You only turn 100 once, and Friday night we’re going to celebrate accordingly — exactly a century after a group of women, including Mary McMillan, met to establish what we now call the American Physical Therapy Association on Jan. 15, 1921.
APTA’s Founders’ Day Celebration streams online for free on Friday, starting at 8 p.m. ET, featuring live interviews, recorded tributes from across the country, the opportunity to upload your photo to our special centennial mosaic project, and prize drawings for those who participate.
Mark your calendar now! And while you’re at it, make sure these events are on your list:
APTA Centennial Center Ribbon Cutting: Jan. 15
Friday morning, at 9:30 a.m. ET, you can watch a free livestream of our ribbon-cutting ceremony to open our new headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia.
The program includes remarks from APTA president Sharon Dunn, PT, PhD, and Alexandria mayor Justin Wilson, plus footage of the new building, which is the first in the Washington, D.C., area to receive FitWel’s highest ranking as a healthy workplace.
APTA Founders’ Day Weekend Series: Jan. 16-17
The excitement of Founders’ Day continues into the weekend with two special lectures.
On Saturday, Stuart Binder-Macleod, PT, PhD, will deliver the 51st Mary McMillen Lecture, “What I Know: The Value of Mentoring and Leadership.”
On Sunday, Alison Cernich, PhD, deputy director of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, will provide an overview of the National Institutes of Health's ongoing response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the lessons learned that may be carried forward, in a lecture titled “Meeting Challenges and Optimizing Ability to Respond: New Opportunities for Physical Therapy Research.”
Both will participate in live Q&A sessions after their lectures.
Registration is required for the weekend series, but if you register for APTA’s 2021 Combined Sections Meeting you get access for free!
APTA Component Founders' Day Activities
It's not all happening in Alexandria: Several APTA components have created their own recognitions of this historic day. All events are being held virtually. (All times are local.)
APTA Academy of Cardiovascular & Pulmonary Physical Therapy: PACE-ing Your Way to COVID Recovery
Jan. 15, 2-3 p.m.
APTA North Dakota Business Meeting & Celebration of Founders' Day
Jan. 15, 12-1 p.m.
APTA Michigan Founders' Day Virtual Zoom Happy Hour and Interview With Lifetime Members
Jan. 15, 6 p.m.
APTA Wisconsin Founders' Day Happy Hour
Jan. 15, 6-7 p.m.
APTA Missouri: 100 Years of Physical Therapy — Where Have We Been and Where Are We Going? Featuring Shirley Sahrmann, PT, PhD, FAPTA
Jan. 15, 6:30-7:30 p.m.
American Council of Academic Physical Therapy and the Academy of Physical Therapy Education: PT Trivia Game Night for PT Educators
Jan. 15, 7-8 p.m.
West Virginia Physical Therapy Association: Founders' Day Celebration
Jan. 15, 7-9 p.m.
APTA’s Combined Sections Meeting: February
The biggest physical therapy conference in the country is going virtual this year, starting Feb. 1, with hundreds of on-demand sessions and research posters, plus live programming throughout the month of February, and the chance to earn up to 2.0 CEUs (20 contact hours).
The time to register for APTA CSM is now, because in addition to getting free access to the APTA Founders’ Day Weekend Series you’ll be entered into a drawing for one of five $100 VISA gift cards — and the first 15,000 people to register will receive a free APTA centennial swag box!