Alexandria Chalifour '26 has always been drawn to fields that blend innovation with impact, and her path in the University of Hartford’s College of Education, Nursing and Health Professions master of science in prosthetics and orthotics (MSPO) program allowed her to do just that.
“For me, the appeal was combining engineering and medicine to make a tangible difference in patient care,” Alexandria explains. “I wanted a career where I could use technical skills to improve someone’s quality of life every day.”
Her time at UHart provided the perfect foundation. Through nearly 400 hours of clinical internship rotations across New England, Alexandria gained hands-on experience with patients, learning from skilled clinicians while honing her own expertise. She also engaged in research exploring the use of 3D printing and digital workflows in low-resource international settings. This work was aimed at increasing access to quality prosthetic care.
“It wasn’t just the technical skills I gained,” Alexandria says. “The MSPO faculty encouraged collaboration across programs, built my confidence through challenging coursework, and gave me the support to explore multiple avenues of the field. My classmates and mentors were a huge part of that, too—they really made the program feel like a community.”
A standout moment for Alexandria was traveling to Sri Lanka on a mission trip with the LimbKind Foundation to provide prosthetic care for pediatric patients. “It was incredible to see the direct impact of what we were learning in the classroom,” she said.
Thanks to her experiences and the connections she made at UHart, Alexandria secured a residency at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab in Chicago, Illinois, even before graduation. She credits her preparation at UHart for giving her the skills, confidence, and professional network to take this next step.
“I can’t imagine a better environment to prepare for a career in prosthetics and orthotics,” she says. “The combination of real-world experience, research opportunities, and supportive faculty has been invaluable.”
Alexandria will graduate in May 2026 and is ready to launch her career, bringing both technical expertise and compassionate care to every patient she serves.
Alexandria Chalifour ’26, College of Education, Nursing and Health ProfessionsI can’t imagine a better environment to prepare for a career in prosthetics and orthotics. The combination of real-world experience, research opportunities, and supportive faculty has been invaluable.