President's Note

Showing Gratitude

'Tis the season of gratitude. I, for one, am grateful for every single one of you, my fellow APTA members. We are doers; we are problem solvers. And from my vantage point, I can see the incredible impact that you are making every day. But the view I get? That's because I am committed to volunteering my time to this organization.

I acknowledge my bias in that I truly believe that one of the best ways to make the most of your APTA membership is to get involved. I've been a member of APTA for 38 years — ever since I was a PT student at Temple University. More than half of that tenure, I have been involved in advocacy and leadership roles.

By raising my hand and agreeing to take on a new volunteer role, I have learned so much more than if I kept my head down. I have heard your stories — incredible patient tales, inspiring anecdotes about your colleagues, promising new research possibilities. I have shared your frustrations — payment that doesn't reflect the value we bring to health care, limitations on supervision, bureaucratic red tape that creates more work for us. But APTA is making great strides in this area, which is easy to see when you're staying connected. And through these ups and downs, I kept learning because I was engaged in the work of APTA. And for that, I am so thankful.

Part of showing gratitude is recognition, so be sure to see this year's class of Catherine Worthingham Fellows of the American Physical Therapy Association, the association's highest membership category. This impressive designation acknowledges those who have made an impact on the profession in the areas of advocacy, education, practice, and research. Also featured in the same article are the next class of APTA Emerging Leaders, PTs or PTAs, who have demonstrated exceptional service in their first five to 10 years of practice. APTA also awards one PT student and one PTA student with the APTA Outstanding Student Award.

Many more APTA members have been recognized in the APTA Honors & Awards Program. For the list of all recipients in the 2024 APTA Honors & Awards Program, visit www.apta.org/honorsawards.

Speaking of leaders, read the recap of the 2024 House of Delegates session that took place during APTA's Leadership Congress last July in Kansas City, Missouri. The very busy House passed 17 motions that adopted new APTA positions, amended existing APTA positions, charged the association with specific actions, and elected a new honorary APTA member. Thank you to the delegates who volunteer their time to provide guidance for our profession.

Another thing to be thankful for? Being able to hear and learn from some of the brightest minds in the field through the John H.P. Maley Lecture. This year's lecture, held in conjunction with the APTA Leadership Congress, featured some big ideas from Phil McClure, PT, PhD, FAPTA. Read more about his recommendations for finding consensus on the movement system.

I hope this finds you in a giving spirit. If you find inspiration in these pages, consider getting more involved in APTA. You can do that by volunteering; browse our open opportunities on APTA Engage at engage.apta.org. You can also do that by nominating a fellow member for recognition in the 2025 Honors & Awards Program. Nominations are due Dec. 1, and you can find more information at www.apta.org/honorsawards.

In gratitude,

Roger Herr, PT, MPA