology as major research areas through an NIH R21 award. I’ve mentored 15+ students (many either DPT or O&P) in research, which have resulted in publications, presentations, and awards that they can carry forward into their clinical research careers.
What is coming up next for you?
As a new faculty member at TCU, I’m fostering collaborations within and beyond my department to facilitate more research that can help our profession. Specifically, other faculty and I are finalizing how we can apply their methodological expertise to clinically relevant research that benefits people who have limb loss and limb difference.
