Scholarships
Tamarack Award
J. Martin Carlson, CPO, FAAOP, established the Tamarack Award at Northwestern University Prosthetics-Orthotics Center (NUPOC). Three annual awards of $2,000 per recipient are given to NUPOC Masters of Prosthetics & Orthotics (MPO) students who demonstrate excellence in orthotics and submit an original essay that details their commitment to orthotics.
The NUPOC teaching faculty anonymously evaluates and votes for the student awardees in December of the second year of MPO training. Award recipients are students who best exemplify these characteristics:
- Clear understanding of the principles of orthotic management
- Personal commitment to patient-focused clinical care
- Strong interest in advancing the effectiveness of orthotic treatment
The competition is open to all full-time candidates enrolled in the second year of the NUPOC MPO program.
Previous Winners
2025
Skylar Miggliaccio, Jaden Schovanec, Anapaula Avila
2024
Jacob Frehlich, Abby Citterman, Kelbi Magnuson
2023
Kristen John, Courtney Klapka, Will Harris
2022
Cerik Carter, Abby Stepnitz, Emily Weidensee
2021
Anna Atkins, Kevin Clark, Kendra Hercules
2020
Nicolette Chamberlain-Simon, Casey Gruber, Jennifer Pudlo
2019
Kristin Barth, Maureen Connelly, Abbey Senczyszyn
2018
Kyle Miller, Sheila Pach
2017
Samantha Wright, Joshua Zumbrun
2016
Kate Binder
2015
Christian Rae S. Figueroa
About J. Martin Carlson
J. Martin "Marty" Carlson, CPO, FAAOP, owner and chief engineer of Tamarack Habilitation Technologies in Blaine, Minnesota, holds degrees in aeronautics and mechanical engineering and certifications in prosthetics-orthotics. He is a published scientist, teacher, entrepreneur and innovator who developed the Carlson AFO Modification technique, the Gillette orthotic seating system, Tamarack ankle joints and more. Carlson was recognized by the American Academy of Orthotists and Prosthetists with the Titus-Ferguson Award (2009) and the Clinical Creativity Award (1997). NUPOC deeply appreciates the generosity of Carlson for bestowing the annual Tamarack Awards at NUPOC.
Hittenberger Legacy Scholarship
The Hittenberger Legacy Scholarship was established through the generosity of Tina Hittenberger, C.O., and Drew Hittenberger, C.P.O., to support NUPOC students while honoring the Hittenberger family's longstanding contributions to the orthotics and prosthetics profession. The scholarship recognizes students who demonstrate academic excellence, leadership, and a strong commitment to advancing patient care and innovation in orthotics and prosthetics.
Through a competitive application process, the scholarship provides financial assistance to students at critical points in their educational journey. The Hittenberger Family Legacy Fund was established in 2024, with one recipient selected annually. Beginning in 2026, NUPOC will award scholarships to both an incoming student and a second-year MPO student.
Scholarship recipients exemplify the values that have defined the careers of Tina and Drew Hittenberger, including professional leadership, service to others, lifelong learning, and a commitment to advancing the orthotics and prosthetics profession.
Previous Winners
2026
Kendal Coldren (MPO '26)
2025
Rio Strosnider (Inaugural Hittenberger Legacy Award Recipient)
About Drew and Tina Hittenberger
Tina Hittenberger and her brother, Drew Hittenberger, both of whom are fourth-generation prosthetists and orthotists.
The Hittenberger family has been a driving force in the orthotics and prosthetics profession for more than a century. Their legacy is exemplified by siblings Tina Hittenberger, CO, and Drew Hittenberger, CPO, fourth-generation practitioners whose careers advanced patient care, innovation, education, and professional leadership.
After earning her orthotics certification in 1975, Tina became one of the first women to enter the profession. In her early years as an orthotist, Ms. Hittenberger worked with many post-polio, lower extremity, spinal injury, and mastectomy patients. At age 26, she earned her pilot’s license and joined Los Médicos Voladores, or The Flying Doctors, providing orthotics to patients in Sonora, Mexico. Later, in the early 2000s, she worked in Da Nang and Hanoi to set up clinics to help rehabilitate victims of land mines in Vietnam. Throughout her distinguished career, she has served as a clinician, mentor, educator, and advocate for orthotics and prosthetics. She served as an examiner for the American Board for Certification, chair of the Scientific Program for the American Orthotic & Prosthetic Association, presented scientific papers at regional, national, and international conferences, served on the facility accreditation team, and served as an editorial reviewer for the Journal of Prosthetics and Orthotics.
Drew built a distinguished career as a prosthetist, researcher, innovator, and humanitarian. Following his education at Northwestern, he served as a lead researcher with Prosthetics Research Study in Seattle, contributing to innovations including the Seattle Foot, which received the US Presidential Award for design in 1985. He later returned to the family company and established an independent practice in California. After the war in Afghanistan, Drew and his father were part of an elite team that was the first international exchange of prosthetic technology and psychological services with Russian and American veterans. He is recognized for his compassionate patient care, inventive spirit, and contributions to rehabilitation, adaptive sports, and veterinary prosthetics.
Together, Tina and Drew embodied the values of service, innovation, education, and excellence that have long defined the Hittenberger family. Before Drew's passing in 2025, Tina and Drew established the Hittenberger Family Legacy Fund, which provides the annual Hittenberger Legacy Scholarship to honor their family's multigenerational commitment to orthotics and prosthetics.