The following medical professionals have agreed to becoming guest speakers at our 21st Annual AMCSI Conference in Columbus, Ohio, July 1-4, 2026. Appearances are subject to change.
Born and raised in Stillwater, Oklahoma, Todd has degrees in Wildlife Conservation and Communications from Oklahoma State University. He has worked as a nature instructor at a children’s camp on the shore of Lake Superior, and a ranger with the U.S. Forest Service in Colorado. He then retired in 2025 after 30 years with the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation as producer and host of the award-winning television show, Outdoor Oklahoma. Currently, Todd is living out his childhood dream as a Ranger in Yellowstone National Park. His passions include hunting, camping, rock crawling in his 1980 Jeep CJ7, and his daughter Emily.
Dr. Harold van Bosse has been practicing pediatric surgery exclusively since completing his orthopedic residency at the University of Illinois in Chicago in 1994, and his fellowship at Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children in 1995. His specialty interests within pediatric orthopedics are arthrogryposis multiplex congenita (AMC), Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS), idiopathic clubfoot deformity, limb malalignment conditions, and pediatric spine deformities, especially of the growing spine. AMC and PWS alone make up more than 90% of his practice, allowing him to delve deeply into his special interest. He has published widely on topics related to arthrogryposis, clubfeet, and Prader-Willi syndrome. When developing an arthrogryposis center, the goals are to allow children with arthrogryposis to reach their fullest potential by addressing their limb deformities and helping them function/adapt to their limitations. Dr. Van Bosse considers himself privileged to follow patients from North and South America, Europe and Asia. He could not have gotten this far without the support of his wife, Ana.
Philip F. Giampietro, MD, PhD, is currently the Asok K. Ray, M.D. FRCS (EDIN) and Purnima Ray Endowed Professor of Pediatrics and Section Chief of Medical Genetics in the Department of Pediatrics at University of Illinois-Chicago School of Medicine. He received his B.S. in Biological Sciences at State University of New York at Stony Brook, Doctorate in Biomedical Sciences at the City University of New York and M.D. at the State University of New York at Stony Brook. Dr. Giampietro completed his internship in Pediatrics at the State University of New York at Stony Brook, a residency in Pediatrics at Long Island Jewish Medical Center, and a Fellowship in Medical Genetics at Weil Medical College of Cornell University. Throughout his career, he has been active in the education of medical students, genetic counseling students, physician assistants, and pediatric residents and fellows. Prior to his current position, Dr. Giampietro held positions at Rutgers -Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Drexel University College of Medicine, University of Wisconsin- Madison, Marshfield Clinic, Marshfield Clinic and Weil Medical College of Cornell University. Dr. Giampietro’s research interests include dysmorphology and birth defects, in particular the genetics of congenital and idiopathic scoliosis. He has worked closely with orthopedic surgical colleagues, clinical and molecular geneticists, and epidemiologists to better understand genetic and environmental contributions to these conditions.
Dr. Donohoe is a board-certified pediatric clinical specialist specializing in pediatric orthopedics. She has worked with contracture disorders for over 30 years as the primary physical therapist in the hospital’s Arthrogryposis Program, Osteogenesis Imperfecta Program, and Clubfoot Program. Dr. Donohoe authored the chapters on arthrogryposis and osteogenesis imperfecta in all six editions of Physical Therapy for Children, authored Therapy, Orthotics and Assistive Devices for Osteogenesis Imperfecta in Osteogenesis Imperfecta: A Case-Based Guide to Surgical Decision-Making and Care, Ambulatory Assistive Devices for Children and Youth with Cerebral Palsy and Activities of Daily Living Supports for Persons with Cerebral Palsy in Cerebral Palsy 2nd edition, the Relapsed Clubfoot in Paediatric Clinical Case Studies, as well as Sports and Recreation in Children with Osteogenesis Imperfecta: Strategies to Enhance Performance. She has been involved in over ten research studies on the physical ability of individuals with arthrogryposis and club feet. She has lectured nationally and internationally on these topics. This is her 15th visit to share information at the AMCSI meeting.
Session topic: PT
Reid Nichols, M.D., FAOA, FAAOS, is a pediatric orthopaedic surgeon at Nemours Children’s Health, Delaware Valley, and Assistant Professor of Orthopedic Surgery, at Thomas Jefferson University. She received her undergraduate degrees from the University of Virginia and from Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing. She earned her medical degree from Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine. After graduating from residency in orthopaedic surgery at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, NY, she completed a limb lengthening and reconstruction fellowship at the International Center for Limb Deformity in Baltimore, MD. Under the supervision of John Herzenberg, M.D., she received advanced training in the management of clubfeet. She received advanced training in pediatric orthopaedics after completing a fellowship at the Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children. She is currently the president of the Limb Lengthening and Reconstruction Society(LLRS). She is active in many societies, including the Pediatric Society of North America, LLRS, American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, American Orthopedic Association, and the Ruth Jackson Orthopaedic Society. She has served as the BOS representative for LLRS and is currently the POSNA BOS representative. Dr. Nichols’ clinical interests include limb deformity and reconstruction, clubfoot, arthrogryposis, and pediatric trauma. She serves as the director of the Clubfoot Clinic and co-director of the Arthrogryposis Clinic.
In 2015, Dr. David Feldman joined the Paley Institute to lead our new Spine Deformity Center and Hip Pain Center. Dr. Feldman was previously Professor of Orthopedic Surgery and Pediatrics as well as Chief of Pediatric Orthopedic Surgery NYU Langone Medical Center/ NYU Hospital for Joint Diseases. Dr. Feldman specializes in pediatric orthopedic surgery and subspecializes in children with scoliosis and severe limb and hip deformities. As well, he focuses his practice on conditions such as arthrogryposis, Multiple Hereditary Exostosis and Skeletal Dysplasias. After graduating from the Albert Einstein School of Medicine in 1988, Dr. Feldman interned in general surgery at NYU Langone Medical Center. He completed his residency in orthopedic surgery in June 1993 and spent the next year in fellowship at The Hospital for Sick Children Toronto with a special interest in pediatric orthopedic surgery and pediatric spine surgery. Dr. Feldman brings over 25 years of experience in pediatric orthopedics, spinal deformity and joint preservation to the practice. Since completing his studies, Dr. Feldman has been at the forefront of both simple and complex pediatric orthopedic treatments. He has helped many children with orthopedic deformities and conditions avoid surgery through early detection. His expertise with advanced non-surgical and surgical techniques has allowed hundreds of children to resume their normal activities after recovery times that are shorter than those of other methods.
Session topic: Lowers
Fran Guardo, MEd, MPT, DPT, BSPTS C1&2 Director of Rehabilitation for the Paley Orthopedic and Spine Institute (POSI) since 2009. She is a sought-after speaker in the field of Rehabilitation of Limb Lengthening and Treatment of Arthrogryposis, where she trains therapists and surgeons internationally. She has authored multiple book chapters, presents nationally and internationally, and is an adjunct professor for Nova Southeastern University, where she lectures in the Physical Therapy Department.
Lauren C. Hyer, M.D. joined Shriners Children’s in Greenville, SC in 2016. Since then she has She primarily cares for lower extremity differences in children with arthrogryposis. She embraces a multidisciplinary model involving therapy, motion analysis, orthotics, and orthopedics. Her primary research interests involve understanding and improving mobility as well as enhancing functional independence for children and youth with arthrogryposis.
Dr. Lisa V Wagner DHS, OTR/L received her OT degree from the Medical University of South Carolina and her doctorate from the University of Indianapolis. Working for Shriners Hospitals for Children for the past 34 years has allowed Lisa to participate in various research projects resulting in peer-review articles, book chapter and the ability to speak nationally and internationally. She has co-developed three distinct outcome measures including the UBET, SHUEE and SCUES. She is a clinical instructor for the Assisting Hand Assessment. Passionate about children with AMC, she is currently collaborating on an outcome assessment for better understanding of the upper extremities.
Sarah Turgeon-Desilets, MScPT, CAS, is a pediatric physiotherapist, future PhD student, clinician, and academic educator at McGill University with over a decade of experience in neuromuscular and rare pediatric conditions. She specializes in the clinical care, assessment, and rehabilitation of children and youth living with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) and Duchenne muscular dystrophy and serves as a clinical evaluator in multiple international rare disease trials. Sarah is actively involved in advancing rare disease care through research, education, and provincial leadership. Her work focuses on improving standardized assessment, building clinician capacity, and promoting evidence-based, patient-centered care for individuals living with rare neuromuscular disorders.
Currently serves as Director of Transportation Policy and Programs, for the Maryland Department of Disabilities. With an exceptional background dealing with statewide transportation issues concerning the disabled and older age communities. Experienced Recruiter with a demonstrated history of working in the health wellness industry. Strong advocate for people with disabilities. Well skilled in cross disabilities. Skilled in Policy Change, Strategic Public Relations Planning, Customer Service, Data Entry, Staff Recruitment, and IT Operations. Also serves as the Vice President of the “League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Society” (L.E.G.S.) a peer mentoring group. Prior to my current position as VP, I served as the President of the LEGS organization while also being involved in several other organizations including the Christopher Reeve Mentoring Program. I foresee a bright future for LEGS and the disability community with the assistance of a great network of team players taking the necessary actions required to be successful.
Matthew Dobbs, MD, FACS is director of the Dobbs Clubfoot Center at the Paley Institute in West Palm Beach, Florida. Prior to that he was the Dr. Asa C. and Mrs. Dorothy W. Jones Professor of Orthopedic Surgery and the Director of Strategic Planning at Washington University School of Medicine. Dr. Dobbs trained under Ignacio Ponseti MD (Ponseti method). Since that time, he has introduced the Ponseti method for clubfoot management to surgeons in more than 50 countries. Dr. Dobbs is dedicated to Research and Teaching. He co-directed an NIH funded musculoskeletal genetics research laboratory and was founder (2001) and director of the clubfoot clinic at Saint Louis Children’s from 2001-2020. He has been named a top orthopedic surgeon by US News & World Report, Top Doctors, Castle Connelly, Consumers’ Research Council, Orthopedics This Week, the International Association of Orthopedic Surgeons, and St. Louis Magazine. He has been featured in the Chicago Tribune, San Francisco Chronicle, and the LA Times. He is internationally recognized for his expertise and innovation in the field of pediatric foot and lower limb deformities and experience with the differences that can arise with Arthrogryposis, Spina Bifida, Nail Patella Syndrome, and genetic conditions. He is the founder of the Dobbs method for treatment of vertical talus and remains the leading innovator in bracing for foot deformities. He values the multidisciplinary efforts needed to help children be their best self and minimize recurrences.
