APTA is pleased to recognize Jennifer E. Stevens-Lapsley
with the Margaret L. Moore Award for Outstanding New Faculty Member.
Jennifer E.
Stevens-Lapsley, PT, PhD, has excelled as an educator, researcher, and
faculty member, and was promoted to associate professor at the University of
Colorado after just four years on the faculty.
Presently associate professor for the physical therapy
program at the University of Colorado's Anschutz Medical Campus,
Stevens-Lapsley has also served as an associate investigator at the Malcom
Randall VA Medical Center, and physical therapist for Select Medical Outpatient
Physical Therapy and Oak Hammock Continuous Retirement Community Clinics. She
was a post-doctoral fellow at the University of Florida and holds a PhD in
biomechanics and movement science and MS in physical therapy from the
University of Delaware, and a BA in biology from the University of Virginia.
With a background in translational studies of muscle
physiology through both animal and human studies, Stevens-Lapsley was well-prepared
to join the Program in Physical Therapy at the University of Colorado. Her
primary responsibilities include both teaching and research; she has continued
to apply her training and background in muscle physiology to the classroom in
various capacities. Stevens-Lapsley created two new required courses for the
DPT program: Applied Exercise Science, which integrates exercise science with
clinical realities; and the last in a 4-course series on Scientific Inquiry,
where she provides students with unique opportunities to integrate evidence
with clinical practice, especially as it relates to applied exercise
physiology. In these courses, she challenges students to develop critical
thinking and professionalism while providing them with guidance and support.
Her teaching evaluations reflect the students’ appreciation for the high
standards she sets in the classroom, the clarity of her communication, and her
efforts to integrate materials across courses.
A member of APTA since 1997, Stevens-Lapsley currently
serves on the Nominating Committee, and as co-chair of the Research Committee
for the Colorado Chapter. She is a member of the American College of Sports
Medicine, Association of Rheumatology Health Professionals, and Arthritis
Foundation. Within her community, Stevens-Lapsley serves as program director
for the Nicaragua Physical Therapy Outreach through Health Volunteers Overseas,
coordinating volunteers for overseas assignments to provide instruction to
professors and local clinicians in Managua.
Acknowledgement
This award results from the cumulative efforts of many
individuals to whom I am indebted, some of whom deserve specific mention. My
mentors at the University of Delaware (Lynn Snyder-Mackler and Stuart
Binder-MacLeod) and University of Florida (Krista Vandenborne) who provided
tremendous mentorship and opportunities to grow professionally early in my
career, as did the Foundation for Physical Therapy. I am also indebted to Ryan
Mizner for extraordinary insights into clinical questions, Steve George for
teaching and research acumen, Katy Rudolph for serving as an extraordinary role
model, Gwen Creel for reminding me of life balance, Scott Stackhouse for
challenging established paradigms, Margaret Schenkman for providing support and
guidance to successfully apply years of training, and Wendy Kohrt for serving
as an invaluable role model for mentoring excellence with impeccable scientific
insights. Most importantly, I thank my family, without whom I could have never
achieved many personal and professional goals.