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Merit Award

PURPOSE: 

To recognize an individual who has contributed to the advancement, knowledge, and/or recognition of the Academy of Cardiovascular & Pulmonary Physical Therapy. Such contribution may be defined as: 

  1. practice, which includes excellence in patient/client care, clinical accomplishments, in addition to efforts in securing favorable legislation governing clinical practice and reimbursement; and/or
  2. scholarship, which includes teaching (patient, clinical, continuing education, academic), or research, and/or authorship (book, journal, editorial board); and/or
  3. service, which includes contributions on behalf of the Academy through one’s membership and substantial involvement in support of the Academy.

CRITERIA: 

The nominee must be a member in good standing of the Academy of Cardiovascular & Pulmonary Physical Therapy at the time of the nomination. Individuals in all APTA membership categories are eligible with the exception of those who are classified as “Student,” “Honorary” or “Retired.” 

Award criteria are divided into specific categories (Practice, Scholarship, or Service) and are described below. A nominee must fulfill the required criteria in at least one category to be considered for the award.  Please provide specific evidence for at least one of the award criteria categories below and include in your nomination letter:

Practice 

  1. Required: Evidence of a minimum of five years of clinical practice in the area of cardiovascular and pulmonary physical therapy
  2. Required: Evidence of clinical recognition by patient/family, peer, and/or employer
  3. Suggested: Board Certification as a Cardiovascular & Pulmonary Clinical Specialist
  4. Suggested: Evidence of legislative efforts governing practice and/or efforts to support payment for cardiovascular and pulmonary physical therapy services 

Scholarship 

  1. Required: Evidence of extensive patient, clinical, and/or academic teaching
  2. Suggested: Participation as faculty in continuing education conferences sponsored by the Academy
  3. Suggested: Formal invited presentations as an Academy representative
  4. Suggested: Research or program development advancing the knowledge of cardiovascular and pulmonary physical therapy.
  5. Suggested: Published author of research, book, chapters; or service in an editorial capacity for peer review journal supporting cardiovascular and pulmonary physical therapy. 

Service 

  1. Required: Evidence of Academy committee, task force, and/or officer participation
  2. Suggested: Evidence of other contributions of service to the Academy of Cardiovascular & Pulmonary Physical Therapy
  3. Suggested: Evidence of liaison activities with other professional groups on behalf of the Academy of Cardiovascular & Pulmonary Physical Therapy

NOMINATING AND SELECTION PROCESS: 

  1. Nominations will be accepted year round with a Oct 1st deadline for awards made in February at CSM the following year.
  2. Nominees must be members in good standing of the Academy of Cardiovascular & Pulmonary Physical Therapy or recently converted to lifetime APTA member.
  3. Nominations must include the nomination form and a letter of reference discussing the selection criteria.
  4. The nominee’s curriculum vitae must be included with the nomination.
  5. The Nominating Committee will collect and review all nominations submitted by the deadline. During their review, the Nominating Committee will:
    1. verify that all nominations are complete
    2. verify that nominees are members in good standing with APTA and the Academy
    3. provide a recommendation to the Academy Officers based on the information provided
  6. Review of the nominations will take no longer than 4 weeks from the deadline. Upon completion of the initial review, the Nominating Committee Chair will forward the nominations and the results of the review to the Academy Officers for final review and award determination.
  7. The award winner will be notified by the Academy President by October 15th. 
  8. Award recipients receive a plaque acknowledging their contributions. The plaque will be presented at the Academy's Annual Membership Meeting at CSM if the recipient is in attendance. If the recipient is unavailable to attend CSM, then the plaque will be mailed to him/her following the meeting. An announcement celebrating their award also will be placed in various Academy media.
Merit Award Nomination Form