As with every I.S.P.O. World Congress, the 2025 edition was not only a global platform for scientific exchange, but also an opportunity to recognise excellence across the spectrum of rehabilitation and assistive technology. From clinical innovation and education to technical advancement and sustainability, this year’s awards highlight the diverse and impactful work shaping the future of the field.

Knud Jansen Lecture

Ritu Ghosh delivered the prestigious Knud Jansen Lecture 2025. She has been selected by the ISPO Executive Board because she has been instrumental in making Mobility India into one of the most respected, go-to organisations for education and provision in the mobility sector, not only in the region, but globally. Ritu has proven over her many years of dedication to education, provision and working with the broader sector to improve the lives of people with mobility needs, that what she has achieved and what she has to say is everything that ISPO aspires to achieve amongst its members.

IC2A Inspirational Lecture

Christoffer Lindhe inspired the international audience with a powerful lecture reflecting resilience, innovation, and personal journey. At just 17, he lost both legs and his left arm in a train accident — a life-changing moment that ultimately led him to found Lindhe Xtend, a prosthetics company focused on real-life functionality and user needs. Today, he also continues to empower others as the founder of the AmpisLiv Association and creator of one of the world's leading YouTube channels on life as an amputee.

Forchheimer Prize

Awarded for the outstanding publication “Amputation and prosthetics of the lower extremity: The 2020 Dutch evidence-based multidisciplinary guideline”, the prize went to the team of Behrouz Fard, Saskia Persoon, Paul C. Jutte, Jan-Willem H.C. Daemen, D-A A. Lamprou, Werner Ten Hoope, Erik Prinsen, Han Houdijk, Jeroen Olsman, Tobias Holling, P.P.R. Heike, Ernst Schrier, Nadine Donders, Johan S. Rietman, and Jan H.B. Geertzen. The paper was published in Prosthetics and Orthotics International, volume 47(1): p 69-80, February 2023.

Sepp Heim Award

Christian Schlierf, Founder and CEO of Human Study, was honoured for his remarkable commitment to education in prosthetics and orthotics in less-resourced settings over the last 20 years. Since founding Human Study in 2005, he and his team have trained more than 1,000 professionals in over 50 countries, offering all three ISPO-accredited education levels. The award marks a symbolic milestone, as Human Study celebrates its 20th anniversary during the I.S.P.O. World Congress in Stockholm.

Brian and Joyce Blatchford Team Prize for Innovation

The award went to the The Research Team from the University of Washington Center on Outcomes Research in Rehabilitation (UWCORR), led by Prof. Brian Hafner, including Prof. Cody L. McDonald, Prof. Dagmar Amtmann, Prof. Geoffrey S. Balkman, and Prof. Sara J. Morgan, for their project “State-of-the-art instruments for measuring orthotic and prosthetic outcomes”.

Best Paper and Poster Prizes

The ISPO 2025 Scientific Programme Committee recognised the most outstanding free papers in the following five categories:

• 3MT Student Competition: Isabella Gigante, Exploring Unknowns in Footwear Design for People with Diabetes at Moderate-to-High Risk of Foot Ulceration: A Knowledge Gap Analysis

• Advancing Clinical Treatment: Samantha Rozevink, Therapists' Use of Motor Learning Principles While Training Activities of Daily Living in Upper Limb Prosthesis Users

• Advancing Prosthetics & Orthotics: Thomas Schmalz, Reduction of Low Back Loading During Repetitive Lifting: Effects of a Supportive Exoskeleton and of Different Lifting Strategies

• Sustainability: Aditya Dhariwal, Construction Reliability of a Locally Sourced Pressure-Reducing Wheelchair Cushion for Less-Resourced Settings

• Best Poster: Rosa Fojut, Controlled Randomized Open Label Study to Assess the Efficacy of UniRelieverTM Brace in the Management of Knee Osteoarthritis – UNIBRACE Study

The ISPO community warmly congratulates all award recipients for their achievements and their contributions to advancing inclusive, evidence-based, and sustainable rehabilitation worldwide.