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Ann Yamane, second from the right on the botton row, stands with fellow UW P&O graduates in 1976.
Life-long Husky Yamane leaving after 39 years
After 39 years of distinguished service, Ann Yamane, MEd, CO/LO, is retiring at the end of June from her position as Director of the Division of Prosthetics and Orthotics (P&O) and Associate Teaching Professor in the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine at the University of Washington (UW).
As a Director and faculty member of the Division of P&O in the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Yamane has touched the life of virtually every prosthetics and orthotics student for nearly 40 years. Her colleagues describe her as hardworking, with a passion and dedication to education and P&O. Yamane is perceived by her colleagues as unafraid of change and unafraid to push boundaries to advance P&O education. She is admired for being patient- and student-centered and for working hard to help students realize their potential. Above all else, Yamane has been a caring mentor to all who have crossed her path as students or colleagues (and, in many instances, both).
Yamane is a lifelong Husky, having received both her BS in P&O (in 1976) and her MEd in instructional leadership (in 2009) from the University of Washington. She began teaching at UW as a part-time instructor in 1983, and moved steadily through the ranks over the years, being appointed as an Associate Teaching Professor in 2021. In addition to serving as Director of the P&O Program, Yamane also developed and was responsible for teaching the large majority of orthotics courses in the P&O curriculum over her nearly four-decade career. She also contributed significantly to interprofessional education in the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine.
For two decades, Yamane served in a variety of roles for the National Commission on Prosthetics and Orthotics Education (NCOPE), including as a site reviewer and Board member. Over the course of her career, Yamane has served as an inspiration to others, and she was recognized for her commitments to education and orthotics clinical practice by receiving the 2001 Outstanding Educator Award and the 2017 Distinguished Practitioner Award from the American Academy of Orthotists and Prosthetists, respectively.
Yamane has served the P&O program with an unwavering commitment to improving diversity, equity and inclusion in P&O education and the profession at large. We have established a fund in honor of Yamane and in support of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives within the P&O program. Every tax-deductible donation is appreciated.
Thank you, Ann, for your service, dedication, leadership.