Academy Leadership

What unique contributions do you bring to the AGPT Board of Directors?

I believe I can contribute to AGPT's practice goals by bringing a background of clinical experiences that include Acute Care, Inpatient Rehabilitation (IRF), Sub-Acute Rehab (SNF), Long-Term Care, Home Health, and Outpatient settings. I can contribute to AGPT's educational goals by virtue of my experiences teaching entry-level PT's, PTA's, post-professional geriatric residents, and peers. And I can contribute to AGPT's advocacy goals because of previous involvement with Federal advocacy, AGPT governance and leadership, and practice administration. Combined, I believe I can assist in improving care for aging adults while building a resource and networking hub for members who provide physical therapy services for aging adults.  

What is your vision for the Academy in the next 3 years?   

To elevate practice related to physical therapy management of older adults across the continuum of care, from wellness and health promotion in community-dwelling adults to frailty and palliative care; and to become the leading resource for all students and practicing PT's and PTA's who treat aging adults, regardless of the practice setting.

What unique contributions do you bring to the AGPT Board of Directors?

One item I bring to the BOD is clinical experience that encompasses the span of aging; including skilled nursing, acute care, home health to outpatient and wellness practice in a CCRC. The tie that binds it all together is advocacy for older adults, particularly those who may not have the voice to speak for themselves. This evolved so that my current work is primarily with non-PT care partners and other healthcare providers, so daily I am translating the communications of people with dementia to help better understand their needs.

What is your vision for the Academy in the next 3 years?

As we approach APTA's centennial anniversary (2021), my vision for our academy is that we are the premier source for improving the lived experience of aging - this includes internally for PT's across practice settings but also externally as advocates who partner with groups and serve as a resource to the aging services community. My hope is that by 2021 people recognize us as the leaders in optimizing well-being turn to us as a primary resource for information, education and advocacy efforts.

What unique contributions do you bring to the AGPT Board of Directors?

Skills that I bring to the position of Secretary include strong organizational and interpersonal skills, attention to detail, and attentive listening. Prior to being elected Secretary, I had not previously served the Academy except on the fringes. Because of this, I bring a bit of an outsider point of view to the table and may look at issues a little differently than individuals who have been serving for a longer period of time.

What is your vision for the Academy in the next 3 years?

? I would like Academy to increase the number of AGPT members who are providing service to the Academy. I think we need to tap into the new members as soon as they join, starting them on small short term tasks that allow them to be successful in their service. I also would like to see greater variation in the leadership that includes people who have not served in elected positions in the past. We have not always tapped into the newly certified specialists. These individuals have a lot to offer in the way of leadership. I am hopeful that all future elections will have a minimum of 2 choices for each position. We also need to improve how we communicate with our membership, enlisting multiple modes of communication to catch all generations of members. This may include continuing with our current modes but also exploring/implementing other modes.

What unique contributions do you bring to the AGPT Board of Directors?

I am honored to serve as the treasurer for the Academy. In addition to my passion for my profession, I bring a strong business influence in financial and operational management. As a business owner employing over 500 therapy professionals, I understand how important it is to ensure sound fiscal planning is behind the strategic plan of the Academy so we can bring value to our members and promote our expertise to the healthcare marketplace.

What is your vision for the Academy in the next 3 years?

My vision for the Academy for the next three years is two fold. First, I envision the Academy to create a strong sense of value for its members. We need to not only enhance our communication and resources we have available to our members, but engage them and tap into the vast expertise to increase involvement to move the Academy forward in our strategic plan.

The other perspective which I find extremely exciting is that I see the AGPT taking a more visible and recognized role in the overall healthcare marketplace for the senior client. I would like to see us be recognized and sought out as the experts in geriatric health and wellness by insurance companies, the senior living industry, and healthcare providers in general. This would be achieved by generating and sharing our expertise into through social media and creating strategic partnerships with other associations to increase our presence and display Physical Therapy as the expert in senior movement.

What unique contributions do you bring to the AGPT Board of Directors?

I have had the privilege of coordinating the Brooks Geriatric Residency Program in Jacksonville, Florida since 2010. I was entrusted then with the challenge to create a geriatric residency program from the beginning during a time when geriatric residency programs were not available and not pursued. Thus, a unique contribution I bring to the AGPT Board includes pioneering a model of geriatric residency education that was initially accredited in 2012 and reaccredited in 2017. I have grown tremendously through this process which included figuring out where to start and understanding how to continue so that the program could refine and grow as the healthcare environment around us changes. This process has commanded that I stay current with best practice for older adults and understand the challenges and barriers that exist regarding healthcare policy and access to care for older adults. I believe that this experience taught me what it really means to advocate for my profession and for older adults. Fortunately, this is also my passion!

I have spent most of my career as a clinician however; I have had several recent and unique non-patient care experiences that have helped to shape my leadership capabilities. I am the founding Chair of the Fall Prevention Taskforce of the FPTA which became a more permanent effort with the creation of the Geriatrics Special Interest Group within the FPTA in the Fall of 2017. I had the experience of coordinating the efforts of passionate therapists across the state of Florida to create a network of individuals who are available to advocate to hospital systems and third party payers on behalf of our profession and for the needs of older adults in the area of fall risk assessment, intervention and prevention. The taskforce received an APTA Community Awareness Grant in 2015 to promote the value of physical therapists as part of the important team in an emergency department setting. This effort continues today in addition to the mission of the taskforce which is to sustain fall prevention efforts across Florida on a continuous basis and to empower FPTA members and not-yet-members to carry out this mission. I also served on the Florida Injury Prevention Advisory Council from 2013 to 2016. This experience allowed me to connect, collaborate and coordinate with other key stakeholders advocating for services for older adults across the state of Florida. I plan to continue advocating for older adults on a national level as an AGPT Board member. Above all, I am always willing to learn which includes considering perspectives and strategies that have yet to be expressed!

What is your vision for the Academy in the next 3 years?

I believe that an important opportunity exists for physical therapists and physical therapist assistants during this time of unprecedented population growth in our country and across the world. Failing to show our value to older adults and to the healthcare community at large not only places geriatric clinical specialists at risk, but poses a risk to the entire physical therapy profession. We have made excellent strides educating others about “choosing PT 1st”. However, the AGPT has an opportunity during this time to ensure that physical therapists and physical therapist assistants are prepared to provide the front-line rehabilitation services that older adults need. The AGPT can also work to ensure that our non-physical therapy colleagues are aware of the expertise we bring to the interdisciplinary team in place for older adults. As movement experts, we are obligated to move beyond health promotion and pioneer implementation strategies so that adults live longer lives in ways that optimize the needs and wants that they have deemed important.

Undoubtedly, physical therapists and physical therapist assistants need to have didactic knowledge and skill to be able to provide physical therapy services at a high quality level for older adults. But to really have an impact on this growing population, physical therapists have to be at the healthcare policy table for health policy discussion and decision making at the state, national and even international levels. The Academy can lead this effort by identifying where physical therapists should be present to help shape healthcare policy for older adults. It is time that we as a profession have a voice at the healthcare policy table. My vision for the Academy over the next 3 years therefore, is to support the empowerment of members and not-yet-members of the Academy to reach out to our peers in our profession, our healthcare colleagues outside of our profession, older adults in society, and all those who will become older adults to address issues such as ageism, physical therapy education targeted towards geriatric physical therapy practice, access to health promotion and wellness services, and societal use of the healing power of physical activity.

Coming Soon.

What unique contributions do you bring to the AGPT Board of Directors?

I like to believe I offer insights from multiple lenses. I have the clinical perspective of working in a variety of clinical settings, an educational perspective from working in higher education and building relationships with diverse groups of people, and a research/program evaluation perspective from being involved in geriatric focused projects. Additionally, I really enjoy working with an action-based team, surrounding myself with different-minded people to get a variety of perspectives, coming to an agreed upon goal, and creating momentum to make that goal come to life.

What is your vision for the Academy in the next 3 years?

The Academy is resource rich and has so many great players advocating for the aging adult that my vision is multi-faceted. Broadly, I see the Academy continuing advocacy for the aging adult. In order to be effective advocates, the Academy needs to continue to advance research projects (including evaluation of big data sets to guide day-to-day clinical decisions), the development of Clinical Practice Guidelines, and educational offerings. These resources need to be distributed to members, the public, and policyholders in a timely, user-friendly manner. The next three years will continue to see challenges to reimbursement rates for care of aging adults and therefore, the Academy will need continued resources put forth information to educate legislatures and have a presence at the table during negotiations. We need to prove our worth! I also envision increased collaborations with other health care providers and organizations. The ability to share resources, streamline information, and share decision making. Last, I envision an increase in the number of PTs and PTAs early in their career becoming involved in the Academy. As these young professionals enter the workforce they will quickly realize that few environments exist in which aging adults are not involved in care. These early career PTs and PTAs, hopefully, will join and become actively involved in the Academy adding fresh perspectives on issues. The next three years will be exciting as the Academy decides which initiatives should be the primary focus.

What unique contributions do you bring to the AGPT Board of Directors?

Greetings to the members of the Academy of Geriatric Physical Therapy. This is an exciting time to serve my profession, as the AGPT continues to experience membership growth and progress. Over the last 18 years of my APTA membership and service, I have had the privilege of serving on several committees in the AGPT: As Founding Chair of the Residency and Fellowship Special Interest Group (RFSIG), Chair of the Residency & Fellowship Subcommittee of the AGPT Practice Committee and as Chair of the AGPT Membership Committee. Currently I am on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Geriatric Physical Therapy and a co-administrator and one of the Core Faculty of the Certified Exercise Expert for Aging Adults (CEEAA). I was thrilled to be recognized for my service to the AGPT with the President’s Award in 2016, Joan Mills Award in 2018, and the APTA Lucy Blair Service award in 2017.

Besides my leadership roles in the AGPT, I have also served my profession in other APTA Sections, especially in the areas of post professional education. As one of the first two graduates of the first geriatric physical therapy residency program, my interest in promoting geriatric patient care is evident in the service roles I have chosen. I have recently recertified as Board Certified Clinical Specialist in Geriatric Physical Therapy, and since earning the APTA Emerging leader award in 2007, I have sought after and enjoyed many opportunities to align my interests in geriatric education and practice. Currently I am on the Board of Directors of the American Board of Physical Therapy Residency and Fellowship Education (ABPTRFE) after eight years reviewing and accrediting residency and fellowship programs. I have also participated on the Specialty Council on Geriatric Physical Therapy of the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties (ABPTS), culminating as Chair in 2012. During this period, I was privileged to co-author the current Geriatric Physical Therapy Description of Specialty Practice. Previous to that I was an item writer for the Geriatric Specialty Board Exam as a member of the ABPTS Geriatric Specialization Academy of Content Experts (SACE). Joining SACE allowed me to participate in the creation and management of the Geriatric Specialist Board examination, which afforded me the opportunity to collaborate with related APTA committees.

My interest in promotion of geriatric patient care is not limited to post-professional specialty educational development; as I am also a trainer for the Credentialed Clinical Instructor Program of the APTA and have been an item writer for the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy (FSBPT), which helps me to close the loop from entry level to advanced clinical practice education in geriatrics. As an Associate Professor at Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions School of Physical Therapy, I teach geriatrics and wound care in the DPT curriculum and my preferred clinical practice setting is skilled nursing.

What is your vision for the Academy in the next 3 years?

The Academy of Geriatric Physical Therapy is about to renew our strategic plan. The current plan emphasizes “support[ing] autonomous physical therapist practice with the aging population”. My experiences in the ABPTRFE, ABPTS and AGPT focus on promotion of geriatric education and practice. I see my role as Director as one that aligns the educational committees together to work toward the common goals to pursue best physical therapy practice for optimal aging. To this end, I support geriatric-specific continuing education like the CEEAA, and other continuing education forums to help PTs learn the skills necessary to provide the best patient care. I look forward to seeing the CEEAA course expand to include an advanced track, and also to increase our regional course offerings. In addition, I support continued recognition of the importance of PTAs in geriatrics and encouraging more PTAs to seek quality geriatric continuing education to meet the needs of our clients. I also believe that collaboration with other professional associations that serve the geriatric community such as National Council on Aging and the American Geriatrics Society is another potential avenue to improve not only our own patient outcomes, but also to promote the profession of physical therapy among the greater healthcare community. I support sharing of resources between committees and establishing clear lines of communication between sections to allow us to work together to meet our mutual goals. Our profession is facing an aging population, represented as an increase in the complexity of our client/patient population. I see the AGPT’s role as working to increase student and new professional membership to help prepare the geriatric practitioner with the best up-to-date evidence for treatment of this growing area of practice.

What unique contributions do you bring to the AGPT Board of Directors?

I believe my unique contribution is my passion for diving into the policies and regulations that are an integral and necessary part of our profession. I believe that understanding our patient/client's benefits is another form of advocacy. I believe in helping policymakers and lawmakers to understand the unique needs of the patients/clients we serve. I also believe that by providing this information to our members, the Academy can promote best practice and shape the future.

What is your vision for the Academy in the next 3 years?

My vision would be that the Academy continues to grow in numbers, that more members become active, and that the energy and enthusiasm of the Board spreads to its members, so that together we can achieve our mission of promoting physical therapist best practice and advocacy for optimal aging.