May 8, 2023
MONTGOMERY, Alabama – May 8, 2023 – On May 5, 31-year-old Taushima “Shima” Nixon achieved a dream ten years in the making when she graduated from Alabama State University (ASU) with her Masters of Science in Prosthetics and Orthotics. Motivated by a desire to give back and increase representation in the O&P field, Nixon is making history as the first Black woman with bilateral limb loss to become an O&P clinician.
In March 2013, when Nixon was still an undergraduate student, she was struck by a vehicle in Greenville, North Carolina, and ultimately lost both legs, one above-the-knee and one below-the-knee. With support from her family, friends, and medical professionals—including an early peer visit from Community Care Coordinator Stephen Shope and care from Hanger Clinic prosthetists, including Area Clinic Manager Todd Clay—Nixon recovered and regained her mobility.
After completing her undergraduate degree and working in recreational therapy for several years, Nixon felt a pull to return to school and become a certified prosthetist / orthotist, helping patients as she had been helped. In 2021, she received the inaugural Hanger Foundation Diversity Scholarship to support her studies at ASU, and in June 2023, her journey will come full circle when she begins her residency at Hanger Clinic in Miami.
NBC Nightly News aired a segment about Nixon’s incredible story on Sunday, May 7. Watch the full segment here:
- NBC Nightly News: New graduate to work at the same prosthetics center that helped her after terrible accident
About Hanger Clinic – Hanger Clinic provides comprehensive, outcomes-based orthotic and prosthetic solutions at more than 925 patient care locations nationwide, and is part of the Hanger, Inc. ecosystem of diversified companies. Rooted in clinical research, excellence and innovation, its 1,700 board-certified clinicians provide customized solutions for all ages designed to increase the mobility and function of each person they have the honor of serving. For more information on Hanger Clinic, visit HangerClinic.com.
Contact:
Annie Myers
External Relations Manager
(210) 440-7380 or [email protected]