2019 Board of Governors Election

ELECTION OVERVIEW

The ACRM Board of Governors positions open for election in 2019 include:

• President-Elect
• Secretary
• Member-at-Large (International)
• Member-at-Large (2 positions open)

Each ACRM member-in-good-standing will receive an election ballot via email on 6 May. The election survey will close at 5:00 PM EDT on 17 June.

If you do not receive an election ballot or need assistance accessing the election survey, please contact Cindy Robinson, Communications Manager.

RESPONSIBILITIES OF BOARD MEMBERS

1. Know the ACRM mission, purposes, goals, policies, programs, services, strengths, and needs
2. Follow trends in all aspects of rehabilitation
3. Be willing to undertake special assignments when asked
4. Serve ACRM as a whole rather than any special interest group or constituency
5. Prepare for and participate in Board meetings, including appropriate organizational activities
6. Participate in scheduled Board meetings both in person and via conference call, and notify the President in a timely manner if unable to participate at specific meetings
7. Suggest agenda items for Board meetings to ensure that significant policy-related matters are addressed
8. Support the majority decision on issues voted upon by the Board
9. Maintain close communication with any committee or ISIG of which a liaison assignment has been made. Assure that their concerns and interests are conveyed to the Board and report back to them on relevant Board decisions
10. Maintain confidentiality of the Board meeting and conference calls
11. Read and understand the organization’s financial statements and otherwise help the Board fulfill its fiduciary responsibilities
12. Counsel the CEO and President as appropriate
13. Serve as chair, co-chair, council or task force as appointed by the President
14. Annually complete Conflict of Interest Statement, to be submitted to the President

RESPONSIBILITIES OF OFFICERS

• President-Elect – See ACRM Policies & Procedures Manual, page 25
• Secretary – See ACRM Policies & Procedures Manual, page 25

MEMBER-AT-LARGE CANDIDATE STATEMENTS

John Morris, PhD, FACRM
Senior Clinical Research Scientist, Director of Technology Research
Crawford Research Institute, Shepherd Center

I am honored and humbled to be nominated for member-at-large on the ACRM Board of Governors.

I am a Senior Clinical Research Scientist and Director of Technology Research in the Crawford Research Institute at Shepherd Center. My work focuses on development, testing and validation of novel assistive and rehabilitation technologies for people with all types of disabilities and diagnoses. I have also conducted research on caregiving and spinal cord injury.

I have been a member of ACRM since 2011 and have served in several capacities on ACRM committees and communities. I started my service to the organization in 2011 on the short-lived Consumer Relations Committee, which grew out of the Communications Committee. I joined the Communications Committee in 2012, served as chair from 2013 to 2016 and continue to serve as a member.

In 2015, I co-founded ACRM’s Technology Networking Group, which has developed innovative, cross-cutting programs, activities and products, including our LaunchPad rehabilitation technology innovation competition, instructional courses on user-centered design, start-up zone in the vendor exhibition hall for new rehabilitation technology companies, and special symposia at the annual conference. We have also generated new interest and participation from relevant stakeholders and individuals outside of ACRM by providing the space to pursue their own visions and goals in rehabilitation medicine and technology, including creating an Industry Outreach Task Force and Clinical Managers in Rehabilitation Technology Task Force.

If elected to the Board of Governors, I hope to help guide ongoing efforts to promote collaboration and coordination among ACRM’s many communities, continue to promote interest in ACRM activities among stakeholders who currently are not active in the organization, and support efforts to make ACRM the global leader in research and innovation in rehabilitation medicine by assisting with current initiatives related to partnerships, outreach and inclusion.

Virginia Mills, MS, PT, Licensed NHA, FACRM
Member-at-Large Incumbent (ACRM 2015 to present)
Board Member of the Massachusetts Association for the Blind and Community Services (MAB) (2012- present)
Consultant, Wellesley, MA
Hospice Volunteer

I am honored to run for the position of Member-at-large on the ACRM Board of Governors. I have been involved in ACRM and attending the annual meeting since the 1980s.  I found my professional home in ACRM.   I was one of the founding members of the Brain Injury ISIG and was instrumental in writing the first set of guidelines used by CARF to develop their standards for surveys for brain injury programs.   I have been on the ACRM conference planning committee for a total of 14 years.  I have been Conference Chair for the annual meeting three times.  I was Program Chair for the Federal Interagency Meeting on TBI in 2016.  I was given the Distinguish Member Award in 1997 and became a FACRM in 2013.

I started my career as a physical therapist at Braintree Hospital where I worked my way up to being a Senior Vice-President.  I also planned and organized the annual Braintree Conference with my colleagues until I left in 1996.  I also served as a CARF surveyor for several years.

In 1996, I founded Community Rehab Care, Inc., (CRC) an outpatient neurorehabilitation program in the Boston Area. CRC grew and and became well known as a high quality provider of outpatient rehabilitation services.  I sold my majority interest in CRC in 2012.  I work on the Board of MAB and assist them with their brain injury services and vision rehabilitation services.

I am dedicated to ACRM because I believe in ACRM’s interdisciplinary membership and ACRM’s goals to work together to improve the practice of rehabilitation around the world through research and evidence based practice.

James E. Graham, PhD, DC
Director, Center for Community Partnerships
Professor, Department of Occupational Therapy
College of Health & Human Sciences
Colorado State University

I am honored to be nominated for a member-at-large position on the ACRM Board of Governors. I have been an active member of the ACRM for more than 12 years. The past decade has been a period of tremendous growth in conference attendance and scope of programming, which reflects the positive impact the organization is having on the disability and rehabilitation field. Regarding my role in this growth, I am currently the founding Chair of the Health Services Research Networking Group. Together with the members of the executive committee and other committed investigators, I have worked to highlight and promote rehabilitation-relevant health services research by ACRM members.

Outside the ACRM, I am Director of the Center for Community Partnerships and Professor in the Occupational Therapy Department in the College of Health & Human Sciences at Colorado State University. I am also Director of the Promotion and Dissemination Core for the Center for Large Data Research & Data Sharing in Rehabilitation, which provides education, training, and support for investigators interested in using secondary analysis in their disability and rehabilitation research programs. My research focuses on the hierarchy of health determinants and how attributes from these different levels (person-level, provider-level, and system-level) influence the long-term health and independence of adults with disabilities and/or chronic health conditions.

As the preeminent rehabilitation research organization, the ACRM offers unmatched opportunities for interacting and collaborating with true leaders in the field. I have benefited tremendously from those opportunities over the past several years. Further, the ACRM is obligated to continue providing the evidence and actively advocating for rehabilitation services and policy that improve the health, independence, and overall well-being of people with acute and chronic challenges. As a member of the Board of Governors, I would ensure that ‘we’ maintain our focus on these priorities.

Jeanne M. Zanca, PhD, MPT
Senior Research Scientist
Spinal Cord Injury Research
Kessler Foundation

I have been honored to serve ACRM in many roles, and will use this experience to further ACRM’s mission and contributions to the rehabilitation field. I have experience as Co-Chair of the Spinal Cord Injury Interdisciplinary Special Interest Group (SCI-ISIG)’s Task Force on Secondary Complications and Aging, SCI-ISIG Chair, and Chair-Elect of the Rehabilitation Treatment Specification Networking Group.  On the Communications Committee, I led efforts to develop a guideline for the creation of Information/Education Pages.  I am an active member of the Program Committee, and contribute to the development of the ACRM Training Institute, which will provide educational opportunities to build research capacity, facilitate translation of research findings, and cultivate the next generation of leaders in our field.

I have had the privilege of serving as an ex officio member of the Board of Governors over the past two years in my role as SCI-ISIG Chair.  I have found this experience to be very enlightening, and have learned a great deal about the operations and vision of ACRM, including the many opportunities and challenges in its future.  I have been active in discussions to advocate for the needs of community groups within ACRM and to encourage actions that make best use of ACRM’s most unique feature—its interdisciplinary community of research-minded individuals dedicated to advancing the rehabilitation field.

If given the opportunity to serve ACRM as a member of the Board of Governors, my priorities will be to ensure that community groups have the support and resources necessary to build value for their members, enhance opportunities for members of ACRM to collaborate and learn from one another, and encourage strategic investments that enhance ACRM’s financial strength, member value, and contributions to the advancement of rehabilitation science and clinical care.

Ann Guernon, PhD (candidate), MS, CCC-SLP
Clinical Research Manager/Coordinator
Hines VA Hospital & Marianjoy Rehabilitation Hospital

Thank you for considering my candidacy to serve the ACRM membership as a Board of Governors Member-at-Large . I’m honored by this nomination. My service to ACRM membership began in 2014 with involvement with the Early Career Communications Task Force and has expanded to the Pediatric and Adolescent Task Force of the Brain injury Interdisciplinary Special Interest Group, the Measurement Networking Group and most recently the Athlete Development and Sports Rehabilitation Networking Group. This involvement created the opportunity to serve on the nominating committee for the Measurement Networking Group from 2016-2018 and the privilege of serving as Chair Elect in 2018 and Chair of the Awards Committee in 2019.  I have connected with and learned from respected professionals in various rehabilitation specialties.

My career experience spans over twenty years, as both a rehabilitation clinician and a researcher. Currently, I am a clinical research manager with a neurorehabilitation laboratory at the Hines VA Hospital, an investigator and clinical research coordinator at Marianjoy Rehabilitation Hospital and a PhD candidate completing dissertation work focused on the prevention and identification of concussion on the sidelines of youth sports.  My research portfolio includes the study of neurobehavioral recovery in disordered states of consciousness and treatment development to address cognitive impairments for persons across the spectrum of traumatic brain injury.  My passion during my career has been to improve the lives of patients and caregivers who have been affected by traumatic brain injury and I am constantly inspired by the rehabilitation professionals that I have met through ACRM.  ACRM is an ideal fit for my research aspirations and I would be honored to continue to serve the membership through the Board of Governors.  Thank you for your consideration.

Vishwa S. Raj, MD
Associate Professor
Chief, Section of Rehabilitation, Department of Supportive Care, The Levine Cancer Institute
Medical Director, Director of Oncology Rehabilitation, Carolinas Rehabilitation
Vice-Chair for Clinical Operations, Department of PM&R, Carolinas Medical Center

Thanks so much for your nomination to run for the Board of Governors! Over the past 6 years, it has been my great pleasure to serve as Chair of the Cancer Rehabilitation Networking Group (CRNG). The development of this collaborative is an amazing accomplishment and has grown to almost 600 active members. Between our 5 task force groups, we have made a huge impact. Oncology remains a major focal point at the ACRM annual conference, with large and diverse groups of poster submissions and multiple tracks of interdisciplinary oral presentations. The work of our members has led to several peer-reviewed publications.

The CRNG has shown how rehabilitation principles and practice can be applied to change the paradigm of care for previously underserved populations. However, opportunities for rehabilitation extends far beyond clinical science. One of the most important priorities is to prepare rehabilitation as it adapts the clinical, educational, and research missions for sustainability in an ever-evolving healthcare environment.

As Medical Director for Carolinas Rehabilitation, Director of Oncology Rehabilitation for Carolinas Rehabilitation, Chief of Cancer Rehabilitation for the Levine Cancer Institute, and Vice-Chair of the Department of PM&R at Atrium Health, I have had the unique opportunity to work on system wide initiatives that promote the growth of rehabilitation regionally, nationally, and internationally. It requires novel approaches for interdisciplinary collaboration, both internal and external to rehabilitation departments, to ultimately prove the value of rehabilitation within healthcare.

The ACRM is uniquely situated to influence the future of rehabilitation. With a strategic plan of action, we can continue to support the clinical, educational, and research missions by supporting the value proposition of rehabilitation in healthcare. I appreciate your support for serving on the Board of Governors and hope we can use our interdisciplinary strengths to accomplish this goal.

Thank you for your consideration.

Patricia C. Heyn, PhD, FGSA, FACRM
Associate Professor, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, School of Medicine
Associate Senior Scientist, Center for Gait and Movement Analysis (CGMA), Children’s Hospital Colorado
University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

I am Patricia Heyn, an active and passionate lifelong ACRM member and fellow. I am truthfully honored to be considered for the ACRM Board of Governors.  ACRM is an incredible organization and I am so thankful for my 2003 NIDILRR (former NIDRR) postdoctoral fellowship, under Dr. Ken Ottenbacher mentorship, who introduced me to ACRM. I am fully dedicated to helping patients with disabling conditions by advancing and improving rehabilitation clinical services, training, policy, and research. I am a scientific reviewer for several rehabilitation related grant programs and have been contributing to the rehabilitation field with many peer-review articles, abstracts, book chapters and scientific presentations.  As a consequence of my contributions, I was presented with the 2018 ACRM Women in Rehabilitation Sciences Award.

Due to my proactive role as an ACRM member, I had the privilege to meet and work with many of you. I also had many leadership roles such as the 2016-18 chair of the Neurodegenerative Diseases Networking Group (NDNG).  I co-founded the CIRM NG with our wonderful Dr. Sonya Kim. In 2014, I formed the “Applied Cognition Taskforce (ACTF)” under the Measurement NG. As the chair of the ACTF task force, I mentored and leaded two highly productive teams of scientists in generating two peer review manuscripts. I also contribute to many other ACRM communities like the Chairs of Council, Diversity Taskforce, Policy & Legislation, and Program committees.  Presently, I am looking forward to contributing to the Geriatric Rehabilitation Networking Group (GRNG) as the upcoming chair.

I believe an inspiring leader is also a great listener and my leadership principles are guided by transparency and inclusion. After sixteen devoted and splendid years as an ACRM member, I hope you will give me the opportunity to serve you.  I am looking forward to working with you in supporting the ACRM vision, growth and impact.

MEMBER-AT-LARGE (INTERNATIONAL) CANDIDATE STATEMENTS

Leanne Togher, BApp Sc (Speech Path) PhD
Professor of Communication Disorders following Traumatic Brain Injury
NHMRC Elizabeth Blackburn Senior Research Fellow
The University of Sydney, Sydney Australia

I am honoured to be considered for the Board of the ACRM, as the mission and objectives align with my own vision of better outcomes for people with brain injury. As a brain injury professional for over 30 years, my last 20 years have been at The University of Sydney, Australia. I lead the development of social communication treatments, including the first communication partner training program for families, and carers of people with severe TBI, called TBI Express.

I am currently the recipient of my third consecutive Australian National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Senior Research Fellowship which provides 5 years of financial support. I was awarded the 2018 NHMRC Elizabeth Blackburn Prize, as the most highly ranked female Research Fellow applicant in the field of Clinical Science and Medicine in Australia.

My research funding (> AUS$19m) and current Fellow position ensures my capacity to attend ACRM meetings.  My governance experience includes 15 years as an Executive Member of the Australasian Society for the Study of Brain Impairment, with 6 of these in Presidential roles, membership on the Board of Governors for the International Brain Injury Association (IBIA) and I recently served my Faculty at The University of Sydney as Associate Dean, Research, where I was responsible for the research mentoring and performance of 300 academic staff.

As an active member of ACRM, I was invited to join the team which is writing the ACRM Cognitive Rehabilitation Guidelines Textbook. I recently attended a successful writing committee meeting at the ACRM 2019 Spring Meeting in Chicago, where I contributed to writing the chapters relating to Social Communication and Group Treatment. In summary, I am keen to serve the Congress in a member-at-large position, with the goal of contributing my skills, knowledge and experience to the advancement of the ACRM.

Christina Papadimitriou, PhD
Associate Professor
Oakland University
Department of Interdisciplinary Health Sciences and Department of Sociology
Rochester, Michigan

I have been a member of ACRM since 2008 when I was a post-doctoral fellow under Dr. Heinemann’s mentorship at the Center for Rehabilitation Outcomes Research (CROR) at the Shirley Ryan Ability Lab. During my 11 years of membership, I have been impressed by the dedication of my colleagues to better the lives of those seeking rehabilitation services. As a medical sociologist with a passion for social justice and healthcare equity for persons with disabilities, I belong at ACRM.

I joined the International Networking Group early on, and in the last 2 years, became co-chair of the task force on refugees with disabilities. Since 2014, I have been organizing panel presentations and instructional courses, often with established ACRM members such as Chris MacDonell (CARF). Since 2015, I have been an active member of the Program Committee. Some moments of pride are from 2016 when I worked with Chicago mixed-ability dancers to perform at the gala event during the annual meeting, as well as inviting Dr. Iezzoni to give a keynote presentation with Dr. Hammel on healthcare equity.

My research and teaching focus on promoting person-centered practices, improving healthcare access, and understanding systemic barriers to implementing equity-based policies for persons with disabilities. I am an active scholar in the fields of rehabilitation and sociology, and my work is read internationally. I have worked as principle investigator and co-investigator in multiple inter-disciplinary teams to study rehabilitation outcomes and processes; as co-PI in intervention research projects; and as leader of qualitative analytics. I stay on task and lead teams to achieve realistic timelines.

I support ACRM’s mission and objectives. If elected, I will bring a passion for disability rights and advocacy to remind us of the larger significance of our work: to improve the lives of those we serve by partnering with those we serve. I vow to carry out the disability rights motto “nothing about us without us”.

SECRETARY CANDIDATES

Fofi Constantinidou, PhD, CCC-SLP, CBIS, FACRM, FASHA
Professor of Language Disorders and Clinical Neuropsychology & Director, Center for Applied Neuroscience
University of Cyprus, Nicosia, Cyprus

I am honored and excited to be nominated for the position of Secretary. My four years as BOG member at large have prepared me well for this new challenge. If elected, it is my responsibility to Chair the Policies and Procedures Committee (currently serving as member) and update and maintain the ACRM Policies and Procedures Manual and ACRM Bylaws. Furthermore, as a member of the Executive Finance Committee I will contribute to the direction of our organization.

I have been an active ACRM member since 2005 and have participated in several strategic initiatives. Leadership positions include chairing the International Networking Group (ING) since its creation in 2012. The ING is ACRM’s global initiative and its members have contributed significantly to ACRM’s international visibility and representation at the annual meeting.

Apart from serving the ING, I am Chair of the Partnership Committee of the BOG, an inaugural member of the Girls and Women with ABI Task Force (BI-ISIG), and member of the Awards, Policies and Procedures, and Program Committees.  Also, as a member of other US, European and International organizations I have held various leadership positions.

Prior to repatriating to Cyprus in 2006, I was Professor of Speech Pathology and Audiology at Miami University, Ohio where I established the Miami University Sports Concussion Management Program. At the University of Cyprus, I am currently Professor and founding Director of the Center for Applied Neuroscience, a research center of strategic importance focusing on brain research (cancypurs.org). Currently, we are investigating the neurophysiological underpinnings of acquired brain injury and aging, their effects on language and cognition, and development of effective neurorehabilitation modalities. The past 13 years working in Europe have provided me with valuable opportunities to interact with researchers and service providers from around the world. I firmly believe that ACRM is of strategic significance to rehabilitation research in the US and internationally. As Secretary, I will continue to facilitate ACRM’s national and international agenda and I look forward to working with all of you in these critical areas.

Megan Mitchell, PhD
Human Factors Researcher, Human Factors
Cerner Corporation

I am honored to be nominated for the position of Secretary and have the opportunity to serve on ACRM’s Board of Governors again. Upon joining in 2012, it quickly became apparent that ACRM was more than a group of individuals with common interests. The enthusiasm and vision of the membership and the opportunity to engage with individuals in an environment which fosters interdisciplinary collaboration and mentorship immediately drew me in. Throughout the past seven years, this has led me to serve as Chair of the Early Career Networking Group, Co-Chair of the Technology Networking Group, Early Career Member-at-large on the Board (2014-2017) and a number of committees and Task Forces.

In addition, for the past 2.5 years, I have been representing ACRM as Co-chair on the RehabWeek Steering Committee. RehabWeek is an international conference bringing together six societies to plan a week-long conference providing cross-disciplinary content and fostering the development of international relationships. As ACRM’s collaboration in this endeavor has progressively expanded, I have risen to the challenge to organize various facets of the conference and lead the ACRM programming because I believe ACRM’s participation in RehabWeek is an excellent opportunity for our membership and embodies our vision. If elected Secretary, I will continue to approach ACRM initiatives with the same vigor and passion I have applied to this opportunity. I will utilize the executive and strategic strengths that I have demonstrated throughout my leadership to promote ACRM’s initiatives to exchange and disseminate information, facilitate collaborations from the individual member to the organizational level, create opportunities to build our international presence and become the leader in generating research/evidence to inform best practices.

I look forward to serving as Secretary and supporting the Board, ACRM staff, and members in growing our international presence and providing resources for our members. Thank you.

PRESIDENT-ELECT CANDIDATES

Michael L. (Mike) Jones, PhD, FACRM
Vice President, Research and Technology, Shepherd Center
Director, Virginia C. Crawford Research Institute @ Shepherd Center

I am honored to accept the nomination as President-Elect of ACRM. First, a little background on my work in rehabilitation. My interest is design and management of programs and services that promote independent living and inclusion of people with disabilities. I have over 30 years of leadership experience, serving as principal or co-principal investigator on 18 federally-funded grants, including four national research centers. I have also been a CARF surveyor since 1996.

Since 2000, I have been involved in ACRM as a conference attendee/presenter, committee member and chair, and executive officer of the Board. Marcel Dijkers recruited me to the Communications Committee and I served as Chair in 2007-09. During this period, we expanded to two annual ACRM Archives supplements and initiated the Information/Education Pages in Archives, translating research into practical information for consumers. I served on the Program Committee from 2009-2016, and as Chair from 2011-2015 – a period which witnessed tremendous growth in the content and attendance of the Annual Meeting.

I was elected Treasurer in 2016. During my tenure, we have implemented measures to ensure the Board has timely and accurate information, and the guidance needed to fulfill its fiduciary responsibility. We also instituted quarterly financial reporting to the entire membership and established a new banking relationship with BB&T, leading to a line of credit and more favorable pricing for banking services.

I have accomplished most of my professional goals, and have time, energy, and expertise to continue to serve ACRM. I believe this is a time when ACRM requires strong leadership as we continue to pursue “smart” growth opportunities and strive to deliver greater value for our members. It is the responsibility of the President to support and lead the Board in these efforts. I look forward to the opportunity to continue serving ACRM in this capacity.

Stephanie A. Kolakowsky-Hayner, PhD, CBIST, FACRM
Associate Professor, Department of Rehabilitation and Human Performance
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY

I am honored to be nominated as ACRM Board of Governors (BOG) President-Elect. I have been a member of ACRM for over ten years and have served the BOG as Member at Large since 2014 and as Program Committee Co-Chair and Chair since 2017. Throughout the past ten years, I have also served as Chair of the Early Career Development Course, Awards Committee Chair, International Networking Group Conference Task Force Co-Chair, the BI-ISIG Nominating Committee, and on a number of other committees/taskforces. Most recently, I represented ACRM at the Medical Summit on Firearm Injury Prevention convened by the American College of Surgeons’ Committee on Trauma. It has been a pleasure serving this premier international interdisciplinary rehabilitation research organization.

As part of my service to ACRM, I have gained invaluable experience developing and executing mentoring programs and was honored as the 2018 recipient of the ACRM Early Career Outstanding Mentoring Award, and the 2018 ACRM Distinguished Member Award.

Professionally, I have over 20 years of progressively independent experience in rehabilitation research regarding brain injury, spinal cord injury, and stroke. I am currently an Associate Professor of Research in the Department of Rehabilitation and Human Performance, within the Icahn School of Medicine, at Mount Sinai.

I have accepted this nomination to continue to serve the Board, ACRM staff, and members in growing our organization in a fiscally responsible manner. Working with Immediate Past President Dr. Debbie Backus, President Pam Roberts, the ACRM BOG, ACRM staff, and members, I anticipate developing new, and expanding existing, programming; and continuing to recruit early career and international professionals to strengthen and increase the reach of this already worldwide interdisciplinary organization.

I look forward to the opportunity to continue my history of service as ACRM President-Elect and thank you in advance for your vote.