APTA 2009 Award Recipients
The American Physical Therapy Association has recognized the following Neurology Section members in 2009:
Catherine Worthingham Fellows of APTA
This award is given to either an active or life member of the Association, whose contributions to the profession through leadership, influence, and achievements, demonstrate frequent and sustained efforts to advance the profession for a period of not less than 15 years preceding the nomination for election.
Andrea L. Behrman, PT, PhD, FAPTA
Dr. Behrman is known within the physical therapy community as an influential and persuasive leader, clinician, teacher, and researcher in the science of walking recovery after neurologic injury.
With a BS in biology from Furman University, MS from Duke University, and PhD from the University of Florida, Dr Behrman's career has spanned almost 30 years. Currently associate professor in the University of Florida's Department of Physical Therapy and graduate faculty member in the Rehabilitation Science PhD program, Dr Behrman is also assistant director of the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation NeuroRecovery Network (NRN), and she serves as research health scientist leading the Locomotor Research Initiative for the Brain Rehabilitation Research Center (BRRC) of Malcolm Randall VA in Gainesville, FL.
The Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation has recognized Dr Behrman's visionary leadership for the NeuroRecovery Network and its subsequent rapid expansion. She has presented internationally on locomotor training and spinal cord injury, as well as at national conferences and meetings. Most recently she presented for an APTA-sponsored session on the topic of new frontiers in research, as well as a session with co-NRN therapists on outcome measures for spinal cord injury. In addition, Dr Behrman has lectured for PT and DPT programs at universities around the country.
An APTA member since 1979, Dr Behrman has served the Neurology Section in positions ranging from secretary to speaker for CSM programming to assisting in formation of the first special interest group in SCI. Her leadership has been instrumental in developing strategic plans and programs that have contributed to the section's programs and sustained growth. She was guest editor for Neurology Report and continues to serve on the Editorial Board of Physical Therapy; as well she is a manuscript reviewer and expert reviewer for a host of industry publications and grant submissions. Outside of the office and the association, Dr Behrman mentors undergraduate student volunteers in her locomotor recovery lab and honors students as they aim toward a career in physical therapy.
Over the course of her distinguished career, Dr Behrman has been honored for her contributions to the physical therapy field with a number of awards, including the first Duke University Physical Therapy Program Alumni Award for Clinical Practice in 2008, the Neurology Section's Research Award for contributions to recovery of function after spinal cord injury, and the University of Florida's Superior Achievement Award.
APTA is pleased to recognize Andrea Dr Behrman's many achievements with the Catherine Worthingham Fellows award.
Richard Segal, PT, PhD, FAPTA
Dr. Segal has initiated and successfully carried out research programs in the areas of recovery of function following spinal cord injury, spinal cord adaptability, and anatomical and functional partitioning of muscles. His contributions to these fields have been described as "innovative" and "groundbreaking," cutting across many disciplines involved in basic and applied neuroscience, making him a forerunner in exploring the interface between imaging and evaluation of the musculoskeletal system following exercise.
Dr Segal earned a BS in allied health from Ohio State University and a PhD in anatomy and neuroscience from the University of Virginia. He began his PT career in Washington, DC, in 1976, and has since held the posts of instructor, assistant professor, associate professor, associate director, tenured professor, and in addition to teaching currently serves as director of the Division of Physical Therapy, Department of Allied Health Sciences, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Both an innovative instructor and effective research mentor, Dr Segal has demonstrated effective leadership skills as an educator. His extensive influence at Emory University was evident when he was invited to serve as commencement speaker even after moving to the University of North Carolina. As division director, he has mobilized a diverse faculty and shepherded his staff through major curricular changes, advances in development fundraising, research program growth, and advancement of clinical practice. Dr Segal has also advanced the profession of physical therapy via his contributions in the areas of research and education.
Outside of the classroom, Dr Segal has authored 34 refereed journal publications, serving as first author for 17, as well as two book chapters related to neuroscience. He frequently does presentations at national and international scientific meetings. In his community, Dr Segal is regarded as a humanitarian in his work of providing shelter for the homeless, designing youth educational programming, being involved in Habitat for Humanity, and fundraising for various service programs.
For APTA, Dr Segal has contributed at multiple levels, both regional and state. He has lent an active voice to APTA Program Directors meetings and served as a member of an ad hoc committee with the Education Section to review US News and World Report rankings for physical therapist programs. In addition, he served as an advisor to the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy and as Scientific Advisory Committee member for the World Confederation of Physical Therapy.
In recognition of his longtime and continued efforts of furthering the advancement of physical therapist education, APTA is pleased to present Dr Segal with the Catherine Worthingham Fellows award.
40th Mary McMillan Lecture Award
Carolee J. Winstein, PT, PhD, FAPTA
Dr. Winstein is a professor of Biokinesiology and Physical Therapy and directs the Motor Behavior and Neurorehabilitation Laboratory, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA. She holds a joint appointment in the Department of Neurology, USC Keck School of Medicine. She is best known for work concerned with the functional neural and behavioral basis of motor control and learning and its relationship to neurorehabilitation. She has published extensively on scientifically derived neurorehabilitation approaches to enhance recovery and repair after adult onset stroke. Winstein is principal investigator (PI) for the first clinical research network, PTClinResNet, funded by the Foundation for Physical Therapy; she is Co-PI of the first National Institutes of Health (NIH) phase III Multi-site Randomized Clinical Trial of a rehabilitation intervention for upper extremity recovery in stroke, Extremity Constraint-Induced Therapy Evaluation (EXCITE); she is PI for an individual investigator NIH funded grant, Brain and Behavioral Correlates of Arm Rehabilitation after Stroke, a companion to EXCITE; and Co-PI of a NIH roadmap planning and exploratory project, the Interdisciplinary Study of Neuroplasticity and Stroke Rehabilitation (ISNSR). In 2005, she was appointed to the National Advisory Board on Medical Rehabilitation Research (NABMRR) of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) of the NIH. Recent research efforts that provide critical background and experience for the development of innovative approaches in neurorehabilitation include: 1) feasibility of Novel Virtual Environments and Constraint-Induced Movement Therapy (NIH Phase I STTR), 2) Safety and Effectiveness of Cortical Stimulation in the Treatment of Upper Extremity Hemiparesis (Northstar Neuroscience, Inc.), and the Interdisciplinary Comprehensive Arm Rehabilitation Evaluation (I-CARE) Stroke Initiative, a Multi-Center phase III Randomized Control Trial recently funded by NIH/NINDS/NICHD.
F A Davis-Outstanding PTA Educator
Rebecca S. McKnight, PT, MS
Ms. Knight is an educator whose service on behalf of physical therapist assistants (PTAs) has promoted an identity and stronger voice among the educators of PTAs, influencing all PTA programs nationwide.
She is co-owner of Reach Consulting of Powersite MO, providing consultation on curricular development and assessment. She also teaches at Missouri State University and at Ozarks Technical Community College, where she serves as program director. Previous posts include staff physical therapist for Skaggs Community Health Center and member of the Clinical Pathways Committee at both Skaggs Community Health Center and St John's Regional Health Center. Ms McKnight holds degrees from St Louis University (BS) and Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions (MS).
With her clear understanding of the valuable role of the PTA within the physical therapy profession, Ms McKnight strives to uncover the best evidence that the teaching methods incorporated within the program effectively prepare the PTAs of the future. Under Ms McKnight's leadership, the pass rate of the PTA licensure exam by Ozarks Technical Community College graduates has exceeded the national average. She demands the most of herself while pushing her students and coworkers out of their comfort zone, and she is described by one colleague as a "tide changer"-one who defines a student's potential outside of the classroom.
Ms McKnight has served APTA in many capacities, in which she has advanced, promoted, and defined the education of PTAs. From 2004 to 2007, she served on the Task Force to Revise the Normative Model of Physical Therapist Assistant Education. For the Education Section, she has been chair, vice chair, and on the Nominating Committee of the Physical Therapist Assistant Educators Special Interest Group. Also active in the Missouri Chapter, Ms McKnight is currently director on the State Board and in the past served as Southwest District chair.
Practice and Service Awards Recipients
Lucy Blair Service
In 1969, the Lucy Blair Service Award was established to honor the contributions of Lucy Blair, who served the American Physical Therapy Association from 1950-1969 as Poliomyelitis Consultant, Chief of Professional Services, Associate Director, and Executive Director. The purpose is to acknowledge and honor physical therapist members of the Association whose contributions to the Association as a whole, at both the Association level and the component level, like those of Lucy Blair, have been of exceptional value.
David M. Morris, PT, PhD
Dr. Morris has played a significant role in the origin and evolution of the Aquatics Section, as well as enhancing the visibility of physical therapy in Alabama via his work with the Alabama Chapter. He has been associate professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham's Department of Physical Therapy since 1991. His clinical experience includes posts at Birmingham's Pain Rehabilitation Center as senior physical therapist, supervisor of education, and staff physical therapist. Dr Morris holds a BS in physical therapy from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; a MS in physical therapy education from the University of Alabama at Birmingham; and a PhD in health education/promotion, also from the University of Alabama.
While serving as secretary of the Charter Executive Committee of the Aquatic Section, Dr Morris was instrumental in creating bylaws and developing the original Policy and Procedures Manual. He willingly accepted the responsibility of serving as the first editor of the Aquatic Section's newsletter, "Waterlines." His responsibilities grew as he took on the task of serving as the first editor of the Journal of Aquatic Physical Therapy from 1992 to 1996, and at present is a member of the Editorial Board. Dr Morris's groundwork on these publications has given the section membership and other aquatic practitioners access to reputable and up-to-date information on a regular basis. Early in the history of the Aquatic Section, its members recognized the necessity of an education program for PTs and PTAs about water safety. Once the decision was made to develop such a program, Dr Morris served on the committee to develop Water Safety Plus for Therapy Professionals a water safety- and risk-management certification program. In addition to his continued involvement in the Aquatic Section, Dr Morris has chaired several task forces and committees and served 3 terms as vice president of the Alabama Chapter. He currently is serving his second term as president of the Alabama Chapter.
Outstanding PTA
Deborah K. Bornmann, PTA
Ms. Bornmann has consistently lent her talents and her voice to the physical therapy profession via local and national involvement in trade groups, in addition to reaching out to future physical therapist assistants (PTAs) as an educator and mentor.
She works as the director of rehabilitation at Warm Springs Specialty Hospital of Victoria, TX, where she manages inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation services and serves as center coordinator of clinical education. As a faculty member in the physical therapist assistant program at GateWay Community College Ms Bornmann developed course materials and lab content instructing and supervising PTA students in the classroom, lab, and via distance-education settings in the content areas of orthopedics, neurology, physical agents, rehabilitation techniques, and musculoskeletal assessment. She continues to work as adjunct faculty in the PTA Distance Education Program at GateWay. She has also taught at Rio Salado College in Tempe, and has worked in the clinical settings at Maricopa Medical Center and the Arizona Burn Center in Phoenix, in private practice with Martha Brubaker, PT, and at Casa Grande Regional Medical Center in Arizona. Ms. Bornmann earned a bachelor of applied science degree in health promotion from Northern Arizona University.
Ms Bornmann has been a member of the Arizona Chapter, serving on the Practice Act Revision and Practice Act Rules task forces, the Task Force on Utilization of Physical Therapist Assistants, and the Task Force on Legislative Action for Off-Site Supervision of the PTA. In addition, she has been chair and co-chair of the Physical Therapist Assistant Special Interest Group, and Arizona PTA Representative to the National Assembly. On the national level she is the PTA member of the Acute Care Section Board of Directors and recently served as chair of the Advisory Panel of Physical Therapist Assistants. She was a member of the Task Force for the Revision of Core Ethics Documents, served as presiding officer of the National Assembly and on the Collaboration Task Force, to name just a few volunteer positions. She has also been involved in the Neurology Section Public Relations Committee and as a participant in the section's Educational Planning Retreat, and is now a member of the Texas Chapter.
However, Ms Bornmann's service to the profession extends beyond the APTA community. She has served on the Physical Therapist Assistant Program Advisory Committee for GateWay Community College and as a PTA member of the Jurisprudence Examination Construction Committee of the State of Arizona Board of Physical Therapy and Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy. When not working in the clinic or teaching, Ms Bornmann has volunteered with the Phoenix-area Special Olympics, the Casa Grande Alliance, a group that shares a vision of a safe and drug-free community, and is an ambassador for the Victoria, TX, Chamber of Commerce.
Publications Awards Recipient
Dorothy Briggs Memorial Scientific Inquiry
Sandra A. Billinger, PT, MSPT, PhD
Dr. Billinger is recognized as the primary author of "Modified Total-Body Recumbent Stepper Exercise Test for Assessing Peak Oxygen Consumption in People with Chronic Stroke." The second and third authors of this work respectively are Benjamin Y Tseng, PhD, and Patricia M Kluding, PT, PhD. Dr Billinger is clinical instructor in the Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science at the University of Kansas Medical Center.
Dr Billinger, Dr Tseng, and Dr Kluding contend the assessment of peak oxygen consumption using traditional modes of testing, such as treadmill or cycle ergometer, can be difficult in individuals with stroke due to balance deficits, gait impairments, or decreased coordination. The study aimed to quantitatively assess the validity and feasibility of a modified exercise test using a total-body recumbent stepper in individuals after stroke. A within-subject design, with a sample of convenience, was used.
Eleven participants were tested and performed 2 maximal-effort graded exercise tests on separate days, using the total-body recumbent stepper and a cycle ergometer exercise protocol to assess cardiorespiratory fitness, measuring peak oxygen consumption and heart rate. The authors found a strong relationship between the stepper and ergometer exercise test for peak oxygen consumption and heart rate, with mean oxygen consumption significantly higher with the stepper compared with the cycle ergometer. They concluded that the total-body recumbent stepper may be a safe, feasible, and valid exercise test to obtain measurements of peak oxygen consumption in people with stroke, and may be used to prescribe aerobic exercise for individuals with mild to severe deficits after stroke.
Billinger SA, Tseng BY, Kluding PM. Modified total-body recumbent stepper exercise test for assessing peak oxygen consumption in people with chronic stroke. Phys Ther. 2008;88:1188-1195.
Research Award Recipients
Chattanooga Research
Katherine J. Sullivan, PT, PhD, FAHA
Dr. Sullivan is recognized for the article she authored with Sheilesh S. Kantak, PT, MS, PhD(Cand), and Patricia A. Burtner, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA, titled "Motor Learning in Children: Feedback Effects on Skill Acquisition." Dr Sullivan is associate professor of clinical physical therapy and director of the Doctor of Physical Therapy Program, Division of Biokinesiology and Physical Therapy at the School of Dentistry, University of Southern California.
Shailesh S. Kantak, PT, MS
Mr. Kantak s recognized for the article he wrote with Katherine J. Sullivan, PT, PhD, FAHA, and Patricia A. Burtner, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA, titled "Motor Learning in Children: Feedback Effects on Skill Acquisition." Mr Kantak is a PhD candidate in the Division of Biokinesiology and Physical Therapy at the School of Dentistry, University of Southern California.
Dr Sullivan, Mr Kantak, and Dr Burtner studied the effect of different relative frequencies of feedback on skill acquisition in children compared with young adults. Reduced feedback during motor skill practice benefits motor learning; however, it is unknown whether these findings can be applied to motor learning in children, given that children have different information-processing capabilities. All 40 participants-young adults and children-practiced 200 trials of a discrete arm movement with specific spatiotemporal parameters. Participants from each group were randomly assigned to either a 100 percent feedback group or a reduced (62 percent faded) feedback group. Learning was inferred from the performance on the delayed (24-hour) retention and reacquisition tests. All participants improved accuracy and consistency across practice trials, during which the young adults performed with significantly less error than the children. Adults who practiced with reduced feedback performed with increased consistency during the retention test compared with those who practiced with 100 percent feedback. In contrast, children who received reduced feedback during practice performed with less accuracy and consistency during the retention test than those who received 100-percent feedback. When feedback was reintroduced during the reacquisition test, the children in the reduced feedback group were able to improve their performance comparable with those in the 100 percent feedback group. The authors concluded that during motor learning, children use feedback differently from adults. To optimize motor learning, children may require longer periods of practice, with feedback reduced more gradually.
Sullivan KJ, Kantak SS, Burtner PA. Motor learning in children: Feedback effects on skill acquisition. Phys Ther. 2008; 88: 720-732
Jack Walker
Kurt A. Mossberg, PT, PhD
Dr. Mossberg is recognized for being co-author with Evelyn E. Orlander, PT, MPT, and Julie L. Norcross, BS, on the article titled "Cardiorespiratory Capacity After Weight-supported Treadmill Training in Patients With Traumatic Brain Injury." Dr. Mossberg is a professor at Department of Physical Therapy, School of Health Professions at the University of Texas Medical Branch.
The article brought attention to cardiorespiratory adaptations to body-weight-supported treadmill training (BWSTT) to improve the temporal and spatial characteristics of unsupported overground walking. This case report described the effects of BWSTT on cardiorespiratory fitness in 2 patients recovering from severe traumatic brain injury. Both patients were involved in motor-vehicle accidents and were studied after admission to a post-acute residential treatment program. Patient 1 was a 25-year-old man (initial Glasgow Coma Scale [GCS] score=3) who began observation and treatment 3 months after the injury; patient 2 was an 18-year-old woman (initial GCS=6) who began observation and treatment 1 year after the injury. Each patient received 2 to 3 sessions of BWSTT per week; aerobic capacity was measured while they ambulated on a treadmill without body-weight support before and after BWSTT. Both patients' submaximal and peak responses improved. Total treadmill work performed increased 134 percent and 53 percent, respectively. Peak oxygen uptake increased 24 percent for patient 1 and 16 percent for patient 2. Estimated cardiac stroke volume (oxygen pulse) increased 32 percent and 26 percent for patient 1 and 2, respectively. Observations suggest that BWSTT has the potential to favorably change cardiorespiratory capacity after traumatic brain injury.
Mossberg KA, Orlander EE, Norcross JL. Cardiorespiratory capacity after weight-supported treadmill training in patients with traumatic brain injury. Phys Ther. 2008;88:77-87.
Marian Williams-Research in Physical Therapy
The award is named in honor of Marian Williams (deceased 1964), whose life was dedicated to promoting the profession of physical therapy through teaching, writing, and research. The purpose is to acknowledge an individual who has made significant contributions to physical therapy through excellence in research as exemplified by the professional and research career of Marian Williams.
Susan J. Herdman, PT, PhD
Dr. Herdman is Professor, Departments of Rehabilitation Medicine and Otolaryngology, at Emory University, Atlanta, Ga. Over the past 10 years, there have been three clear themes related to Dr. Herdman's scholarly activities. 1) examining treatment efficacy for patients with BPPV, or with vestibular hypofunction, 2) developing new outcome measures for persons with vestibular hypofunction, specifically a measure of visual acuity during head movement, and 3) determining the factors that influence treatment outcome for persons with unilateral and bilateral vestibular hypofunction.
Dr. Herdman lectures both nationally and internationally and has written extensively about the above topics. She is a world leader in the treatment of persons with vestibular disorders.
Dr. Herdman is both the director and founder of the American Physical Therapy Association's (APTA) competency based course related to vestibular rehabilitation. In addition, Dr Herdman was also the first chair of the Vestibular Special Interest Group of the Neurology Section, a subset of the APTA. She has been recognized for her contributions to the science and art of physical therapy by being named a Fellow of the APTA and has been recognized with the John Maley Award for Innovative Clinical Practice.
The focus of her current research is determining predictors for successful rehabilitation of people with vestibular loss. These studies also examine the development of the mechanisms involved in the recovery of gaze stability. By identifying these mechanisms, more effective treatment protocols can be developed.
Mary McMillan Scholarship
Jennifer L. Hrdina, SPT - Concordia University, Wisconsin
Minority Scholarships
Yanira Figueroa, PT, DPT - Sacred Heart University