We extend our heartfelt appreciation and admiration for the Academy of Neurologic Physical Therapy Award and national American Physical Therapy Award recipients.

  • Nominations are open May 1- August 1 each year.
  • The ANPT Awards Committee does not carry nominations from the previous year over to the next so new submission are needed each year.
  • ANPT Partner Members are not eligible for ANPT Awards.

2024 Academy of Neurologic Physical Therapy Award Recipients

The Academy of Neurologic Physical Therapy celebrates excellence in research, scholarship, clinical practice and service activities by honoring our members for their achievements and successes over the past years at the annual Academy of Neurologic Physical Therapy Business Meeting held at APTA CSM.

Service to the Academy

Morris Casano Beato, PT, DPT, GCS, NCS
Dr. Beato serves as clinical associate professor at the University of Central Florida. His extensive service to the ANPT has impacted nearly every person in this room. His passion for the advancement in neurological physical therapy practice is apparent by his commitment to neurologic board certification, and he has held various positions for the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties including chair of the Neurologic Specialty Council, Professional Development Portfolio Reviewer, and Assistant Item Review Coordinator. He also served as co-chair of the PTA Advance Proficiency task force to promote excellence of physical therapist assistants. In addition, he serves as Article Appraiser for the Clinical Practice Guideline in Balance and Falls Prevention for both the Parkinson Disease CPG as well as the MS CPG. Dr. Beato’s countless contributions to the Academy impact therapists for years to come. For these reasons, Dr. Beato has been chosen as the deserving winner of this honor. 

Click here for a list of previous Service to the Academy Awardees

Excellence in Neurologic Education

Crystal Renee Ramsey, PT, DPT
Dr. Ramsey is an Associate Professor in the Department of Physical therapy at Elon University in Elon, North Carolina. She is one of their faculty with consistently high teaching evaluations scores and is a dedicated mentor who supports students. She consistently uses analogies to help break complex content into smaller chunks. This helps her translate complicated information into easily digestible content to help students advance their knowledge. She fosters confidence and sound clinical reasoning that helps students progress seamlessly through different stages of learning complex material. In addition to classroom teaching, she is also the faculty advisor for Elon’s pro-bon clinic and additionally is actively involved in research endeavors resulting in multiple student presentations at CSM. For these reasons, Dr. Ramsey has been chosen as the deserving winner of this honor. 

Click here for a list of previous Excellence in Neurologic Education Awardees

Excellence in Neurologic Research


Click here for a list of previous Excellence in Research Awardees

 

PT Clinical Excellence in Neurology


Kyle Reedy, PT, DPT*

Dr. Reedy is a Resident Mentor and Program Coordinator for the Neurological Residency Program at Advent Health Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation. He has played a pivotal role in guiding and shaping future leaders in the field.  Through a variety of initiatives he has helped demonstrate the value of care provided in the outpatient settings. He is also very active in training the next generation of physical therapists right from the beginning, as a guest lecturer in the PT program at the University of Central Florida. For these reasons, Dr. Ramsey has been chosen as the deserving winner of this honor.

*Dr. Reedy is a Board Certified Neurologic Clinical Specialist

Click here for a list of previous Clinical Excellence in Neurologic Physical Therapy Awardees

 

PTA Clinical Excellence in Neurology


Rachel Belk, PTA

Ms. Belk is a physical therapist assistant at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri.  Ms. Belk’s commitment and care for her patients and the community have driven her to strive for excellence in practice both in and out of the clinic. She has presented at state conference and community events to promote best practice and to improve patient exercise compliance. She created patient handouts to help patients transition from skilled PT to community fitness programs. Ms. Belk exemplifies the balance of an evidence-based clinician with true care for the person in front of her. For these reasons, Ms. Belk has been chosen as the deserving winner of this honor.

Click here for list of previous PTA Clinical Excellence in Neurology Award Winners.

 

Outstanding Clinical Innovator


Chris Henderson, PT, PhD, GCS*

Dr. Henderson serves as Assistant Research Professor at Indiana University as well as Director of Innovation for the Knowledge Translation Institute. Dr. Henderson has made tremendous clinical contributions to the field of neurologic physical therapy with his clinically-relevant research. He served as an author for the clinical practice guidelines to improve locomotor function and spearheaded the implementation of high intensity training in inpatient rehab in individuals post-stroke. In addition, he developed a simplified clinical prediction rule for locomotor recovery in individuals post-stroke in inpatient rehab. His contributions to neurological physical therapists, have helped to spur paradigm shifts in treatment. For these reasons, Dr. Henderson has been chosen as the deserving winner of this honor.

*Dr. Henderson is a Board Certified Neurologic Clinical Specialist

Click here for a list of previous Outstanding Clinical Innovator Award Winners

Outstanding Advocacy in Neurology


Greta M. Myers, PT, DPT, CSRS*

Dr. Myers is Director of Neurological Services at Hartz Physical Therapy. Her efforts in promoting awareness of Parkinson’s Disease have resulted in media coverage at her many events that she organizes. She champions the importance of access to affordable neurologic physical therapy in her community and state-wide and has partnered with various organizations to connect her patients to the services they need. Her commitment to providing quality resources and treatment to individuals with neurological conditions has impacted thousands of people. For these reasons, Dr. Myers has been chosen as the deserving winner of this honor.

*Dr. Myers is a Board Certified Neurologic Clinical Specialist

Click here for list of previous Outstanding Advocacy in Neurology Award Winners

Early Career Award


Jonathan Ripic, PT, DPT*

Dr. Ripic is a senior Physical therapist at the Shirley Ryan Ability lab in Chicago. He sets an example for others with his exceptional customer service, dedication to help secure safe discharge for complex cases and his practice is science-driven. He has an insatiable curiosity for learning that leads him to constantly expand his own clinical acumen and seek opportunities to advance the evolving field of neurological rehabilitation. On his own time, he created a calculator tool to help clinicians apply best available evidence to determine functional prognosis for patients with SCI. He has done an incredible amount of work in his short time as a clinician. He recently was promoted to the Senior Physical Therapist role, which is a high distinction at SRAlab, and one rarely given to a clinician with his limited years of experience. He is also a mentor for the ANPT and the Illinois Physical Therapy Association and was recently elected as the co-chair for the IPTA's mentoring program. For these reasons, Dr. Ripic has been chosen as the deserving winner of this honor.

*Dr. Ripic is a Board Certified Neurologic Clinical Specialist

Click here for a list of prior Early Career Award recipients

CSM Abstract Awards


Post Professional Student Abstract 

Kiersten McCartney, PT, DPT

"Using Clinical Profiles to Improve Step Activity in People with Chronic Stroke". The research was performed at the University of Delaware.

 

 

Anne Shumway-Cook Lectureship


The Anne Shumway-Cook lectureship is designed to acknowledge and honor an individual who has made a significant contribution to neurologic physical therapy research and practice. Recipients of the lectureship have distinguished themselves as an esteemed neurorehabilitation scientist whose work has influenced neurological physical therapist clinical practice. The lecture provides an opportunity for the honoree to share experiences related to the translation of neuroscience and neurorehabilitation research into neurological physical therapist clinical practice. 

Dr. Bastian, PT, PhD 
Amy Bastian, PT, PhD is a physical therapist and neuroscientist who has made important contributions to the neuroscience of sensorimotor control. She is the Chief Science Officer and Director of the Center for Movement Studies at the Kennedy Krieger Institute and Professor of Neuroscience, Neurology and PM&R at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Dr. Bastian is a recognized as a highly accomplished neuroscientist whose interests include understanding cerebellar function/dysfunction, locomotor learning mechanisms, motor learning in development, and how to rehabilitate people with many types of neurological diseases. She has had continuous funding from the NIH since 1997 and was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 2023. She has served as an Associate Editor of the Journal of Neurophysiology and chaired many committees including the NIH MRS study section and the Advisory Board for NIH NICHD National Center for Medical Rehabilitation Research. Dr. Bastian has been recognized with several awards including the American Physical Association Eugene Michels Award, Susanne-Klein-Vogelbach International Award for Human Movement Research, American Society for Neurorehabilitation Outstanding Clinician Scientist Award, NIH NINDS Javits Award, NIH NINDS Research Program Award R35. 

Click here for list of previous Anne Shumway Cook recipients

Leahy & Barnes Promotion of Doctoral Studies (PODS) Awards

Patricia Leahy Award for outstanding PODS I application in post-professional studies within neurology:

Matthew Neehouse, PT, DPT of Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

Project Title: "A Combinatorial Therapeutic Approach to Promote Neural Repair Following Spinal Cord Injury".

I am from Vincent, OH, a small town in the foothills of Appalachia. I earned my bachelor’s degree in Biological Sciences with a Physical Therapy track from Ohio University and my doctorate in physical therapy (DPT) from Ohio State University (OSU). During my DPT education, I became involved in neuroscience research, developing a specific interest in spinal cord injury (SCI) as I worked with diverse patient populations. My clinical experiences revealed significant barriers to recovery and quality of life for individuals with SCI. I was fortunate to collaborate with leading neuroscience faculty at OSU, including Dr. Michele Basso, whose mentorship inspired me to pursue SCI research and a PhD.

Currently, I am a PhD candidate in the Interdepartmental Neuroscience (NUIN) program at Northwestern University, co-advised by Drs. Martin Oudega and Monica Perez. My research focuses on novel treatments to promote neural repair and functional recovery after SCI. With Drs. Oudega and Perez’s mentorship, I aim to apply translational approaches to improve outcomes for individuals with SCI. I aspire to combine my clinical background and research to become a successful translational scientist in SCI, neuroscience, and neurorehabilitation.

Mary Lou Barnes Award for outstanding PODS II application in post professional studies within neurology:

Wesley Thornton, PT, DPT, NCS from the University of Colorado

Project Title: "Lesion Characteristics and Functional Recovery Prognosis in Individuals with Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury”

Wesley Thornton, PT, DPT, NCS, is a 4th year Rehabilitation Sciences PhD candidate and member of the SCI Imaging Research Laboratory at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. His research interests are in neurological disorders with a focus on spinal cord injury and functional recovery prognosis. Wesley graduated with honors from Regis University’s DPT program in 2014. He has been a recipient of the APTA’s Minority Scholarship Award, as well as the Foundation for Physical Therapy Research’s Promotion of Doctoral Studies I scholarship. He has been board certified as a clinical specialist in Neurologic Physical Therapy for over 7 years and has presented multiple lectures both locally and nationally on the optimization of rehabilitation for patients with spinal cord and/or traumatic brain injuries throughout the continuum of care. Wesley is a practicing physical therapist at Craig Hospital, a member of the American Physical Therapy Association, and a member of the Academy of Neurologic Physical Therapy's Spinal Cord Injury SIG Nominating Committee.

PODS I Award:

Samuel Jackson, PT, DPT from the University of Delaware

Project Title: “Dosing Non-invasive Brain Stimulation for Older Adults with Chronic Pain"

Sam Jackson received his DPT from University of Delaware in January 2020, after which he worked in outpatient orthopedic practice for 3 years. During this time, Sam completed an orthopedic residency at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, where he developed an interest in treating those affected by chronic pain. This brought Sam back to Delaware, and from orthopedics to neuroscience, where he now studies the neurophysiology of pain.

Click here for a list of previous Barnes and Leahy Promotion of Doctoral Studies Awardees

Click here for a list of Academy members who are APTA Award Recipients.