House Of Delegates Elects Directors, Officers, And Committee Member Prior To PT '09 In Baltimore

Main Category: Rehabilitation / Physical Therapy
Article Date: 29 Jun 2009 - 4:00 PDT

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The American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) House of Delegates elected officers, directors, and a member of the Nominating Committee during its annual meeting prior to PT 2009, June 10-13, in Baltimore.

R. Scott Ward, PT, PhD, was reelected president. Paul A. Rockar Jr, PT, DPT, MS, was elected vice president. Mary C. Sinnott PT, DPT, MEd, Nicole L. Stout, PT, MPT, CLT-LANA, and Kathleen K. Mairella, PT, DPT, MA, were elected directors. Aimee B. Klein, PT, DPT, DSc, OCS, was reelected a director. James E. Hughes, PT, was elected to the Nominating Committee. All will serve three-year terms except for Mairella who will serve the remaining two years of Rockar's term as director.

"These outstanding leaders bring a wealth of experience to the profession and the association," said APTA Chief Executive Officer John D. Barnes. "I am looking forward to working alongside each of them to help the profession reach its goal of Vision 2020."

Ward has served as APTA president since 2006. He is chair of the Department of Physical Therapy at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, and is immediate past-chair of the Rehabilitation Committee of the American Burn Association. He is also a member of the Burn Rehabilitation and Research Consensus Summit Group and served as a member of APTA's Guide to Physical Therapist Practice Volume 3 Practice Panel, among many other professional activities.

Rockar is CEO of the Centers for Rehab Services at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He is also adjunct assistant professor at Duquesne University Rangos School of Health Sciences and at the University of Pittsburgh School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences in Pittsburgh. In addition, Rockar is a partner at Mountain State Physical Therapy in Fairmont, West Virginia. He has served on the APTA Federal Government Affairs Committee and as APTA representative to the AMA CPT Coding Health Care Professional Advisory Committee, among other activities.

Sinnott is clinical associate professor in the Doctor of Physical Therapy Program and director of the entry-level Doctor of Physical Therapy Program at Temple University in Philadelphia. She also maintains a clinical acute care practice at Temple University Hospital. Among many other activities, she is the former president of APTA's Acute Care and Health Policy and Administration sections. A past recipient of the Signe Brunström Award for Excellence in Clinical Teaching, she also has been honored by the Acute Care Section with an award for clinical excellence established in her name.

Stout practices at the Breast Care Center at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, and is the immediate past president of the APTA Oncology Section, among other leadership positions.

Mairella is assistant professor and assistant director of clinical education in the Doctoral Program in Physical Therapy in the School of Health Related Professions at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey in Newark, New Jersey. Among other activities, Mairella served as president of the American Physical Therapy Association of New Jersey and is a member of the APTA Private Practice, Health Policy and Administration, Education, and Orthopaedic sections.

Klein is clinical assistant professor in the Graduate Programs in Physical Therapy and coordinator of the Clinical Residency Program in Orthopaedic Physical Therapy and Manual at the MGH Institute of Health Professions in Boston, Massachusetts. Among many activities, Klein is a former trustee of APTA's Physical Therapy Political Action Committee.

Hughes practices in the Work Rehabilitation Center of the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Department of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Among other activities, he is a member of APTA's Orthopaedic and Health Policy and Administration sections.

The APTA Board of Directors comprises 15 members-6 officers and 9 directors. Board members assume office at the close of the House of Delegates at which they were elected. A complete term for a board member is defined as 3 years.

The APTA Nominating Committee is comprised of 5 members. Members of the Nominating Committee assume office at the close of the House of Delegates at which they were elected. A complete term for a Nominating Committee member is defined as 3 years.

APTA's Annual Conference & Exposition strives to empower, educate, and encourage physical therapists and physical therapist assistants. All educational sessions are designed to reflect evidence in practice and to integrate the best research evidence with clinical expertise and patient/client values. For information about PT 2009, visit http://www.apta.org/annualconference.

Physical therapists are highly-educated, licensed health care professionals who can help patients reduce pain and improve or restore mobility - in many cases without expensive surgery or the side effects of prescription medications. APTA represents more than 72,000 physical therapists, physical therapist assistants, and students of physical therapy nationwide. Its purpose is to improve the health and quality of life of individuals through the advancement of physical therapist practice, education, and research. In most states, patients can make an appointment directly with a physical therapist, without a physician referral. Learn more about conditions physical therapists can treat and find a physical therapist in your area at http://www.moveforwardpt.com.

Source
American Physical Therapy Association