PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
Studying the Senior Population Szu-Ping Lee, PhD, PT, investigates human movement as it relates to rehabilitation
O&P Almanac introduces individuals who have undertaken O&P-focused research projects. Here, you will get to know colleagues and healthcare professionals who have carried out studies and gathered quantitative and/or qualitative data related to orthotics and prosthetics, and find out what it takes to become an O&P researcher.
APRIL 2020 | O&P ALMANAC
ZU-PING LEE, PhD, PT, a clinically
trained physical therapist, plays a critical role as a rehabilitation researcher deeply embedded in the O&P community. An associate professor in the Department of Physical Therapy at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), he teaches several O&Pthemed courses to the doctor of physical therapy (DPT) students. He also is the local coordinator for the Las Vegas Amputee Support Group, affiliated with the Amputee Coalition. Approximately 150 students are currently seeking DPT degrees at UNLV where Lee teaches the Prosthetics & Orthotics Lecture and Laboratory course. He also conducts amputee rehabilitation research in collaboration with local O&P clinics, rehabilitation hospitals, and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Southern Nevada Healthcare System. Born and raised in Taiwan, Lee completed his undergraduate studies in physical therapy at the National Yang-Ming University in Taipei before moving to the United States at age 26. He earned his master’s degree in human performance and biomechanics from the University of Florida, followed by his doctorate in biokinesiology from
University of Southern California, Los Angeles, in 2012. “I am trained as a physical therapist and biomechanics researcher interested in human movement as related to rehabilitation,” Lee explains. He was introduced to O&P by a former professor, the late Edward Neumann, CP, who taught in UNLV’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Department for years before becoming a certified prosthetist at age 55. “He made me realize that O&P has a lot of engineering and technical developments,” Lee explains, “so perhaps someone should also look at the human factor that is equally important in rehabilitation after amputation.”
Seeing the Patient Behind the Device
Lee focuses his career on investigating the learning of motor skills after limb loss. “While I appreciate the advancements in prosthetic technology, it is important not to forget the human factor,” he says. “After all, a prosthetic device is a tool still controlled by a person to accomplish what he or she wants to do. Just like mastering any tool or skill, there is a learning process,” which may be complicated by factors such as
PHOTO: Szu-Ping Lee, PhD, PT
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