FOUNDATION FOR PHYSICAL THERAPY RESEARCH ANNOUNCES APPOINTEES TO BOARD OF TRUSTEES IN ADVANCE OF MILESTONE YEAR

ALEXANDRIA, VA (July 10, 2018) – The Foundation for Physical Therapy – a national nonprofit that funds physical therapy research to optimize health and movement – has named four new appointees to the organization’s Board of Trustees. The appointees –  Nancy Byl, PT, MPH, PhD, FAPTA; Linda Van Dillen, PT, PhD, FAPTA; Terence C. Brown, PT, DPT, COMT; and Rebecca Craik, PT, PhD, FAPTA – will join the organization in advance of the Foundation’s 40th anniversary year.

Terence C. Brown, PT, DPT, COMT, is an orthopedic specialist and the Vice President and COO of Pro Active Therapy located in Frankfort, KY. He previously served as President of the Private Practice Section. Rebecca Craik, PT, PhD, FAPTA, is currently the Dean of the College of Health Sciences at Arcadia University. In addition to previously serving on the Foundation’s Board, Craik served on the Foundation’s Scientific Advisory Committee and was the Editor-in-Chief for Physical Therapy and Congress Editor for the Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. Craik has been active at the National Institutes of Health as the chair of the National Advisory Board on Medical Rehabilitation Research. Brown and Craik begin their appointments immediately.

Nancy Byl, PT, MPH, PhD, FAPTA, is a Professor and Chair Emeritus at the University of California, San Francisco. Byl, a senior researcher, has received numerous awards, including the Foundation’s Charles M. Magistro Distinguished Service Award. Byl also launched a personal matching gift challenge for the Center of Excellence that helped propel evidence-based research. As President of the California Physical Therapy Fund, Byl was an advocate for funding health services research through the Foundation’s Center of Excellence Campaign.  Linda Van Dillen, PT, PhD, FAPTA, also a distinguished researcher, is a Professor of Physical Therapy and Orthopaedic Surgery at Washington University in St. Louis. She currently is Research Division Director in the Program in Physical Therapy. Prior to her recent appointment, Van Dillen served as a member of the Foundation’s Scientific Review Committee from 2008 to 2011 and is a past Foundation funding recipient. Byl and Van Dillen will begin their terms on January 1, 2019.

Founded in 1979, the organization will soon celebrate four decades of advancing physical therapy services through clinical research, doctoral scholarships and fellowships. The newly appointed trustees will assume their roles as Michael Mueller, PT, PhD, FAPTA; Larry Benz, DPT, ECS, OCS; and Charles L. Martin, Jr., CAE, CIA conclude their respective nine-year terms.

“With each passing year we see a growing need for research that demonstrates the value and effectiveness of physical therapy services,” said Foundation President, Edelle Field-Fote, PT, PhD, FAPTA. “The expertise and passion that these individuals will bring to the Board of Trustees will be a tremendous asset to the organization as we continue to grow to meet the needs of the profession.”

The new appointees join Board of Trustees President Field-Fote and other independent voting members of the Board who govern the Foundation’s activities. The Foundation’s work is also made possible through the volunteer services of members of the Foundation Committees, Scientific Review Committee and Scientific Advisory Committee.

The Foundation for Physical Therapy was established in 1979 as a national, independent nonprofit organization to fund physical therapy research to optimize health and movement. Since its inception, the Foundation has awarded more than $17 million in research grants, fellowships and scholarships. Many of today’s leading physical therapy researchers, clinicians, and academicians began their careers with this support. Foundation-funded researchers have gone on to secure more than $824 million in follow-on funding.

To donate or learn more, visit www.Foundation4pt.org or call 800/875-13678.

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