Fanny Schultea
The Orthotic Prosthetic Group of America (OPGA) has named Fanny Schultea, MS, MSEd, CPO, LP, FAAOP, its 2025 Orthotics & Prosthetics (O&P) Woman of the Year.
Schultea is the executive director of the Orthotics and Prosthetics Foundation for Education and Research, a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit focused on O&P education, research, and professional training. It was formed in 2022 with the merger of the Center for Orthotic and Prosthetic Learning and Outcomes/Evidence-Based Practice, and the Orthotic and Prosthetic Education and Research Foundation.
Schultea is also a certified orthotist/prosthetist and a fellow with distinction of the American Academy of Orthotists and Prosthetists. She has been an assistant professor at the Baylor College of Medicine program in Houston, Texas.
“Fanny Schultea exemplifies the spirit of innovation, leadership and dedication that this award was created to honor,” said Tyler Mahncke, senior vice president of clinical mobility and accessibility for VGM & Associates, in a Sept. 4 announcement. “Her contributions to education, research and clinical excellence in the O&P profession continue to inspire and elevate the entire community.”
OPGA is VGM & Associates’ organization for O&P patient care facilities and product/service suppliers.
“Thank you to VGM Group, OPGA, and Össur for this platform and the extraordinary opportunity to share with the O&P community the vision behind my work with the O&P Foundation,” Schultea said. “To empower our community to reimagine not just how we deliver care and how we train the next generation, but how we use data to drive better outcomes, and how we elevate voices that have long been underrepresented in research, education and clinical practice.”
Schultea accepted her award during the American Orthotic & Prosthetic Association’s national assembly on Sept. 4.
