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We recognize outstanding achievements by our members through an annual honors and awards program.

The APTA Honors & Awards Program recognizes outstanding achievements by members in the areas of overall accomplishment, education, practice and service, publications, research, and academic excellence.

Information about eligibility and the nominations process is included in the individual descriptions below. 

Nominations and Selections

The nominations call for the Honors & Awards Program is open from Sept. 1-Dec. 1. Nominations must be submitted through our online portal by Dec. 1; late submissions will not be considered. Nominators must be an APTA member in good standing. If there is more than one nominator for a submission, we ask that at least one be an APTA member in good standing. Selected recipients and their nominators are typically notified in May, with recipients invited to that year's Honors & Awards Ceremony at the APTA Leadership Congress.

Access Nomination Portal

Honors

Catherine Worthingham Fellow of the American Physical Therapy Association

Awards

The Catherine Worthingham Fellow of the American Physical Therapy Association, the association's highest membership category, serves as inspiration for all physical therapists to attain professional excellence.

Honorary Membership

Awards

The purpose of this honor is stipulated in the Bylaws of the American Physical Therapy Association.

Lecture Awards

John H.P. Maley Clinical Impact Lectureship Award

Awards

This award acknowledges and honors a physical therapist who has made a significant contribution to the profession in clinical practice.

Mary McMillan Visionary Leader Lecture Award

Awards

This award acknowledges and honors one physical therapist who has made inspirational, significant, and impactful contributions to the profession. This is APTA's most distinguished award.

Education Awards

Dorothy E. Baethke-Eleanor J. Carlin Award for Excellence in Academic Teaching

Awards

This award is for clinical or academic educators who have been actively engaged for a minimum of 5 years in entry or advanced levels of formal education for upcoming physical therapy professionals.

APTA Outstanding Physical Therapist Assistant Educator Award

Awards

This award recognizes the importance of the role of physical therapist assistant educators in ensuring the continued provision of graduates who participate in the provision of high-quality physical therapist services.

Margaret L. Moore Award for Outstanding New Academic Faculty Member

Awards

This award acknowledges an outstanding new faculty member who is pursuing a career as an academician and has demonstrated excellence as exemplified by the professional career of Margaret L. Moore.

APTA Minority Initiatives Awards

Awards

This award recognizes the plans, initiatives, and services developed by accredited physical therapist professional education programs or physical therapist assistant education programs in the areas of recruitment, admission, retention, and graduation of minority students.

Signe Brunnstrom Award for Excellence in Clinical Teaching

Awards

This award acknowledges an individual who has made significant contributions to physical therapy clinical education through excellence in clinical teaching, has served as a role model in clinical teaching, and has demonstrated expertise in at least one area of practice to which the clinical teaching has been directed.

Practice & Service Awards

APTA Humanitarian Award

Awards

This award recognizes an association member whose demonstrated leadership and outstanding humanitarian volunteerism have improved the quality of life of individuals throughout the world.

Henry O. and Florence P. Kendall Practice Award

Awards

This award recognizes a physical therapy professional who has engaged in extensive clinical practice for a minimum of 15 years.

Lucy Blair Service Award

Awards

This award acknowledges and honors physical therapists and physical therapist assistants whose contributions to the association at both the national and component levels, like those of Lucy Blair, have been of exceptional value and impact.

APTA Societal Impact Award

Awards

This award recognizes and rewards an association member who demonstrates leadership, commitment and dedication to addressing issues related to societal welfare.

Marilyn Moffat Leadership Award

Awards

This award acknowledges and honors a physical therapist who has made sustained and outstanding leadership contributions at the component, national, international, or community levels that have had an impact upon the advancement of the physical therapy profession.

Outstanding Physical Therapist Fellow Award

This award honors recent fellowship graduates in order to recognize the intrinsic value of post-professional training and thereby promote and provide for the development and accreditation of fellowship education programs in physical therapy.

Outstanding Physical Therapist Resident Award

This award honors recent residency graduates in order to recognize the intrinsic value of post-professional training and thereby promote and provide for the development and accreditation of residency education programs in physical therapy.

Outstanding Physical Therapist/Physical Therapist Assistant Team Award

Awards

This award recognizes outstanding clinical practice interaction between physical therapists and physical therapist assistants who are a part of a highly functional PT-PTA Team.

Publications Awards

Helen J. Hislop Award for Outstanding Contributions to Professional Literature

Awards

This award acknowledges an individual physical therapist who has made significant contributions to the literature in physical therapy or in other health care disciplines in the areas of theory, practice, foundational or clinical research, education, and administration.

APTA Outstanding Research Award

Awards

This award encourages the publication of outstanding physical therapy research articles, including both foundational and clinical research impacting practice and patient care.

APTA Student Publication Award

Awards

This award recognizes a physical therapist for an outstanding article in PTJ: Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation Journal prepared while they were a student.

Jules M. Rothstein Golden Pen Award for Scientific Writing

Awards

This award recognizes a member who has demonstrated superior writing skills in one or more articles published in Physical Therapy, and who has collaborated with or encouraged others to make similar contributions to PTJ: Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation Journal.

Research Awards

Eugene Michels New Investigator Award

Awards

The Eugene Michels New Investigator Award acknowledges outstanding new investigators who have demonstrated a commitment to research relevant to physical therapy.

Marian Williams Award for Research in Physical Therapy

Awards

This award acknowledges an individual who has made significant contributions to physical therapy through excellence in research.

Advocacy Awards

Federal Government Affairs Leadership Award

Awards

This award recognizes outstanding achievements by APTA members in advancing the association’s federal government affairs objectives and activities.

Public Service Award

Awards

This award recognizes public servants who have enhanced the profession of physical therapy.

State Legislative Leadership Award

This award recognizes and rewards component leaders in the area of state legislative leadership who bring increased awareness and involvement to state legislative issues and who achieve success in state legislative issues that strengthen the practice of physical therapy.

Scholarships

Mary McMillan Scholarship Award

Awards

This award acknowledges and honors outstanding physical therapist and physical therapist assistant students who are nearing the completion of their respective programs of study.

Minority Scholarship Award

Awards

This award recognizes physical therapy students, and faculty members who are pursuing post-professional doctoral degrees, for their professional character and academic excellence.

Dimensions of Diversity Pathways Grant

The Dimensions of Diversity Pathways Grant supports the development and delivery of new or revised pathways programs and the development, delivery, and/or continued growth of diverse representation in recruitment, retention, and leadership development.