ETSU to launch orthotics and prosthetics program

Murry Lee
·2 min read

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (WJHL) – East Tennessee State University has named the director of a future program that will be the first of its kind in the state.

According to ETSU, Dr. Kyle Leister will head the development of the university’s Orthotics and Prosthetics program. There are only 15 programs in the field across the country, and ETSU’s will mark the first in the Volunteer State.

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ETSU’s Department of Rehabilitative Sciences is developing the program to offer a Master of Science in Orthotics and Prosthetics degree. The first cohort of students is expected in January 2025.

The program will be housed in Allen Hall in Building 2 on the James H. Quillen VA Medical Center campus, according to ETSU.

The program was approved by the Tennessee Higher Education Commission in 2021.

Leister holds a Ph.D. in orthotics and prosthetics and has clinical training. He originally hails from Pennsylvania and received his undergraduate in Duquesne University, where he studied sports medicine and athletic training.

He put that degree to use while working for the Pittsburgh Penguins in the NHL. Leister then moved to Los Angeles and worked on a medical team at Paramount Pictures. After leaving Los Angeles, he earned a master’s degree in orthotics and prosthetics at Northwestern University.

Leister continued to move around the country when he completed his residency at the University of Houston, where he also earned a second master’s degree. He then obtained his Ph.D. at Syracuse University.

“I came to a realization that, if I can do this, anyone can do it – you just need the right people surrounding you to support you through it,” Leister said in a news release. “I feel like I can be that person for others. Teaching students how to do science well — that’s going to set them up for success no matter what they end up doing, especially in a field like O&P.”

Leister said he was excited to work with a “blank canvas” as the program gets off the ground. However, he will hold students to a high standard.

“This program has got to be successful and perform at a high level, and I came here to do just that,” said Leister. “There’s no way we are going to settle for anything less than excellence.”

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