Erbil Polytechnic University has celebrated another milestone for prosthetics and orthotics education in Iraq, with a new group of students graduating from its Bachelor Programme in Prosthetics and Orthotics under a programme formally recognised by the International Society for Prosthetics and Orthotics (ISPO).
Dr Zekra Ali Aziz, Head of the Prosthetics and Orthotics Department at Erbil Polytechnic University’s Technical Health and Medical College, congratulated the students on their graduation and highlighted the significance of the programme’s international recognition.
“As Head of Department, nothing is more rewarding than seeing the fruits of hard work come to life,” Aziz wrote in announcing the milestone, describing the achievement as a reflection of the students’ dedication, resilience and commitment to making an impact in healthcare.
The graduation represents another important step in the development of a locally trained P&O workforce in Iraq, where access to qualified prosthetists and orthotists is central to strengthening long-term rehabilitation capacity.
Programme recognised by ISPO until 2029
ISPO currently lists Erbil Polytechnic University as an accredited P&O education programme at Prosthetist/Orthotist level, with its Bachelor Programme in Prosthetics and Orthotics recognised for the period 2024–2029.
International recognition is particularly significant in P&O education because training requires a combination of medical science, biomechanics, technical fabrication, clinical assessment and supervised patient care.
ISPO’s education framework is designed to support internationally comparable standards for the preparation of prosthetists, orthotists and P&O technicians.
For students graduating from Erbil, the recognition provides important external validation that their education has been structured around internationally established professional expectations.
Iraq’s dedicated bachelor’s programme
Erbil Polytechnic University’s P&O department was established in 2020 and is described by ISPO as the only department in Iraq graduating students with a bachelor’s degree specifically in prosthetics and orthotics.
The programme was developed with support from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and through cooperation involving authorities in both the Kurdistan Region and federal Iraq.
ISPO states that the department’s curricula, practical training and clinical placements were developed with international standards in mind, supported through ICRC supervision and cooperation with Human Study, the German P&O education organisation.
That combination of university education, international technical support and clinical training is particularly important in a profession where graduates must be capable of moving from theoretical knowledge to independent patient assessment and device provision.
Building on the first graduating class
The first cohort from the Erbil programme comprised 15 graduates who completed their studies in June 2024. ISPO also notes that the programme recruits students from governorates across Iraq rather than limiting intake to the Kurdistan Region.
That national reach gives the programme potential significance beyond Erbil itself.
Qualified graduates can eventually contribute to prosthetic and orthotic services across different parts of Iraq, helping distribute professional expertise into areas where rehabilitation services may be limited.
For a country with substantial needs arising from trauma, conflict-related injury, diabetes, neurological conditions, paediatric disability and other causes of mobility impairment, developing domestic professional capacity is essential.
Imported technology and donated prosthetic components can contribute to rehabilitation, but sustainable services ultimately depend upon trained professionals who can assess patients, prescribe appropriately, manufacture or fit devices and provide long-term follow-up.
Zekra Ali Aziz’s role in the department
Aziz is listed by Erbil Polytechnic University as Head of the Prosthetics and Orthotics Department. Her academic profile identifies her as a lecturer and specialist in rheumatology and medical rehabilitation, while her CV records her leadership of the P&O department since 2020.
Her professional activities also reflect increasing engagement between the Erbil programme and the wider international P&O community. Her university profile lists participation in P&O meetings including the Jordanian National Society for Prosthetics and Orthotics scientific day, regional P&O congresses and ISPO’s Global Educators Meeting.
This international engagement can be particularly valuable for a relatively young educational programme, allowing faculty and students to connect with changing clinical practices, education standards and research across the global profession.
Education remains central to expanding P&O access
Across the IMEA region, one of the biggest constraints on expanding prosthetic and orthotic services is not necessarily access to technology — it is access to appropriately trained people.
Digital scanning, CAD/CAM, 3D printing and increasingly sophisticated components can improve P&O delivery, but technology cannot replace clinical reasoning.
A prosthetist or orthotist must still understand the patient’s diagnosis, functional objectives, anatomy, biomechanics, skin condition, environment and long-term rehabilitation requirements.
That makes investments in education just as important as investments in equipment.
Erbil Polytechnic University’s ISPO-recognised programme provides Iraq with a mechanism for developing those skills locally while establishing a pathway for graduates to enter the profession with internationally benchmarked education.
A milestone for Iraq’s next generation of CPOs
For Aziz, the latest graduation is a visible result of several years of work establishing and developing the department.
For the graduates, however, it represents the beginning rather than the end of their professional development.
They will now have the opportunity to take the knowledge acquired through university and clinical training into hospitals, rehabilitation centres, prosthetic workshops and community services throughout Iraq.
As the country’s P&O workforce grows, these graduates could help expand access to modern prosthetic and orthotic care while also becoming future educators, researchers and clinical leaders themselves.
The significance of the graduation therefore extends beyond a university ceremony.
Each additional professionally educated CPO represents additional capacity to provide long-term rehabilitation — and potentially many hundreds of patients who will gain access to better prosthetic and orthotic care over the course of that clinician’s career.
- Erbil Polytechnic University – Prosthetics and Orthotics Department
- ISPO – Erbil Polytechnic University Accredited Programme
- ISPO – Accredited P&O Education Programmes
- Zekra Ali Aziz – Erbil Polytechnic University Academic Profile
- International Society for Prosthetics and Orthotics