APTA congratulates Michael L. Voight on his many contributions
to the profession and are pleased to recognize his achievements with the
Catherine Worthingham Fellow award.
Michael L. Voight, PT, DHSc, SCS, OCS,
ATC, has worked tirelessly to advance the knowledge of others as a clinician
and educator.
Presently,
Voight is a tenured professor with Belmont University's Department of Physical
Therapy. Voight earned a DHSc from the University of St Augustine, certificate
of proficiency in physical therapy from Hahnemann University, MEd from the
University of Virginia, and BS from Portland State University. In 1987, Voight
became one of the nation's first board-certified clinical specialists in sports
physical therapy, and in 1994 he received his board certification of advanced
clinical competence in orthopedic physical therapy.
Voight
is recognized as a clinician of the highest caliber, and has worked with a
number of high-profile athletic organizations. Upon graduation from physical
therapy school, Voight worked with the Philadelphia Eagles' Football Club,
eventually moving to South Florida and becoming team physical therapist for
both the Miami Dolphin football and the Miami Heat basketball teams. In
addition, Voight became very active within the United States Olympic
Committee's Sportsmedicine Division. He has worked at the Olympic Training
Center, Olympic Festivals, Pan Am Games, and Olympic Games, and has had the
opportunity to travel to almost all of the different continents with various
Olympic and national teams. Most recently, Voight has worked with the Medical
Commission for FIFA (the international governing body for soccer) and the
Professional Golf Association. His role with the advisory board of the Titleist
Performance Institute allows him to consult on the prevention, evaluation, and
treatment of golf injuries with many noted golf professionals.
In
addition to academic and clinical practice, Voight has also held a number of
leadership positions with APTA at the national and local levels. Throughout his
career, Voight has been appointed to a variety of committees and has served
four elected terms on the executive board of the Sports Physical Therapy
Section of APTA. In his last elected position, he served as president of the
SPTS. Within his community, Voight founded and has run the SPTS Gala and Silent
Auction to raise funds to support the Foundation for Physical Therapy. In 1997,
he was presented the SPTS Distinguished Service Award. In 2008, he was
presented the President's Award for his career of service to SPTS and was also
presented the prestigious Ron Peyton Award. In 2010, Voight was elected into
the SPTS Hall of Fame for a lifetime of excellence in sports physical therapy. Internationally,
Voight was elected to the executive board of the International Federation of
Sports Physiotherapy-WCPT in 2000, and in 2004 was re-elected to the IFSP Executive
Board for a second term. He is also member of the National Athletic Training
Association; the American College of Sportsmedicine; the National Strength
Coaches Association; the United States Olympic Sportsmedicine Society; the
International Federation of Sportsmedicine; the International Society for
Arthroscopy, Knee Surgery, and Orthopedic Sportsmedicine; the European Society
of Sports Traumatology, Knee Surgery, and Arthroscopy; and the prestigious
American Orthopedic Society for Sports Medicine.
Voight
has lectured extensively at various conferences, symposiums, and congresses
both nationally and internationally, having given more than 500 presentations on
a variety of orthopedic and sports medicine topics. Dr. Voight actively serves on
the editorial boards of several different journals and is the editor-in-chief
of the International Journal of Sports
Physical Therapy. He has authored more than 60 papers and textbook chapters
on various topics, and has written three textbooks on functional exercise. In
1996, 2000, and 2009, he received the Distinguished Educator Award from the
Sports Physical Therapy Section, making him the only person to have received
this award multiple times.. Voight was honored again in 2010, when he was
presented the inaugural SPTS "Lifetime Excellence in Education" award.
Acknowledgement
I am truly honored to be acknowledged as a Catherine
Worthingham Fellow of APTA. While it is special to be recognized by APTA in
such a way, it could not have happened without the help of many people along
the way. First and foremost, I would like to thank my parents, Robin and Susan
Voight, who started me down the right path and instilled in me a strong work
ethic and quest for knowledge, as well as teaching me the importance of having
passion for my work. Thank you for always being there for me! Also, I would like
to thank my wife, Cissy, who has always encouraged my passion for excellence
while at the same time giving me wisdom and endless support to sustain my
desire for being an educator.
I also feel fortunate to have had many mentors in my life,
two of whom stand out: Tab Blackburn, the brother I never had, who continually
gives me professional direction; and my nominator, close friend, and colleague,
John Halle. As chair of the Belmont University School of Physical Therapy, he
has provided me with academic freedom and challenged me every day to seek
excellence in all that I do. Other notable mentors that should also be thanked
include Bob Mangine, Terry Malone, George Davies, Mark DeCarlo, Barb
Hoogenboom, and multiple peers too numerous to mention for the guidance and
support that they have given me.
And lastly, I would like to thank the Belmont University
Physical Therapy students, both past and present, for challenging me to be my
best. I am constantly learning from you.