Kellie Chieu, MSPO, CPO

I am privileged to work alongside wonderfully skilled clinicians who help me to provide better care. Very few experiences are more personally or professionally satisfying than designing a device that helps patients achieve their goals. I am a strong advocate for integrating Prosthetics and Orthotics into larger health systems. I am particularly interested in understanding the finances of P&O care and how structural systems help or hinder access to treatments. When not elbow deep in Prosthetics & Orthotics, I enjoy spending time outdoors with my family.

I chose to get into the field of orthotics and prosthetics to help people. Our devices give back function for people to reach their goals and perform necessary activities of daily living. This field is a mixture of medicine, science, engineering, and working with your hands. My philosophy of patient care is to put the patient first. I have to listen to what they are looking for and put their needs at the forefront. When I am not at work, I like to golf and to spend time with my family.

I serve as a vestibular physical therapist at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. As a native of Saratoga Springs, New York, I have served in a variety of clinical settings in Colorado, North Carolina, and Florida focusing on acute and subacute neurological impairments, and I am primarily passionate about vestibular rehabilitation and craniofacial pain. At UNC, I participate in the long-COVID multidisciplinary team and I have worked most recently to develop the vestibular rehab portion of UNC’s Transforming Health and Resilience in Veterans (THRIVE) Program, a multidisciplinary team for veterans suffering from mild traumatic brain injuries (TBIs).