Neurology Section Awards 2007

Service to the Section	Excellence in Research
Clinical Excellence	Golden Synapse
Student

Service to the Section

Purpose: To acknowledge and honor a member of the Neurology Section whose contributions to the Section have been of exceptional value.

Recipient: James T. Cavanaugh, PT, PhD, NCS

Jim Cavanaugh is a postdoctoral fellow at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Durham, NC. Jim has a long history of volunteering his time and expertise to support Neurology Section activities: he has been a member of the practice committee, secretary of the Vestibular SIG, a manuscript reviewer for JNPT, Telecommunications chairperson, III STEP planning committee member, III STEP website designer and manager, and is the Electronic Media Editor of JNPT.

His colleagues recognize him as an effective leader who is committed to the profession of physical therapy as evidenced by his contributions to the section and especially the III STEP Conference. Jim lead the initiative to develop a website for III STEP which he managed single-handedly. Jim also undertook the responsibility of managing sponsors for the conference and proposed a creative alternative for vendors: participation in ‘technology panels’ in which manufacturers, researchers, educators, and clinicians collaborated on ideas for future development of rehabilitation technology. As a result of his knowledge and skills in telecommunication and his creativity and leadership, Jim was recently appointed as the first Electronic Media Editor for JNPT.

Jim’s vision “to be the best we can be,” his dedication, his conviction to stay focused on goals, his warmth and sense of humor, and his leadership skills make working with him very rewarding.

For a list of past award recipients, please click here.

Clinical Excellence

Purpose: To acknowledge and honor a member of the Neurology Section whose major professional involvement is currently with the practice of neurologic physical therapy.

Recipient: Walter Weiss, PT, MS, NCS

Walter Weiss graduated from University of Southern California in 1989. During his formal education Walt was recognized as an individual with a passion for neurologic physical therapy and a desire to continuously integrate knowledge from basic and applied sciences to his clinical decision-making. Since then, Walt has demonstrated an impressive career at USC/Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center working in various positions related to the management of patients with neurologic dysfunction. Initially Walt worked for nearly a decade on the Adult Brain Injury and Stroke Service at RLANRC. His acquired expertise led him to become a Board Certified Clinical Specialist in Neurology in 1995.

Walt’s was a Research Physical Therapist in the Rancho Pathokinesiology Lab, Certified Gait Instructor and Adjunct Clinical Faculty and was recognized as an expert in the analysis and treatment of gait dysfunction. He has presented on gait dysfunction in the neurologic population. He was instrumental in the Neurologic Clinical Residency Program as a Master Mentor where he ensured that patients receive the highest quality services and stimulated the growth of many superb clinicians.

For a list of past award recipients, please click here.

Excellence in Research

Purpose: To acknowledge and honor a member of the Neurology Section who has demonstrated continuing excellence in research related to neurologic physical therapy science, theory, practice, or education.

Recipient: Amy Bastian, PT, PhD

Dr. Amy Bastian is an associate professor in neurology, neuroscience and physical medicine and rehabilitation at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine & the Kennedy Kreiger Institute in Baltimore, MD. Dr. Bastian has published over 37 Medline research papers in journals ranging from Brain, Journal of Neurophysiology, Annals of Neurology, Experimental Brain Research, Movement Disorders, Neurology, Journal of Neuroscience, Physical Therapy, Pediatrics, and Neurorehabilitation and Neural Repair. Dr. Bastian has made her most substantial contribution to the understanding of cerebellar adaptation and cerebellar ataxia. She has also studied persons with Parkinson’s disease, stroke, and children with cerebral palsy during her research career. In addition, Dr. Bastian has received 2 NIH R01 awards as the principle investigator and was awarded a K01 award to study cerebellar ataxia early in her research career.

Few physical therapists have the ability to conduct such exquisite lab studies, yet she also possesses the skill to share her findings and their potential clinical implications. Dr. Bastian started her career in a rehabilitation hospital and has continued her line of research in neurologic movement disorders, to the benefit of all physical therapists. Dr. Bastian has done a fine job of contributing to neurologic physical therapy science, theory, practice and education.

For a list of past award recipients, please click here.

Golden Synapse Award

Recipients: Lara Boyd, PT, PhD and Carolee Winstein, PT, PhD

The 2007 Golden Synapse was awarded to the article titled, Explicit Information Interferes with Motor Learning of Both Continuous and Discrete Tasks after Stroke authored by Lara Boyd PT PhD and Carolee Winstein PT PhD. The article was published in the June 2006 issue of Journal of Neurologic Physical Therapy (Volume 30, Number 2 pp 46-59). The award recognizes the most outstanding article published each year. The decision is made by JNPT Reviewers and Editorial Board members and is based on the article’s conceptualization, execution, presentation and contribution to physical therapy practice.

The authors were recognized and awarded a plaque at the Neurology Section’s Business Meeting in Boston, Mass. The article related commentary and podcasts (in the authors own voice) can found at neuropt.org.

For a list of past award recipients, please click here.

Student Awards

Each year the Neurology Section Research Committee recognizes outstanding abstracts submitted for the Combined Sections Meeting by students at the post-professional and professional levels.

The winner of the 2007 post-professional student award was Justin Beebe, a student in the Movement Science Ph.D. program at Washington University in St. Louis. Justin’s abstract was entitled “Acute hemiparesis: relationships between isolated movement control at 9 segments of the upper extremity and hand function”. His advisor is Catherine Lang. Download the Abstract Here

The winners of the 2007 professional student award were Tracy Diephuis, Sara Beuth, and Margot McCloy from Northwestern University. Their abstract was entitled “Effects of Limb Load on Gait Initiation in Persons with Parkinson’s Disease”. Their advisors are Marjorie Hilliard, Katherine Martinez, and Mark Rogers. Download the Abstract Here

For a list of past award recipients, please click here.