In 2013, the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) adopted an inspiring new vision, “Transforming society by optimizing movement to improve the human experience.” A guiding principle of the new vision is “identity,” which articulates that the physical therapy profession will define and promote the movement system as the foundation for optimizing movement to improve the health of society. Over the last year, APTA’s Movement System Task Force has led efforts to define the “movement system” and to make recommendations to the APTA Board of Directors for integrating the concept into practice, education, and research.

Related to these efforts, APTA held a Movement System Summit (Summit) December 8–10, 2016, in Alexandria, Virginia. APTA brought together a diverse group of 100 physical therapist thought leaders to provide input into the Movement System Task Force’s recommendations.

This course focuses on the results of the Summit and the plan for moving the Movement System into practice, education, and research.

Background

Adopted by APTA’s House of Delegates (House) in 2013, APTA’s Vision Statement for the Physical Therapy Profession is supported by Guiding Principles to Achieve the Vision, which demonstrate how the profession and society will look when the vision is achieved. APTA’s strategic plan helps the association work toward this vision.

Meet our Presenters

Lisa K. Saladin, PT, PhD, is Vice President, American Physical Therapy Board of Directors and Catherine Worthingham Fellow of the American Physical Therapy Association. Lisa is interim provost at Medical University of South Carolina. She earned a bachelor’s degree in medical rehabilitation (physical therapy) and a master’s degree in anatomy from the University of Manitoba in Canada, and a doctoral degree in physical therapy from Nova Southeastern University in Florida. Her clinical expertise is in the area of physical therapy for individuals with neurological disorders, and her research interests have been focused on the areas of racial and gender disparities in access to care, community based service learning, and motor control and treatment outcomes for individuals with neurological disorders. She has been an active participant in the American Physical Therapy Association, serving the association at the state and national level on numerous committees and task forces, including APTA’s Vision Task Force and Movement Systems Board workgroup. Subsequent to serving on APTA’s Board of Directors for 4.5 years, she was elected vice president of APTA in June 2015. She chairs APTA’s Movement System Task Force and APTA’s Public Policy and Advocacy Committee.

Cynthia Coffin Zadai, PT, DPT, MS and a Catherine Worthingham Fellow of the American Physical Therapy Association. Cynthia is professor emeritus of cardiovascular and pulmonary physical therapy education, MGH Institute of Health Professions, in Boston, Massachusetts. She served on the original Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Specialty Council, and subsequently, the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties during development of physical therapist specialization. Working with the Project Advisory Group and Board workgroup, she participated in the development and subsequent revisions of 3 editions of the Guide to Physical Therapist Practice, serving as project editor for the second edition. She also participated in the planning, development, and ongoing work of the Diagnosis Dialog. She has served on the Board workgroup for the Movement System and the Movement System Task Force.

Lori Quinn, PT, EdD is associate professor in the Department of Biobehavioral Sciences, Teachers College, Columbia University, in New York, New York. Her research has focused on developing evidence and guidelines for physical therapy interventions in neurodegenerative diseases, and in particular, for people with Huntington’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. She has developed treatment-based classifications for individuals with Huntington’s disease, and has coauthored several papers related to developing classifications to guide interventions. In addition to her work in neurodegenerative diseases, she is coauthor of Documentation for Rehabilitation: A Guide to Clinical Decision Making in Physical Therapy, currently in its third edition. The textbook places a strong emphasis on diagnosis by physical therapists, and using documentation to guide effective clinical management.

Michael Voight, PT, ATC, DHSc is a Board-Certified Sports and Orthopedic Clinical Specialist Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist, and Catherine Worthingham Fellow of the American Physical Therapy Association. Michael holds the position of full-time tenured professor in the School of Physical Therapy, Belmont University, in Nashville, Tennessee. He also holds a position of adjunct associate professor in the Vanderbilt School of Medicine, Department of Orthopedics. He is principle reviewer for the American Journal of Sports Medicine, and is editor-in-chief of the International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy. Throughout his career, he has been very active in developing clinical functional movement assessments for both prevention of injury and evaluation of injury. These clinical systems are recognized internationally as 1 standard for evaluating movement. He has lectured extensively at various conferences, symposiums, and congresses, both nationally and internationally, on a variety of orthopedic and sports medicine topics, as they relate to the movement system.