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The 2023 call for volunteers for this committee is now closed. The next call for volunteers for national groups will open in July 2024 for terms beginning Jan. 1, 2025.

Learn more about the APTA Honors & Awards program.

Charge

The Awards Committee subcommittees will apply the criteria established by the Board of Directors for each association honor and award to each nomination received for each award under its purview and make recommendations to the Board regarding award recipients.

The Board's determined charge for each Awards Committee Subcommittee is:

  • Review award nominations* received for each award that falls under the subcommittee's purview against the applicable criteria established by the Board
  • Recommend potential recipients to the Board for final approval**
  • When requested by the Board, review and make recommendations on proposals for new awards applicable to the subcommittee's award category and provide feedback on the utility of the criteria and measurement tools for existing awards within the subcommittee's purview
  • Submit a report to the Board on an annual basis

*A nomination is the packet of materials submitted to APTA in response to the association's annual call for nominations for its honors and awards program. Each subcommittee works independently to review the received nominations that fall within its purview.

**A recommendation is what each Awards Committee Subcommittee brings to the Board after it has completed its review of all nominations for each honor or award under its purview. It is the Board's responsibility to either accept or reject recommendations.

Committee Specific Charge

The Research Awards Subcommittee will review nominations received for the following awards:

  • Eugene Michels New Investigator Award: The Eugene Michels New Investigator Award recognizes licensed physical therapists who have engaged in independent or collaborative research efforts within 10 years of completing their most recent physical therapy professional degree, postprofessional doctoral degree (other than a transition DPT degree), or postprofessional doctoral fellowship. Qualifying nominees may work in any aspect of physical therapy including, but not limited to, research, education, clinical practice, and consultation.
  • Marian Williams Award for Research in Physical Therapy: The Marian Williams Award for Research in Physical Therapy honors an individual who has sustained outstanding clinical and educational research pertaining to the physical therapy profession for at least 10 years through published scientific studies, and a demonstrated continuity of professional commitment to physical therapy.

All APTA appointed groups will conduct their work with APTA's Commitment to Increasing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in mind and in the context of (1) APTA's Mission, Vision, Strategic Plan and House of Delegates and Board of Directors adopted positions and policies; and (2) the potential for their work to have implications related to physical therapist assistants, women, diversity, and risk management.

Size of the Appointed Group

This subcommittee has five members.

This Board-appointed group does not have a Board chair in order to avoid any conflict of interest or impropriety because the Board is the body that approves the association’s honors and awards recipients. In addition, the group comprises 8 subcommittees, due to the independent nature of this group’s work, it will not have a single chair overseeing the group. Rather, staff assists each subcommittee to identify a member volunteer to serve as the lead for the respective subcommittee and each lead works with the staff liaisons as needed to manage the work of their particular subcommittee.

The role of the Board Liaison is to serve as a conduit between the Board and the Awards Committee and assist in special projects such as the review and revision of awards policies. The Board liaison does not participate in subcommittee conversations related to nominees, and does not review the nominations received for each award.

The APTA president serves as ex-officio, as outlined in the APTA bylaws. In the role as ex-officio to the Awards Committee the APTA president may take part in certain committee functions but does not review, propose, or participate in subcommittee conversations related to nominees for awards.

View Committee and Appointed Group Rosters

Term of Appointees

Individuals appointed to this committee shall serve a two year term. No individual shall serve more than two consecutive terms.

Meetings

This subcommittee meets approximately two times per year via conference in the winter and spring.

Additional Information

For additional information regarding this and other APTA volunteer opportunities, email appointedgrouppool@apta.org.