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Colleges seek to be prosthetics epicenter

St. Petersburg College and USF plan to team up to become a world power in developing artificial limbs.

By PAUL DE LA GARZA
Published April 19, 2006

TAMPA - The University of South Florida and St. Petersburg College plan to embark on an ambitious program to develop a new generation of prosthetics that could benefit millions of people worldwide, officials said Wednesday.

The project will use $10-million in federal and state funds as seed money but will require donations and grants. Details were sketchy Wednesday but apparently the project will include construction of new facilities. A formal announcement is scheduled April 28.

St. Petersburg College will develop prosthetics using new technologies, and USF will offer training on using artificial limbs through a new doctorate program, said Rep. C.W. Bill Young, R-Indian Shores.

The idea for the joint venture was directly linked to injuries seen in Iraq from improvised explosive devices, said Young, chairman of the House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee.

He said that roadside bombs hurt U.S. forces "more than normal" and that advanced prosthetics "can help them lead much better lives."

The program will help address one of the world's biggest problems - the loss of limbs, said Carl Kuttler, president of St. Petersburg College.

In the United States alone, he said, 75-million baby boomers have begun to experience medical complications such as diabetes that can lead to the loss of a limb.

Kuttler called the project unique.

"I think when this is over, it will be a red-letter day for Florida, America and the world," he said.

USF president Judy Genshaft did not respond to a message seeking comment. Spokeswoman Lara Wade said Genshaft did not want to comment before the formal announcement.

"We do have a great and fruitful partnership with St. Petersburg College," Wade said. "We're working together to offer training and education in the orthotics and prosthetics field."

Many details must be worked out, but Kuttler said $10-million in government funds is only a start.

"It will be a prized elephant that will need feeding," he said.

Young credited Kuttler with the idea for the project, noting he was aware of the support work that Young and his wife, Beverly, do with injured troops.

He said funding for the project had been in the works since last year. He said Congress will provide funding starting in 2007.

Young said that in the past the type of injuries caused by roadside bombs in Iraq likely would have proved fatal. Today, advances in medicine and training in the battlefield are saving lives, but the injured often lose a limb, or multiple limbs.

Young said a new generation of prosthetics will help to improve their quality of life.

"It will be advantageous to anyone, if they were hurt in a military situation or a civilian situation," he said, citing industrial accidents and car wrecks.

Young also serves on a subcommittee that monitors the quality of life of veterans and is a big booster of James A. Haley VA Medical Center in Tampa.

"I think when this is over, it will be a red-letter day for Florida, America and the world."

-CARL KUTTLER, St. Petersburg College president

Haley's polytrauma unit is one of only four in the VA system that specializes in treatment of combat injuries caused by improvised explosive devices.

Although USF and Haley work together on various medical projects, it was not known whether Haley will have any role in the new venture.

Haley spokeswoman Carolyn Clark said she was not familiar with the project.

Last fall, St. Petersburg College began a new bachelor's degree program in orthotics and prosthetics. The idea is to teach students the increasingly sophisticated skills required to design and fit prosthetic limbs.

Only three other schools in the nation offer a bachelor's degree in that specialty.

Times researcher Cathy Wos and staff writer Lisa Greene contributed to this report.

[Last modified April 19, 2006, 23:39:21]