Caitlin Bowman Martwinski’s passion for her field is palpable. In her application for the 2024 American Board for Certification Orthotist & Prosthetist Scholarship, she wrote:
“I will contribute to, strengthen and elevate our profession. I want to not only help my patients in their lives, but also be a part of the change that betters the lives of prosthetists and orthotists.”
This enthusiasm helped the spring 2024 graduate of the Master of Science in Prosthetics and Orthotics (MSPO) program become one of only 10 students in the country to receive the prestigious $10,000 award. Now, as she begins a two-year residency at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, she’s on her way to realizing her goals.
Bowman Martwinski came to Pitt fueled by an interest in prosthetics and orthotics that started after she saw the results of a middle school career aptitude test.
“At that time, I wasn’t really sure what an O&P professional did,” admits Bowman Martwinski. “But we knew a neighbor who was a prosthetist and I began shadowing him. I thought it was so cool!”
After completing her undergraduate education at Virginia Tech and before enrolling in the MSPO program at Pitt, she took a gap year, serving as a fitter and assistant, helping O&P professionals cast, mold and fit devices, and assisting patients with off-the-shelf solutions that worked for them
“I always loved working with my hands,” reflects Bowman Martwinski. “But at the same time, it’s the patient contact that really compels me to do this work.”
“As a prosthetist or orthotist, we see patients frequently— sometimes every week. We get to know them as a person and that increases our desire to want to help them to succeed,” she continues. “Not every health care provider has this much continuity with patients.”
In between labs and lectures, Bowman Martwinski worked as a technician at Elite Orthotics in Zelienople, Pennsylvania, where she applied the skills she learned in class to real patients. “It meant a lot to me to know that the mold I was modifying was not just a project for school but was for a brace that would actually help someone maintain or regain their mobility,” she explains.
Bowman Martwinski developed a keen interest in evidence-based research during her time as graduate research assistant in Pitt’s Inclusive Mobility Research Lab.
She says working with professionals from different disciplines helped her grow her confidence. It also led her to publish her first abstract as the principal author and present her findings at the American Orthotic & Prosthetic Association. According to Bowman Martwinski, “This research helped address gaps in O&P patients’ transportation needs, and ultimately started a conversation to positively affect access to O&P care.”
For her capstone project, Bowman Martwinski examined children’s books (bibliotherapy) and their influence on orthotic compliance attitudes and peer attitudes toward disability in young children. After the results were presented at the American Academy of Orthotists and Prosthetists’ 50th Academy Annual Meeting and Scientific Symposium, she authored and published “Anthony’s Amazing AFOs” through Barnes & Noble Press. (AFOs are ankle and foot orthoses.)
Bowman Martwinski promises that research will always be a part of her professional work. She says, “I’m excited to be a practitioner. I want my patients to feel loved, seen and heard when they walk out of my clinic, and on the last day I walk out of my clinic and retire, I want to have impacted the field of prosthetics and orthotics in a profound way.”
“Caitlin had great experience and drive upon entering our program and has continued to work hard to develop new skills and understanding as well as to contribute to the community,” notes Assistant Professor and P&O Program Director Helen Cochrane. “Our heartfelt congratulations go out to her. She is very deserving of the O&P award. We look forward to seeing her many accomplishments in the future.”
