Keynotes 2027

Sisary Kheng

Advancing Prosthetics and Orthotics in Southeast Asia: Building Equitable, Sustainable Rehabilitation Systems

In her keynote, Sisary Kheng will reflect on long-standing involvement in strengthening prosthetics and orthotics services, education, research, and policy across Southeast Asia, with particular attention to how locally grounded experience can inform regional and global progress. Rather than beginning with technology alone, the presentation will consider how equitable access depends on the systems that surround assistive products: skilled professionals, recognised career pathways, sustainable financing, responsive supply- chains, evidence-based practice, and meaningful participation by the prosthetic and orthotic users.

Drawing on experience in Cambodia and collaboration with partners across the region, Dr. Kheng’s talk will explore the practical conditions needed to move prosthetics and orthotics from fragmented or donor-dependent provision toward integrated rehabilitation within public health systems. It will highlight the importance of ecosystem of education and professional recognition for prosthetists and orthotists, the value of regional networks for shared learning, and the role of research in demonstrating impacts, improving service quality, and shaping policy. The emphasis will be on the realities of implementation in Southeast Asia; building trust with governments and communities, linking professional associations, safeguarding the quality, safety, accessibility, financial sustainability, balancing innovation with affordability, and ensuring that both prosthetic and orthotic services are recognised as essential to independence, participation, and quality of life.

The session will invite discussion on how regional leadership, practical evidence, and sustained investment can help make access to appropriate prosthetics and orthotics as a component of universal health coverage and human rights agenda.

Natasha Layton

Assistive Technology to Optimise Functioning and Reduce the Experience of Disability: Six Big Ideas to Advance Towards Equity Locally and Globally

The right assistive technology, at the right time, transforms lives. How? By bridging the capability gap between the life a person wants to achieve – and can achieve. Drawing on the Global Report on Assistive Technology Natasha Layton’s keynote address links theory to practice with six big ideas for prosthetic and orthotic practitioners. These are: 1) quantify the inputs to excellent orthotic and prosthetic practice; 2) fully capture participation outcomes; 3) count costs and cost offsets from both individual and health sector perspectives; 4) benchmark whether the human rights such as the right to mobility, and to live independently and be included in the community, are realised or not yet realised; and examine the experiences of 5) customer satisfaction and 6) service delivery from a user perspective. These ideas will be showcased through the voices of prosthetic and orthotic users in resourced and less resourced settings.

Natasha Layton’s presentation aims to enable prosthetists and orthotists to:

• Recognise how the assistive technology ecosystem elements of People, Products, Provision, Personnel and Policy influence individual orthotic and prosthetic access and outcomes;
• Identify practical actions that clinicians, educators, researchers and policymakers can take to advance equity, and feed into a stronger ecosystem.
• Apply person-determined rather than practitioner led outcome approaches within assistive technology services;
• Gather strategies to measure outcomes rather than outputs and to share data.

Nerrolyn Ramstrand

Beyond Access: Equity, Participation, and Outcomes in Prosthetic and Orthotic Practice

Prosthetic and orthotic (P&O) services have evolved considerably over recent decades, driven by advances in technology, growing global attention to rehabilitation, and efforts to expand access to care. Yet important questions remain about how people experience these services, whether their needs and priorities are reflected in decision-making, and how P&O interventions ultimately influence participation in everyday life.

With more than two decades of research experience across diverse international contexts, Professor Nerrolyn Ramstrand has explored what can be learned when the focus shifts beyond device and service delivery to the experiences and outcomes of people receiving care. Her work has examined the lived experiences of prosthesis and orthosis users, factors influencing satisfaction and engagement, the professional competencies required for high-quality care, and the role of education in preparing the future P&O workforce.

This keynote will explore how individuals, professionals, educators, organisations, and health systems collectively shape opportunities for participation, inclusion, and wellbeing. Drawing on examples from research and practice, Prof. Ramstrand will highlight the importance of understanding not only whether services are available, but also how they are experienced and whether they enable people to achieve their goals and participate fully in everyday life.

The presentation will introduce perspectives from contemporary scholarship on equity and justice as one way of understanding persistent differences in outcomes, while maintaining a practical focus on implications for clinical practice, education, and service development.

Massimo Sartori

Volitional Control of Bionic Legs: Towards Out-of-the-Lab Applicability

In this keynote, Massimo Sartori will present the work conducted at the Chair of Neuromuscular Robotics at the University of Twente in the Netherlands, towards the development of bionic limbs that can be controlled volitionally during a broad range of activities.

A key objective of this work is to move beyond prosthetic controllers that depend on recognising predefined movements such as walking, standing, or climbing stairs. Instead, Prof. Sartori and his team are developing human-machine interfaces that enables users to control a prosthetic leg as a natural extension of the own body across different locomotion activities including, transitions, and unstructured environments.

The presented approach combines non-invasive electromyography with real-time musculoskeletal modelling to estimate the intended mechanics of the missing limb from residual muscle electromyograms. Prof. Sartori will present results demonstrating how individuals with below-knee amputation have learned to use this interface across a range of conditions.

Prof. Sartori will also discuss efforts in making this technology practical and globally accessible. This includes the development of open-source software, methods to reduce the number of sensors required for prosthesis control, as well as simplified, lab-free calibration procedures that avoid expensive equipment and high-performance computing. Together, these developments aim at making advanced prosthetic control more accessible, supporting global equity by reducing dependence on well-resourced infrastructures.

Prof. Sartori will conclude his keynote by discussing how the same principles may support assistive technologies for other neuromuscular conditions, including post-stroke rehabilitation.

Zy Kher Lee

Athlete and full scholarship student at Shanghai University of Sport, China

Zy Kher Lee is a remarkable young athlete and scholar who has overcome extraordinary physical challenges. Born with mobility impairments affecting both arms and legs, Zy’s determination is captured in his inspiring motto and book: “No Hands, No Legs, No Excuses.”

Fluent in English, Chinese, Malay, and Thai, Zy is a full scholarship student majoring in Human Kinesiology and Science at Shanghai University of Sport, China.

Zy is also a national swimmer for Thailand. He began swimming at age six and entered national competitions at 12. His achievements include:

• Three-time former Asian record holder
• Two-time former Southeast Asia record holder
• Former World No.7 in Men’s 200m Freestyle
• Gold, Silver, and Bronze medals at the Asian Youth Para Games 2021

Zy’s journey demonstrates resilience, determination, and excellence in both academics and sports, inspiring communities worldwide to pursue their dreams regardless of limitations.

Zy’s lecture will be supported by his father Walter, who is a visionary entrepreneur, internationally recognized chef, and social innovator with over 30 years of experience creating global businesses and empowering communities. He founded the Zy Movement Foundation, pioneering programmes such as “Climb to Change a Life (CTCAL)” and “ASEAN Medical Seminars” to support children with mobility impairments and their families. He believes: “Our mission is to prepare the child for the road, not the road for the child.”