23rd September 2025
After attending the AOPA National Assembly, where leaders from across the prosthetics industry gathered to share knowledge and explore the future, we took the opportunity to look to our own team. We caught 5 minutes with Isabel Gonzalez, our newest clinician in Charlotte; Elise Dreiling, who established and now oversees Open Bionics’ 11 U.S. clinics; and our Clinical Lead in Orlando, Emily Shannon, who recently attended AOPA to showcase our full ecosystem of devices and joined conversations on how prosthetic care is evolving.
When Isabel Gonzalez, a Certified Prosthetist-Orthotist (CPO), launched the newest Open Bionics clinic in Charlotte, North Carolina, she brought years of specialized training and clinical experience to the role. After completing her prosthetics and orthotics program at UT Southwestern and a dual residency in Pittsburgh, she relocated to Charlotte in 2024.
“I’m excited to be leading our newest clinic in Charlotte,” she said. “The goal here is not to compete with other clinics, but to augment and support them. I want them to be comfortable using our products so more people can benefit.”
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Patients often hesitate to bring up problems to avoid feeling like a bother. I want them to know that their concerns are real, and that I intend to find a solution.
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“The goal is to serve as a hub for the latest in bionic technology, providing support, resources, and expertise so clinicians and patients feel confident using our devices which ultimately means more people can benefit.”
That spirit of collaboration extends to her work with patients as well. Isabel has always been drawn to the challenges of upper-limb care, where no two cases are alike.
“With bionic arms, you’re addressing a wide range of individual needs,” she explained. “That might be making it easier for a student to carry a backpack, supporting someone at work, or rebuilding confidence in the kitchen.”
Her motivation to make prosthetic care more inclusive is also personal. Isabel grew up speaking Spanish with her grandparents, and remembers how difficult medical appointments were for her grandmother. “She often didn’t understand her treatment plans and had to rely on family to translate,” Isabel said. “That lack of privacy and independence was frustrating for her, and it stuck with me.”
Today, Isabel sees Spanish as essential for families navigating care. “Even if terminology is hard at first, having someone who speaks your language can make care more comfortable and more private.”
“As a woman in the prosthetics industry, I prioritize making my patients feel heard, and working to solve their problems with empathy. Patients often hesitate to bring up problems to avoid feeling like a bother. I want them to know that their concerns are real, and that I intend to find a solution.”
Isabel focuses on personalized fittings, follow-up training, and regional clinician education. If you have an arm amputation or an arm limb difference and would like to speak with a prosthetist in Charlotte, you can book a call with Isabel here.
Emily Shannon, CPO, leads the Orlando clinic and brings an unusual background in biomedical engineering and 3D printing. In college, she joined an open-source prosthetics club and quickly saw how design and mechanics could be combined with patient care.
Emily is known for her flexibility with patients. If a parent can only bring their child on a school holiday, she’ll make it work. “If it makes things easier, I’ll try to adjust,” she said.
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We’re moving from simply meeting minimum functional needs to empowering the whole person. The future of prosthetic care is about autonomy, access, and ensuring people can live fully in every aspect of their lives.
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She’s also clear-eyed about managing expectations. “Clickbait makes it seem like prosthetics are mind-controlled robots. My job is to explain how it actually works. Flex this muscle to close, flex another to open, switch grips to match a task. It is cool, and it can be life-changing, but it is not magic.”
Prosthetic insurance is another area where she advocates fiercely. Recently, she celebrated a hard-won insurance appeal on behalf of a patient in Orlando. The case had been denied under a strict policy exclusion, but after months of persistence, she succeeded in overturning the decision. “Winning that appeal was incredibly meaningful,” she said. “People assume coverage is impossible, but sometimes it’s not. You just have to push. We’re here to help families figure it out.”
Emily also shared her takeaways from AOPA. One highlight was the So Every BODY Can Move celebration, a growing movement to secure insurance coverage for prosthetics and devices used in recreation and physical activity. “I think it signals a shift in culture,” she said. “We’re moving from simply meeting minimum functional needs to empowering the whole person. The future of prosthetic care is about autonomy, access, and ensuring people can live fully in every aspect of their lives.”
Another industry trend that stood out for Emily was the surge in 3D printing. “There were so many displays with printers, new materials, and device applications,” she said. “It’s exciting to see how much this has accelerated over the past decade, and it shows how 3D printing will continue to shape what’s possible in prosthetic design and delivery.”
Open Bionics creates advanced, lightweight upper limb prosthetics designed to be functional, comfortable, and stylish.
Elise Dreiling, was the first Open Bionics U.S. CPO and opened the company’s inaugural American clinic in Denver. Four years later, she now helps oversee a network of 11 clinics nationwide as a Director of Clinical Operations while still seeing patients.
“We realized that patients who came straight to us had faster fittings, better training, and more confidence using their device,” Elise explained. “That success drove us to expand clinics across the U.S. so more people could have that experience.”
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In a single month we see more upper-limb patients than most U.S. prosthetists will see in a year.
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Today, she manages operations, insurance, billing, compliance, and clinician training. A key part of her role has been showing how much the technology has advanced.
“With the Hero Arm, we’ve shown that 3D-printed prosthetics can be both durable and lightweight. Reliability is exceeding industry standards, and patients experience that quality every day.”
“In a single month we see more upper-limb patients than most U.S. prosthetists will see in a year,” Elise said, emphasising the expertise Open Bionics clinicians bring to the table. “ Our entire focus is bionic arms.”
The work of Isabel, Emily, and Elise reflects a shift underway in the prosthetics industry, with clinicians combining specialized expertise with scalable systems, patient-first practices, and direct feedback into product design. Their leadership sets a new benchmark: advancing clinical excellence while making high-performance bionic technology accessible to all who need it.
Would you like to demo any Open Bionics devices at a local clinic? Register your interest and we will contact you with availability at your nearest Open Bionics clinic.
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