The Board of Certification/Accreditation (BOC) has selected Harry “J.R.” Brandt as the recipient of the first Jim Newberry Award for Extraordinary Service.
The award is named after James Newberry, Jr., a BOC board member and long-time practitioner who passed away in 2016. BOC created the award to recognize individuals who perform “extraordinary service to BOC and the community of stakeholders BOC serves, and who live out the superior example modeled by Jim during his more than four decades in the field of orthotics and prosthetics,” according to information on the BOC site.
BOC chose Brandt for the award because of his work as an orthotics and prosthetics practitioner and advocate, as well as his contributions to BOC’s success. According to BOC, Brandt’s achievements include:
- Work developing BOC’s accreditation process;
- Supervision of BOC’s expert site surveyors;
- Representation of BOC at the O&P Alliance and as a test development volunteer;
- Expert knowledge of O&P, particularly Medicare and other accreditation standards;
- Outstanding service to his patients; and
- Mentorship of others in his field.
“J.R.’s tireless dedication to the orthotic and prosthetic field, as well as to our mission to assure the competency, professionalism and safe practice environments of BOC credential-holders, made him an extremely deserving first winner of this prestigious award,” said L. Bradley “Brad” Watson, chair of the BOC Board of Directors, in a prepared statement.
Brandt has worked in the O&P profession for more than 36 years. He began his career as an orthotic technician at Metro Orthopedics in Landover Hills, MD in 1981. He is currently the director of orthotics at Collier Orthotics and Prosthetics in California. Previously, he was the manager at the Orthotics and Prosthetics Department of Shriners Hospital for Children in Sacramento, CA. He has also provided manufacturer’s training courses in China and worked as the director of external relations at BOC.
Brandt will receive his award at an upcoming celebration. Further information about the award is available on BOC’s site.
