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Prosthetics Within Reach
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One Island Media, 2021
OUR TEAM
We are a dedicated team of engineers, designers, and volunteers based in Victoria, Canada, at the University of Victoria. To learn more about our Clinical Partners working in-country to fit and deliver our prosthetic hands, see our Partners page.
Executive Members and Board of Directors
Michael Peirone, B.Eng, EIT
Chief Executive Officer
Michael worked on the project through his undergraduate degree and completed two internships with VHP. Michael now helps with the day-to-day operations of VHP, engineering design and communicating with the international partners.
Nick Dechev, P.hD, P.Eng
Chief Technical Officer
Nick is a founding member of VHP and the original inventor of the TBM Hand on which the Victoria Hand is based. As CTO, Nick is involved primarily with the engineering and design of the prosthetic systems, as well as establishment of international partnerships, and project management.
Joshua Coutts, B.Eng
Josh is a founding member of the VHP team and now serves on the VHP board of Directors. Josh has a B. Eng (UVic) in Mechanical Engineering and has worked extensively to lead and establish initiatives in Guatemala, Nepal and Haiti.
Aislinn Sirk, B.Sc, Ph.D, J.D.
Aislinn Sirk is involved in several aspects of VHP including advising, policy and contract review, fundraising, grant review, social media and marketing, and intellectual property.
Jerome Etwaroo, P.Eng
Jerome is an advisor to the Victoria Hand Project, and serves on the board of Directors. He is an industrial liaison officer and contracts manager at UVic.
Nigel Livingston, Ph.D
Nigel is an advisor to the Victoria Hand Project, and serves on the board of Directors. He is a Professor at UVic, and is based in the School of Public Health and Social Policy.
VHP Clinical Partners
VHP only offers our hand through Certified Prosthetists to ensure a safe and comfortable fitting prosthesis. To learn more about our partners in each of the countries that we work in, visit our Partners page!
Advisory Members
Justine Trubey
Working with a nonprofit in Cambodia, as CEO of LimbForge, and as a strategic adviser to VHP, she believes purpose-driven technology can help make the world a little better place.
Andreas Bastian
Andreas is a designer, engineer, and artist who develops and applies cutting edge 3D printing technologies. He is a Founder and Technology Advisory Board Chair of LimbForge.
Engineering Design Team
Kelly Knights, B.Eng, EIT
Biomedical Systems Designer
Projects: Force Doubler, Backlock, Scoliosis Bracing, Transradial & Transhumeral Limb Sockets
Kelly began working for VHP full time in 2020 after volunteering with the team for five years during her undergraduate degree.
Kim Arklie, B.Eng
Mechanical Systems Designer
Projects: Personal Assistive Writing Device (PAW), VZ300 Hand
Kim began working full time with VHP in Fall 2021 and is a recent graduate from the Mechanical Engineering undergraduate program at the University of Victoria.
Recent Co-op Students and Notable Projects
Derek Bell, B.Eng
Projects: Custom Limb Sockets, Scoliosis and Limb Socket Software Development
Derek worked with VHP to create a software program that uses the Fusion 360 API to design custom O&P Devices.
Jason Benett
Project: LimbForge Platform Conversion
Jason took on the major task of making updates to the LimbForge platform and transitioning it from Ruby on Rails to Java Script.
James Ngara
Projects: Kenya Expansion, Socket Design
James has been involved with assembling 3D printed hand parts, 3d scanning and 3D modeling scanned molds in preparation for printing. He also initiated the project in Kenya.
Maggie Robinson
Co-op Terms: Spring 2021, Fall 2021
Projects: V300 Half 20 Wrist, Hand Actuator
Maggie is a fourth year Biomedical Engineering student at the University of Victoria, also pursuing a business minor. She completed a co-op with VHP in 2021.
Asees Kaur
Co-op Term: Summer 2020, Fall 2021
Projects: Tensile Testing, Silicone Testing
Asees Kaur is a fourth year Mechanical Engineering student, she began volunteering in 2019, pursued part of her co-op term with VHP in 2020.
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Cassidy Hinz
Co-op Term: Summer 2021
Projects: Fingertip Molding, Elbow Testing
Cassidy is a fourth year Biomedical Engineering student who has been volunteering with the Victoria Hand Project since 2019.
Volunteer Team (Fall 2021)
In Photo (Left to Right): Zeina Maan, Lauren Hutchinson, Jess Thomsen,
Nic Di Cesare, Diego Fisher, Stephen Kioussis
Computer Screen (Left to Right): Molly James, James Batson
Not in Photo: Jaylan Hamad, Sue Youn Kim, Josie Laidlaw, Michelle Martindale, Lauren Mills, Ahmed Momoh, Kimiya Mousavi, Tyler Nield, Anika Rao,
Samantha Sperling, Jake Taylor
Past VHP Co-op Students
ALEX BURDEN, B.ENG
KALONICA CHRISTIE, B.ENG
ALASTAIR KUZMICK, B.ENG
JOELLE LEJAY, B.ENG
ALEXANDRA MALINOWSKI, B.SC
MICHAEL RICHARDS, B.SC
SUKHPREET SINGH, B.ENG
SINA VALIZADEH, B.ENG
NICHOLAS WHYTE, B.ENG, M.ENG
Past VHP Team Members
SAEED ALAM, B.ENG
NATASHA BANSAL, B.SC
DIRK BRUSSOW, B.ENG
MAGGIE CHAN, B.ENG
ANDREA CHAN
EILIDH EARLE-MITCHELL, B.A
DELANEY HAUGAN, B.ENG
RICHARD KNOWLTON, B.ENG
ANGIE MACDONALD, B.ENG
EASTON MARTEL
BRYCE MCMATH, B.ENG
KRISTI MEREDITH, B.A
CAITLYN QUACH, B.ENG
AUSTIN SAWYER, B.ENG
PRANAV SHRESHTA, B.ENG
PRANAY SHRESHTA, B.ENG
ASHLYNN STEEVES, B.ENG
KELLY STEGMAN, PH.D.
MATT TREBLE