About
Chris Robinson
A multidisciplinary path into consulting
My route into technology consulting was not conventional. I trained first as an athletic trainer, then as an orthotist and prosthetist, and worked from fabrication through patient care. As digital design and computer-aided manufacturing matured, I moved into CAD/CAM and saw firsthand how technology succeeds, or fails, when it meets real work.
For nearly two decades I have also taught at the graduate level. Work in research methods, clinical reasoning, and professional mentoring sharpened a skill that matters in every consulting engagement: turning a complicated subject into a decision someone can understand and use.
Alongside that, I have led data strategy, process improvement, technology integration, reporting, and regulatory-compliance initiatives. The settings have varied, but the underlying questions are remarkably consistent. Where is work getting stuck? Which information can be trusted? What should be standardized? What needs human judgment? What will the organization be able to maintain?
My technology work spans platform and server architecture, AI and automation, data and reporting systems, online learning, and the operational decisions that connect those systems to real work.
That is the perspective I bring to Robinson Consulting. Technology is never treated as a separate object. It is considered in the context of the people using it, the work it supports, and the consequences of getting the decision wrong.
What I bring to an engagement
- Technology platform and operations
- Platform and server architecture, systems integration, workflow improvement, reporting capability, and translating technical choices into operational terms.
- Product and clinical judgment
- Hands-on experience with orthotics, prosthetics, footwear-related products, digital design, fabrication, and the way products interact with the people who use them.
- Learning and research
- Graduate-level teaching, instructional design, online learning strategy, published scholarship, and a disciplined approach to evidence and professional standards.
How the work is delivered
I lead strategy, scoping, and quality oversight. When an engagement requires additional expertise or delivery capacity, I work with trusted specialists and collaborators. You retain one clear point of accountability while the project gets the right mix of skills.
Robinson Consulting accepts a limited number of engagements so I can remain personally involved wherever my judgment is part of the value.
Working principles
- Explain the recommendation in language the decision-makers can use.
- Make cost, risk, ownership, and maintenance part of the decision.
- Define scope and responsibility before work begins.
- Bring in the right specialist instead of stretching beyond genuine expertise.
- Disclose a commercial connection whenever a related Robinson Consulting brand could benefit.
- Accept only work that can be led well.
Robinson Consulting also operates three specialist brands. See how that works and what it means for a recommendation.
Experience
This summary focuses on roles and responsibilities rather than employer names. Education, professional memberships, publications, and public profiles are listed separately.
2003–2011
Certified athletic trainer
Outpatient physical therapy and sports medicine.
2003–2007
Technician, assistant, resident orthotist, then staff practitioner
A large orthotics and prosthetics practice, progressing from the fabrication bench to patient care.
2007
CAD/CAM specialist
Digital design and computer-aided fabrication for custom orthoses and prostheses.
2008–Present
Graduate health-science faculty
Teaching, research methods, and mentoring in a graduate clinical program.
2017–Present
Data strategy, process improvement, and compliance leadership
National accreditation and credentialing work across a professional discipline — technology integration, reporting systems, and regulatory compliance at scale.
Selected publications
A selection rather than a complete academic record. A full curriculum vitae is available on request.
Robinson C, Fatone S. You've heard about outcome measures, so how do you use them? Integrating clinically relevant outcome measures in orthotic management of stroke.
Prosthetics and Orthotics International 2013.
Robinson C, Major M, Kuffel C, Hines K, Cole P. Orthotic management of the neuropathic foot: an interdisciplinary care perspective.
Prosthetics and Orthotics International 2015.
Conner L, Wu Y, Robinson C. Dilatancy-based impression and fabrication technique for custom foot orthoses.
Prosthetics and Orthotics International 2015.
Robinson C, Fatone S, Stryker B. Lower limb orthoses.
Introduction to Orthotics: A Clinical Reasoning and Problem-Solving Approach. Mosby. 2014.
Robinson C, Stevens P, Reger C. Lower limb prosthetics.
Chapman's Comprehensive Orthopaedic Surgery. Jaypee Brothers Medical Publishers. 2018.
Hilliard M, An K-N, Robinson C. Biomechanics of the upper limb.
Atlas of Orthoses and Assistive Devices, 4th ed. American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons. 2018.
Discuss an engagement
If you are weighing a decision and want an experienced outside perspective, send a short description of what is in front of you.