ISPO 2027 programme highlights announced: Keynotes, scientific and technical track sessions now online
The programme for the ISPO 21st World Congress 2027 is taking shape and participants can now start planning their congress experience in Bangkok. All symposia, instructional courses and technical track presentations have been confirmed and are available in the online programme overview. Free paper sessions will be announced in early December.
From 22 to 25 March 2027, the World Congress will bring the international community in prosthetics, orthotics, assistive technology and rehabilitation to Bangkok, Thailand. Under the theme “A World Connected: Advancing Assistive Technologies for Global Equity”, the programme will connect science, clinical and technical practice, education, policy, industry and lived experience.
The confirmed programme includes 34 symposia, 8 basic instructional courses, 8 advanced instructional courses and 16 technical track presentations. Together, they offer a broad and practice-oriented view of the field – from prosthetics and orthotics, rehabilitation medicine, paediatrics, gait and balance, outcome measurement and education to digital technologies, fabrication techniques, wheelchair and postural support, health policy and sustainability.
Scientific programme: international, multidisciplinary and highly relevant
The scientific programme brings together expertise from different regions, disciplines and professional settings. Its symposia and instructional courses address current challenges in prosthetics, orthotics, assistive technology and rehabilitation, while giving participants the opportunity to deepen specialist knowledge and exchange practical perspectives.
Topics range from observational gait analysis, custom ankle-foot orthoses, adolescent idiopathic scoliosis and paediatric outcomes to upper limb prosthetics and orthotics, neurological rehabilitation, sustainable service delivery, osseointegration and foot amputations.
“The scientific programme reflects the international and multidisciplinary character of the ISPO World Congress,” says Cleveland Barnett, Chair of the Scientific Programme Committee. “We are bringing together contributions from different regions, professional backgrounds and areas of expertise. This diversity is essential to the congress theme, because global equity in assistive technology depends on shared learning across systems, disciplines and contexts.”
As the ISPO World Congress comes to Southeast Asia for the first time, it will also highlight experience and expertise from Thailand and the wider region. Participants can look forward to perspectives that show how rehabilitation services, professional education, policy, innovation and access are shaped in different economic, clinical and structural environments.
Technical track: hands-on knowledge for daily practice
The technical track adds a strong practical dimension to the World Congress. Following its successful introduction at the previous event, the format again promotes fabrication arts through demonstration and hands-on instruction, focusing on techniques and material science rather than products.
The 16 technical track presentations cover digital technologies, prosthetic and orthotic fabrication techniques, footwear modification, thermoforming, socket replication, partial hand prostheses, silicones, postural support and wheelchair-related fabrication approaches.
“The technical track brings a vital hands-on dimension to the World Congress,” says Brad Mattear, Chair of the Technical Track Committee. “It highlights the skills, techniques and practical problem-solving that are essential to quality fabrication. By focusing on demonstration, fabrication methods and shared technical expertise, the track creates a bridge between knowledge and application.”
For technicians, clinicians, educators and other professionals involved in service delivery, the technical track offers direct insights that can be translated into practice – from workshop techniques to clinical fitting and user-centred solutions.
Keynotes: from systems change to lived experience
The keynote programme will bring global perspectives to the central questions of ISPO 2027: how assistive technologies can become more accessible, appropriate and meaningful for people in different contexts worldwide.
Sisary Kheng will focus on strengthening prosthetics and orthotics services in Southeast Asia through sustainable rehabilitation systems, professional education, policy, financing and regional collaboration.
Natasha Layton will connect assistive technology theory with practice and present key ideas for advancing equity locally and globally – including outcomes, costs, human rights, user satisfaction and service delivery from the perspective of prosthetic and orthotic users.
Nerrolyn Ramstrand will explore equity, participation and outcomes in prosthetic and orthotic practice, asking not only whether services are available, but how they are experienced and whether they support participation in everyday life.
Massimo Sartori will look at the future of bionic limb control and the development of technologies designed to move beyond the lab and become more practical and globally accessible.
The IC2A Inspirational Lecture will be delivered by Zy Kher Lee, supported by his father Walter Lee. Under the title “Beyond Mobility – from Movement to Possibility”, they will offer a personal perspective on what mobility can make possible: participation, independence, opportunity and the freedom to pursue a life of one’s own.
Programme highlights now online
With the core programme now available, professionals working in prosthetics, orthotics, wheelchairs, assistive technology and rehabilitation services are invited to explore the sessions, plan their congress visit and register for ISPO 2027. Free paper sessions will be announced in early December. The ISPO 21st World Congress will take place from 22 to 25 March 2027 in Bangkok, Thailand.
Programme overview:
http://www.ispo-congress.com/programme
Registration:
Photo caption:
Hands-on demonstration during the technical track at the ISPO World Congress 2025 in Stockholm. The format focuses on practical fabrication instruction, techniques and generic materials, and will continue at ISPO 2027 in Bangkok with 16 confirmed technical track presentations. Photo: Leipziger Messe/Tom Schulze
