After Megan’s grandfather contracted polio at two years old, he spent his life in full-length leg braces. Megan grew up learning about the various iterations and designs of her grandfather’s orthoses, right down to his very first carbon fiber pair: “He remembers every single brace he’s ever gotten.”

As a result, Megan’s fascination for medical devices led her to pursue biomedical engineering at the University of Iowa – but she craved a more direct relationship between her work and the people who might benefit from it. Megan remembered a lunch-and-learn about POP during her undergrad years and decided to look into the profession. She started working at a research lab studying carbon fiber ankle foot orthoses and discovered a newfound passion for POP.

A graduate of Northwestern University's master's program in prosthetics and orthotics, Megan is excited to help patients work towards their mobility goals as a prosthetic resident at the Minneapolis Veteran Affairs Medical Center. Wherever her POP path takes her next, she hopes to continue incorporating research into her career, whether it’s creating study devices or writing grants so that she can help advance the profession for patients like her grandfather.