ACRM 2020 Board of Governors Election
The Nominating Committee is pleased to present the 2020 slate of candidates for three positions opening on the ACRM Board of Governors. Follow the links below to review candidate statements in preparation for the election.
Voting members of ACRM will receive an email invitation on 6 May to participate in the election. The election survey will close on 17 June.
- For TREASURER the candidate is Brad G. Kurowski, MD, MS, FACRM
- For EARLY CAREER MEMBER-AT-LARGE the candidate is Brooks C. Wingo, PhD
- For MEMBER-AT-LARGE the candidates are:
TREASURER CANDIDATE STATEMENT
Brad G. Kurowski, MD, MS, FACRM
Associate Professor
Division of Pediatric Rehabilitation Medicine
Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center
Department of Pediatrics and Neurology and Rehabilitation Medicine
University of Cincinnati College of Medicine
I am pleased and honored to be considered for a position on the ACRM Board. My overriding passion is to assist colleagues, patients and their families, organizations, and family and friends to develop, thrive and cultivate their passion. I believe that through mindful leadership, understanding, positive coaching, and teamwork/collaboration, transformative aspirations and goals are realized.
I have participated in ACRM in various capacities. Over the past three years, I have served as a member-at-large on the ACRM Board; I have been the program committee co-chair; and was the initial chair of the ACRM Training Institute (ATI). I have enjoyed working with leadership and the members of ACRM to develop unique and novel interdisciplinary educational programming and content. I loved working as part of the ACRM Board to strategize and align organizational priorities. Further, I have also been an organizer and/or speaker for numerous instructional courses and symposia; co-founder of the Physicians and Clinicians Networking Group; and member of the Brain Injury SIG and various task force and networking groups within ACRM.
Outside of ACRM, I am a rehabilitation physician with subspecialty certification in brain injury and pediatric rehabilitation medicine. My clinical and research work has concentrated on traumatic brain injury. I built interdisciplinary clinical and research programs focused on improving recovery and function of youth and young adults after brain injury. Currently, I am a co-director of the Brain Recovery After INjury (BRAIN) Health and Wellness Center at my institution.
I am extremely excited for this opportunity. If elected, I will draw from my prior career experiences and work within ACRM to promote the mission and values of the organization. I will do my best to continue to add value and to help the organization and its members continue to develop and thrive. Thank you for your consideration.
EARLY CAREER MEMBER-AT-LARGE STATEMENT
Brooks C. Wingo, PhD
Associate Professor
Department of Occupational Therapy
University of Alabama at Birmingham
I am an Associate Professor in the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Department of Occupational Therapy. My research focuses on lifestyle interventions for management of symptom burden and cardiometabolic risk factors in people with physical disabilities. My most recent research has focused on understanding the role of dietary patterns on the cardiometabolic health of adults with spinal cord injury and Multiple Sclerosis.
I joined ACRM and the Early Career Networking Group (ECNG) in 2013. I co-founded the ECNG Mentoring Task Force in 2014. As chair of the Mentoring Task Force, we initiated an Ask the Mentor column for the ECNG newsletter, the ACRM Outstanding Mentor award, and the mentoring lunch during the annual Early Career Development Course. We also began a mentor match program, which matches early career ACRM members with mid to senior career members to provide resources for career development, work-life balance, and job negotiation skills. This began as a pilot program with the Neurodegenerative NG, and subsequent Mentoring TF chairs have extended the program to include the BI-ISIG and Stroke ISIG. I became Chair of the ECNG in 2017, and during this time, we expanded our programming for early career members to include quarterly Career Development Corner webinars. I have also served as the Early Career representative on the ATI steering committee for the last year.
I have a passion for helping early career investigators and clinicians find their footing and providing opportunities for mentorship and career development. I would be honored to continue the work I have done with the ECNG by serving as the Early Career representative on the ACRM BOG. I have benefited greatly from the resources and relationships I have built within ACRM, and this would be an excellent way of giving back to ACRM.
MEMBER-AT-LARGE CANDIDATE STATEMENTS
Dawn Neumann, PhD, FACRM
Associate Professor and Research Director
PM&R, Indiana University School of Medicine and Rehabilitation Hospital of Indiana
Director, IU InterFACE Center at RHI
I am extremely honored to be nominated for the Member-at-Large position on the ACRM Board of Governors (BOG). I joined the ACRM family in 2007 and have enjoyed being an active member ever since. I have had the pleasure of serving on ACRM’s BOG twice now, once as Member-at-Large (2017-2020), and once previously as the representative for the Early Career Networking Group (2012-2014). I also currently serve on the BOG Policy and Procedures Committee. Having a longstanding history with ACRM and the BOG, I am familiar with ACRM’s Mission and policies, as well as the roles and responsibilities of being a Board member. Other ACRM involvement includes having served on the Program Committee and the Brain Injury Interdisciplinary Special Interest Group (BI-ISIG) Executive Committee since 2014. Additionally, I was the first Chair of the Early Career Networking Group, which I helped establish in 2012. In 2017, I became an ACRM Fellow.
Outside of ACRM, I am a tenured Associate Professor at Indiana University (IU) School of Medicine in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, and Research Director at the Rehabilitation Hospital of Indiana (RHI). I have worked in the field of brain injury for more than 20 years; first as a cognitive therapist, and later as a researcher. I have my doctorate in Rehabilitation Science from SUNY Buffalo. My research focuses on the mechanisms and treatment of social cognition deficits and emotion dysregulation after traumatic brain injury (TBI). Since 2012 I have served on the Editorial Review Board for the Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation.
In closing, I am eager to continue serving ACRM and its members so that together, we could further advance rehabilitation outcomes for people with disabilities. I would like to thank you for your time and consideration during this election.
Vishwa S. Raj, MD
Professor
Chief, Section of Rehabilitation, Department of Supportive Care, The Levine Cancer Institute
Medical Director, Carolinas Rehabilitation
Vice-Chair for Clinical Operations, Department of PM&R, Carolinas Medical Center
I am so honored for the nomination of Member-At-Large within the Board of Governors. For the past 7 years, it has been my pleasure to serve as Co-Chair of the Cancer Rehabilitation Networking Group (CRNG). During that time, the CRNG has experienced unparalleled growth with over 600 active members and 6 distinct task forces. As cancer rehabilitation within the ACRM continues to expand and develop, the academic contributions do as well. Our poster submissions and interdisciplinary symposium promote diversity and innovation and have led to several peer-reviewed publications in journals with high impact factors. I am so proud that the ACRM is now recognized as the premier organization representing interdisciplinary cancer rehabilitation.
Every group within the ACRM has made significant strides in advancing their administrative, clinical, educational, and research missions over the years. However, as an organization, we must continue to push forward in a manner that benefits our membership. With our interdisciplinary structure, the ACRM is uniquely positioned to be the leader and voice of rehabilitation for the future. I believe as a member of the Board of Governors we can accomplish these goals.
As Medical Director 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 in a large healthcare system to promote the growth and development of rehabilitation regionally, nationally, and internationally. We have used novel approaches for interdisciplinary collaboration to further promote the integration of rehabilitation into research and clinical care. With the appropriate positioning and planning, our programs at Atrium Health have flourished and remain sustainable academically, clinically, and fiscally. These insights and experiences may prove valuable to the Board as we continue to advance the vision and mission of the ACRM and its membership.
John T. Morris, PhD, FACRM
Senior Clinical Research Scientist
Crawford Research Institute
Shepherd Center
I’m honored and enthusiastic to be a candidate for Member-at-Large on the Board of Governors of the leading interdisciplinary professional organization in the field of rehabilitation medicine. I have contributed to ACRM in various capacities over the past 10 years. I worked with colleagues to establish the Technology Networking Group in 2015, serving as one of the founding co-Chairs through 2019, and continuing to serve as co-Chair of TNG task forces. During those exciting 5 years, our group has created innovative and exciting concepts like the LaunchPad technology competition, Start-Up Zone for new technology companies at the annual conference, and the Clinical Managers Task Force for clinicians working in rehabilitation technology. I am also a member of ACRM’s Pandemic Webinar Series Task Force (which grew out of discussions within the TNG) and the newly formed Ad hoc Committee on Consumer Inclusion. I have also served on ACRM’s Communications Committee for the past 8 years, including 4 years as Chair. And, I previously served on the short-lived Consumer Relations Committee.
ACRM continually faces new challenges and opportunities in service delivery, operations and operating environment that impact our ability to serve our numerous stakeholders among clinicians, researchers, administrators, vendors, policy makers and above all, people with disability, traumatic injury and chronic conditions. This year, especially, has shown that our organization must be responsive, agile, innovative, confident and inclusive to fulfill its mission – indeed, obligation – to improve lives, make new discoveries and translate knowledge into practice.
If elected I will fulfill the commitments of Member-at-Large with energy and collegiality in order to promote ACRM’s vision, mission, and goals. I will put the interests of the organization overall above those of any special interest or organization. I am especially interested in contributing to ACRM’s efforts on inclusion, consumer focus, partnerships, and community group evolution.
Allan J. Kozlowski, PhD, BSc (PT)
Director of Outcomes Research, John F. Butzer Center for Research & Innovation
Assistant Professor, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Michigan State University College of Human Medicine
Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital
I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at Michigan State University – College of Human Medicine, and the Director of Outcomes Research at Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital in Grand Rapids, MI. I received my Bachelor of Science in physical therapy in 1991 from the University of British Columbia, and practiced as a physical therapist and rehabilitation manager in work disability prevention before completing my doctorate in Rehabilitation Sciences, also at the University of British Columbia. I subsequently completed my postdoctoral fellowship in the Center for Rehabilitation Outcomes Research at (then) Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago and the Center for Healthcare Studies at Northwestern University. My research focuses on applying linear and non-linear mixed effects regression methods to model various rehabilitation outcomes as trajectories of change, with the goal of developing, validating, and implementing patient-level prognostic models of recovery. I have been an ACRM member since 2012, and have served on the Measurement Networking group since 2013, initially as Secretary and currently as Chair. In addition, I have presented instructional courses, symposia, or both at the ACRM Annual Conferences since 2012, including co-instructing courses on longitudinal modeling. My commitment to ACRM is demonstrated by this active involvement in the organization to date, and I am eager to contribute in other ways. I seek the opportunity to do so as a voting Member-at-Large on the BOG. I feel that my experience with ACRM and my career experience in rehabilitation make me an excellent candidate for this important role.
