OUR PRACTITIONERS

Deborah C. Wilde, MS, CPO, FAAOP
Owner & Practitioner

Deborah discovered prosthetics and orthotics during her graduate studies at the University of Illinois, when she was looking for a way to combine her interests in medicine, engineering and art. After earning a Bachelor’s degree in biology and then a Master’s Degree in Biomechanics from the University of Illinois at Urbana/Champagne, she completed her post-graduate studies in prosthetics and orthotics at Northwestern University. After a residency in orthotics, specializing in pediatrics, at Indiana University/Purdue University at Indianapolis in 1983 she began practicing orthotics and prosthetics at Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor, Maine.

Having a passion for working with children and helping them live (and play) to their fullest potential, Deborah moved to California in 1988 to become the first Chief of Orthotics and Prosthetics at the Lucile Salter Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford in Palo Alto. There Deborah worked on redesigning ankle foot orthoses (AFOs) to make them more user-friendly for families. After almost eight years at the Children’s Hospital, Deborah married and moved to the north bay area of San Francisco. She worked for another eight years at a private practice in Santa Rosa before convincing her husband that life in New England would be so much better, especially for their young son.

After falling in love with the Burlington area on a vacation, the family moved to Vermont in 2004 and Deborah began working at Bio-Medic Appliances, Inc. When the founders, Dan and Sue Hebert, decided to retire and move to North Carolina, Deborah bought the small private practice from them in January 2007. In the first four years under her leadership, the company has doubled in both staff size and patient population.  The company continues to grow under her leadership today.

Deborah lives in Richmond, Vermont, with her husband and son.  When she can tear herself away from the office, Deborah enjoys hiking, snowshoeing, cooking, reading and painting landscapes. 

Sarah Thomas, BS, CPO, FAAOP
Owner & Practitioner

Sarah Thomas joined Bio-Medic Appliances, Inc. in 2010 as a prosthetist/orthotist.  In January 2013, Sarah became a shareholder in the company.  Sarah is ABC-Certified in prosthetics and orthotics and specializes in prosthetics as well as cranial remolding orthoses for infants.  After earning a Bachelor’s degree in Comprehensive Sciences from Villanova University,  she completed her post-graduate studies at The Newington Certificate Program in Prosthetics and Orthotics in Newington, Connecticut, affiliated with The University of Connecticut at the time.

Sarah currently is serving as President on the board of directors for the American Academy of Orthotist and Prosthetists (AAOP).  AAOP is one of the major nationwide organizations in the O&P field which is “dedicated to promoting professionalism and advancing the standards of patient care through education, literature, research, advocacy, and collaboration”.

Sarah found her calling for orthotics and prosthetics at a young age. As a child, Sarah had a foster brother who was born with a leg deformity that resulted in an amputation at the ankle. Throughout her childhood, Sarah recognized her brother’s limitations as he struggled to run, jump, or do cartwheels, but mostly she remembered how he often broke the prosthetic foot off of his prosthesis . With her love for science and art, and the desire to “fix” her brother’s ever breaking prosthesis, Sarah made it her goal to become a prosthetist/orthotist while a sophomore in high school.

Sarah fell in love with Vermont while snowboarding at Vermont’s various ski resorts.  In 2010, Sarah and her husband moved up to Vermont from Boston, MA where she served as Manager for a branch office of a nation-wide orthotic and prosthetic company.   Sarah has been practicing as a prosthetist/orthotist since 2000.

Sarah lives in Morrisville, Vermont with her husband Todd and their “kids” Tacoma, Tessie and Copper, an Australian Cattle Dog mix, Chihuahua and a Chihuahua mix. In her spare time Sarah snowboards, plays softball, golfs, hosts high school foreign exchange students and travels as often as possible.

Carolyn Kauert, MSPO, CPO
Practitioner

Carolyn grew up in Massachusetts and went to Allegheny College in Pennsylvania for her undergraduate degree. She majored in Neuroscience and worked as a researcher in Alzheimers Disease for Massachusetts General Hospital following college. After a few years, she decided she wanted to help people by working directly with them. She discovered the field of Prosthetics and Orthotics and pursued her Masters Degree in Prosthetics and Orthotics at the Univeristy of Hartford. Carolyn graduated in 2014 and moved to Colorado to complete her residency programs.

Carolyn and her husband Sasha moved to Vermont in January of 2017 to join our growing team and also to be closer to family. In her spare time, Carolyn enjoys spending time with her husband and their standard poodle, Loki. She also enjoys hiking,skiing, yoga and making jewelry.

Rob Stamm, CP
Practitioner

Rob grew up in Westchester County New York.  He attended the University of Buffalo where he graduated with a degree in Design Studies.  After college he was a ski bum for a while.  Eventually he returned to school and received his Certificate in Prosthetics from California State Domingues Hills O&P program.  Rob worked for several years in Colorado and Massachusetts as a prosthetist before moving to Vermont in 2017.

Rob and his wife Andrea, who, is a native to Vermont live in Essex with their two daughters.  In his free time, Rob likes to ski, bike, hike, run, and spend time with his friends and family.

Ben Lucas, CPO
Practitioner

Ben grew up in eastern Ohio and received his undergraduate degree in Biomedical Engineering from Wright State University in Dayton. As a graduate student in Biomedical Engineering at Ohio State, he took a class in orthotics and prosthetics and knew that it would be a great career path for him with its mix of client interaction and technical skill. After working as an O&P technician at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Ben graduated from Georgia Tech in 2004 with his Master’s Degree in Orthotics and Prosthetics. Ben completed his orthotic residency at Gillette Children’s Hospital in St. Paul, MN in 2005.

Ben’s career has taken him all over the map. He spent five years working at a small O&P practice in Salem, Massachusetts where he also completed his prosthetic residency after which he spent six years in Atlanta, Georgia working at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and teaching O&P at Georgia Tech. Most recently, he started and developed the second orthotics and prosthetics program in Australia as Senior Lecturer at the University of the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia. Ben’s interest in teaching O&P and travel has taken him to places like the Philippines, Ukraine, Romania, and Croatia, where he has led short classes and participated in service missions.

Ben is married to Kristin and they have 3 children: Molly, Caroline, and Ezra. They are excited to make their home in Vermont and take advantage of all that this beautiful state has to offer.