Sue Spaulding, MS, L/CPO, FAAOP, has been promoted to teaching professor in the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, recognizing her contributions to teaching, education research, and the prosthetics and orthotics profession.
Spaulding completed her prosthetics and orthotics education in 1996 and earned a master's degree in biomechanics in 2007. She joined the University of Washington School of Medicine Master of Prosthetics & Orthotics Program faculty in 2008 as a teaching associate and has advanced through several faculty promotions during her tenure.
Spaulding plays a key role in the Master of Prosthetics & Orthotics curriculum, teaching core courses in upper-limb prosthetics and orthotics, spinal orthotics, and engineering concepts. Her excellence in teaching was recognized in 2018 when she received the Outstanding Educator Award from the American Academy of Orthotists and Prosthetists.
She has an extensive publication record focused on improving prosthetics and orthotics education. Her scholarly work includes a 50-year retrospective of prosthetics and orthotics education (Prosthetics and Orthotics International, 2020); a review of the 2023 Prosthetic and Orthotic Education Summit (Journal of Prosthetics and Orthotics, 2023); recommendations for education research priorities in prosthetics and orthotics (Prosthetics and Orthotics International, 2024); a conceptual framework for teaching clinical decision-making (Prosthetics and Orthotics International, 2020); and, most recently, an analysis focused on the sustainability of prosthetics and orthotics education (BMC Medical Education, 2026).
Spaulding has served in numerous leadership roles with the National Commission on Orthotic and Prosthetic Education (NCOPE) during the past 15 years. She served on the board from 2017 to 2024 and as board chair from 2022 to 2023. During her tenure, she helped improve the accreditation process, established a funding mechanism for studies that enhance education standards, and led the 2023 NCOPE Education Summit. She currently serves as chair of the International Society for Prosthetics and Orthotics Education Research Working Group.
Most recently, Spaulding and Professor Jelena Svircev, MD, received a $5,000 award from the UW Center for Leadership and Innovation in Medical Education (CLIME) Competitive Small Grant Program. Their project, "Building Expertise of UW Rehabilitation Medicine Professionals in Adaptive Sports," will develop and implement a structured adaptive sports curriculum for Rehabilitation Medicine faculty, clinicians, and trainees. It will also build partnerships between Rehabilitation Medicine and local adaptive sports organizations and increase awareness and visibility of Rehabilitation Medicine services.