APTA has a new mission, and it's all about bringing people together.

"Building a community that advances the profession of physical therapy to improve the health of society" is now the official mission statement for APTA. Developed by the APTA Board of Directors after the 2017 House of Delegates entrusted the Board to update and maintain the association's mission, the statement is strongly integrated with APTA's vision statement for the profession of physical therapy: "Transforming society by optimizing movement to improve the human experience."

"The vision statement APTA adopted in 2013 positions the association as an outward-facing organization committed to positive change," said APTA President Sharon L. Dunn, PT, PhD. "Our new mission statement articulates the association's role in that change—by being a place of engagement, where multiple perspectives can be brought together in support of advancing physical therapist practice to create pathways toward a healthier society."

According to Dunn, as the APTA Board of Directors explored the creation of a new mission statement, members realized that in many ways the association already is living out its mission.

"Our emphasis on being better together, our recommitment to diversity and inclusiveness, and our energized and connected members pointed the way toward this new mission statement," Dunn said. "We believe it's a forward-looking mission, but it's also a mission firmly rooted in our profession's values and its history of compassion, concern for society, and willingness to make bold moves.