Dear Members, Healthcare Professionals, Company Officials and Students,

We are honored and happy to invite you to the "1. INTERNATİONAL BALKAN PROSTHETİCS-ORTHOTİCS SYMPOSİUM" to organize on 18-19 October 2019 in Trakya University, Balkan Congress Center. We believe that the symposium will consist of high scientific content sessions, innovative topics and important discussions. It will be possible for our international symposium to be a symposium that will leave a mark in the minds with the scientific program and the support and contributions of our participants.

Aims of the Turkish Scientific Association of Prosthetics-Orthotics founded in 1998 in Ankara are to organize educational and scientific activities such as congress, symposium, course; to share scientific and technological developments with its members; to reflect these developments to patients; to ensure optimum use of prosthesis and orthotic resources; to cooperate with national and international organizations in the field of prosthesis and orthotics; to discuss the problems encountered; to provide information exchange between physicians, physiotherapists, engineers, prosthetist-orthotists, and orthopedic prosthesis-orthotics technicians working in this field, and to perform prosthesis-orthotic rehabilitation in developed countries standard.

The region of East Thrace in Turkey located in Balkans. Edirne is the largest city in Thrace and an important transfer point, 230 km from Istanbul, 5 km from Greece and 15 km from Bulgaria. Cultural connections and close relationships that have existed since history shows the importance of connection and cooperation between the Balkan countries and Turkey.

Despite advances in technology and health, problems from chronic diseases, war, trauma, or congenital causes are still an important health problem. Because of aging populations and the global increase in the incidence of chronic diseases, the severity of the problems is gradually increasing. Prosthetic-orthotic applications and rehabilitation are important for improving the function, independence and general well-being of people with disabilities. Increasing the capacity, improving the quality and raising the standards of the services provided in the prosthetic-orthotic field is very important for the employees in this field. This symposium is planned to increase cooperation between the Balkan countries in the field of prosthesis and orthotics, to improve communication between professionals, to provide an environment that can pave the way for co-works, and to improve the capacity and quality of prosthetic-orthotic production in the region. We believe that this symposium, which will be held with the participation of Balkan Countries under the leadership of the Turkish Scientific Association of Prosthetics-Orthotics will be beneficial for developing cooperation and communication between professionals working in the field of prosthesis and orthotics and companies providing services in this field.

For this purpose, many local and foreign professionals will contribute to the 1st International Balkan Prosthesis-Orthotics Symposium. The main topics of the symposium are; Prosthetics, Orthotics, Rehabilitation, Electrotactile Feedback Controlled Hand Prosthesis, Developments and Future Applications in Microprocessor Hand Prosthesis, Three Dimensional Technologies in Orthotics and Prosthesis Applications, Mobile Ocular and Facial Prostheses, Sports Specific Prostheses, Orthotics and Rehabilitation of Hand Injuries, Gait Disorders and Orthoses in Cerebral Palsy, Scoliosis and Orthotic Approaches, Lumbar / Sacroiliac Joint Dysfunction and Orthotic Approaches and Prosthetic-Orthosis Applications in the Balkans. Our symposium will include panel, conference, session, workshop, free papers and poster presentations containing these topics. All presentations will be published in the e-book that will be created on our symposium website.

We will be happy to be together with our valuable participants in this symposium, which aims to strengthen the social partnerships as well as scientific exchanges by bringing together the rehabilitation team working in the field of Prosthetics and Orthotics.

Yours sincerely and affectionately,

         Professor Dr. Sedat Üstündağ                                                                 Professor Dr. Fatih Erbahçeci
Dean of Trakya University Faculty of Health Sciences      President of Turkish Scientific Association of Prosthetics-Orthotics