This month we want to take note of some special professional achievements of our staff members over the summer of 2026. This summer, those happen to revolve around education. Education is a very important part of our mission. We educate many groups outside of Dankmeyer, we educate each other, and encourage our team members to take part in educational opportunities that they wish to pursue.
John Cavallero
This month we are happy to announce that John Cavallero has passed the exams required to make him a Certified Orthotist. He is now known professionally as John Cavallaro, CO, Board Eligible Prosthetist. John is in the process of taking the exams necessary to become a Certified Prosthetist. These exams are composed of both written material and hands on clinical evaluations by the examiners at the American Board of Certification. John did his dual program residency with Dankmeyer, and we are happy to see him complete these next professional steps. Congratulations, John!
Jocelyn Phillips
Another member of our team, Jocelyn (Diaz) Phillips, Patient Services Supervisor, came to Dankmeyer having started work on her Doctor of Business Administration. Jocelyn recently reached an exciting milestone in her doctoral journey by successfully defending her dissertation proposal for her Doctor of Business Administration degree at Keiser University. Her dissertation, “Financial Performance Differences by Ownership Type Among Orthotics and Prosthetics Providers, 2013–2020,” examines differences in revenue and operating margin within the O&P profession. The proposal defense represents the completion and approval of the first three dissertation chapters, which establish the foundation for the study and outline how the research will be conducted. Jocelyn is incredibly grateful to everyone who took the time to attend her defense, offer encouragement, and show their support throughout such an important moment. Having so many familiar faces present made the experience even more meaningful. With her proposal successfully defended and IRB approved, Jocelyn has now moved into the final stages of her dissertation, where she is completing and interpreting the results of her research. What a great accomplishment! Congratulations, Jocelyn!
Julianna MacNeir
Dankmeyer also hosted a summer intern. The Summer Internship program at Dankmeyer is extremely popular and competitive. Many college students apply so they can learn about prosthetics and orthotics first hand. Their stay with us usually includes shadowing practitioners, working in the lab, documenting procedures and organizing tools and space. Julianna MacNeir joined us for a six week session and had this to report:
“During my 6-week internship at Dankmeyer, I gained hands-on experience that expanded my technical skills and approach to patient care. I routinely observed and assisted with patient evaluations, practiced clinical tasks, and learned to operate a lot of lab equipment. In addition to getting clinical exposure, I completed two projects during my time here. First, I developed a formal donation procedure to help make the device donation process more efficient and official. Second, I completed an "Alignment Tools Project," where I cut, shaped, and riveted plastic components, so they functioned as models of lower extremity joints. The project not only helped to reinforce my hand-skills but also provided models to help educate patients on joint biomechanics- such as demonstrating normal flexion and extension versus hyperextension. While my time at Dankmeyer flew by, the skills I developed and the exposure to the field have certainly laid a solid foundation as I prepare for graduate school and reinforced my love for the profession.”
Claire Vallery
We did our share of teaching outside of Dankmeyer. Dankmeyer team member Claire Vallery, CPO, is currently a PhD student at the University of Delaware in the Delaware Limb Loss Lab with a focus in clinical outcomes research. Claire took a primary role in both organizing and teaching all the lab work for some summer course work for University of Maryland Baltimore Physical Therapy students. We teach this course annually, with Mark Hopkins usually taking the lead and other Dankmeyer staff joining him as lecturers. Claire took over from Mark when he found himself on short notice jury duty! Thank you and congratulations, Claire, on a job well done.
