On Thursday, September 7, the Board of Certification/Accreditation (BOC) honored Harry “JR” Brandt, BOCO, CO, LO (right) as the inaugural recipient of the Jim Newberry Award for Extraordinary Service. BOC Board Chair L. Bradley “Brad” Watson, BOCO, BOCP, LPO presented Brandt with the award during the opening general session of at the American Orthotic and Prosthetic Association (AOPA) 2017 World Congress, held at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas.
The AOPA World Congress served as a fitting arena for the award presentation, as the 2017 event attracted a global gathering of professionals to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the formalized orthotics and prosthetics (O&P) profession in the United States.
Brandt’s prestigious career spanned more than 36 years in the O&P profession. He started his career as an orthotic technician in 1981 at Metro Orthopedics of Landover Hills, MD, and most recently a pediatric practitioner and Director of Orthotics for California-based Collier Orthotics and Prosthetics. He also spent more than 15 years as the Manager of the Orthotics and Prosthetics Department at Shriners Hospital for Children in Sacramento, CA. Brandt provided manufacturer’s training courses to O&P practitioners throughout China prior to working as the Director of External Relations at BOC.
“It was an incredible honor not only to be the recipient of the inaugural Newberry Award but to receive it at such a wonderful and prestigious event, all while sharing the stage with so many distinguished colleagues,” commented Brandt after the award presentation.
Named after longtime practitioner, BOC board member and leader James Newberry, Jr., BOCP, BOCO, BOCPD, the Jim Newberry Award for Extraordinary Service recognizes outstanding individuals who perform extraordinary service to BOC, the community of stakeholders BOC serves and those who live out the superior example modeled by Newberry during his more than four decades in the field of orthotics and prosthetics.
Watson said, “JR is an extremely deserving first winner of this prestigious award.” Since 1989, Brandt has dedicated countless hours volunteering for BOC. A former member and chairman of BOC’s board of directors, Brandt was instrumental in developing BOC’s accreditation process. He also supervised BOC’s cadre of expert site surveyors, and served as a BOC representative to the O&P Alliance and as a test development volunteer. Throughout his career, Brandt has demonstrated expert knowledge of O&P, specifically of Medicare and other accreditation standards. He is well-known for providing outstanding service to his patients and extraordinary dedication to mentoring others in his field.
“I am grateful for the opportunity to honor JR’s decades of commitment to BOC and the orthotic and prosthetic field,” says BOC President & CEO, Claudia Zacharias. “I’d also like to thank AOPA for making the presentation of the Jim Newberry Award such a special and memorable event.”
BOC will also commemorate Brandt and subsequent award winners on the Jim Newberry Award web page and on signage to be displayed at BOC headquarters.