Congratulations to the Academy's 2021 Award Recipients

March 9, 2021 – The Academy of Pelvic Health Physical Therapy hosted its annual Awards Ceremony on Monday, March 8, 2021 to recognize  many of its volunteers and active physicals therapy professionals that have made a big impact in the Academy and the profession. You may watch the full awards presentation below or scroll down to view all award recipients.

Awards & Recognition

Thank You to Our Volunteers
Committees and Task Forces

A big thank you goes out to our many volunteers who’ve joined committees, task forces and ran for elections. We are grateful to our volunteers for their passion and voice that has supported and advanced the Academy mission, vision and strategic plan

Standing Committees

• Executive Committee
• Finance Committee
• Governance Committee
• Nominating Committee

Membership Committees

• Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access (IDEA) Committee
• Membership Committee
• State Representatives
• Special Interest Groups
  • Early-Professionals SIG
  • Student SIG
  • Pregnancy & Postpartum SIG

Education Committees

• CAPP-Pelvic Committee
• CAPP-OB Committee
• Educational Review Committee
• International Education Committee
• CAPP Case Review Committee
• Education Management Task Force
• Home Study Modules Task Force
• Patient Education Handout Task Force

Programming Committees

• CSM Programming Committee

Standalone Positions

• Volunteer Coordinator
• Multimedia Education Manager

Practice Committees

• CPG Steering Committee
• CPG Task Forces
• Federal Government Affairs
• Payment & Billing

Research Committees

• 10K Research Grant Review Committee
• JWHPT Editorial Board
• JWHPT Article Reviewers

2021 Top CSM Poster Award
Poster Title: Movement System Impairment-Guided Approach to Management of a Patient With Persistent Genital Arousal Disorder
Investigator: Michele Strauss PT, DPT, CSCS, Board-Certified Orthopaedic Clinical Specialist

2021 Top CSM Platform Award
Platform Title: Perinatal Incontinence Assessment Tools: A Psychometric Evaluation and Review
Investigators: Emily Gard, SPT, Alyssa Lyman, SPT, Hina Garg, PT, MS, PhD, NCS, CEEAA

2020 Education Excellence Award
Lori Mize, PT, DPT
Board-Certified Women’s Health Clinical Specialist

Lori is an active member of the CAPP-Pelvic Committee and is a current Lab Assistant and Instructor. She was instrumental in making much needed changes to pelvic health physical therapy courses. In her role at UCA and previously at Lynchburg College she has inspired hundreds of students to become outstanding therapists. Lori is a fabulous educator and seeks to make learning not only practical but fun for the course participants. She is great at collaborating with other instructors and lab assistants in incorporating their ideas and thoughts. Congratulations, Lori!

2020 Volunteer of the Year Award
Kristi Kliebert, MPT, DPT, CYT, CPYT

Kristi is the CAPP-OB Lead Case Reviewer and Director in the Pregnancy & Postpartum SIG. She’s an outstanding professional volunteer leader who’s reliable, conscientious, efficient, and quality-oriented.  Kristie joined the PPSIG board and hit the ground running. She has been a breath of fresh air with her thoughts and ideas, always up for any task. Kristi, thank you for your sharing your talents, passion and generous dedication the Academy. We are lucky to have you.

2020 Friend of the Academy Award
Robert Geist, Former Finance Manager, The Han Group

Rob has played a pivotal role in providing strategic financial guidance to the Academy when it needed it most. Rob has worked closely with the Treasurer and Executive Director to analyze all spending, identify patterns in our finances and reshape the Academy budget for sustainability. Rob, thank you for your perseverance and dedication to the Academy, your attention to detail, working countless hours into the evenings to ensure the Academy was on the best path for success.

2020 Emerging Leader Award
Lauren Trosch, PT, DPT
Board-Certified Orthopaedic Clinical Specialist

In a span of a few months, Lauren has helped revitalize and expand the Academy’s Journal Club from a small regional group into an international club during the pandemic,increasing the Academy’s audience base by over 6,000 physical therapy professionals worldwide. Lauren’s colleagues describe her as enthusiastic, organized, reliable, results-driven. Lauren is someone who does not hesitate to go the extra mile to get things done. Lauren, you inspire us all with your passion, resourcefulness and dedication.

2020 President’s Award
CAPP-Pelvic Committee and CAPP-OB Committee Members

In 2020, the Academy faced an enormous challenge: COVID-19 and its impact on the Academy’s continuing education programs. The majority of the Academy’s education offerings have been offered in-person however due to COVID risks and travel restrictions, the Academy had to cancel all of its in-person courses for health safety. What we thought would be a big setback for the Academy ended up in innovation, teamwork and modified educational offerings to help the Academy and members adapt to our pandemic reality. The CAPP-Pelvic and CAPP-OB Committees provided a quick response to the pandemic. They restructured continuing education courses into virtual format to increase accessibility. Please join us in recognizing the hard work of the CAPP Committee members, their devotion to the CAPP Program and endless hours modifying the course content.

CAPP-Pelvic Committee (2020-2021)

• Miranda Harvey PT, DPT, OCS, CFMT, FFMT, FAAOMPT
• Whitney Bartly PT, DPT
• Lora Mize PT, DPT, Board-Certified Women’s Health Clinical Specialist
• Kari Ziemba PT, MPT
• Carina Siracusa PT, DPT, Board-Certified Women’s Health Clinical Specialist
• Kaysi Gray, PT, DPT, CFMT, FFMT, FAAOMPT
• Erica Holland PT, DPT
• Mary Jane Strauhal PT, DPT, BCB-PMD
• Mary Hughes-Johnson, PT, DPT, PRPC
• Andrea Schultz, PT, DPT, Board-Certified Women’s Health Clinical Specialist
• Lakshmi Shankar, PT, DScPT, OMPT

CAPP-OB Committee (2020-2021)

• Sandra Gallagher, PT, DPT, Board-Certified Women’s Health Clinical Specialist (Chair)
• Rebecca Stephenson, PT, DPT, MS, CLT, Board-Certified Women’s Health Clinical Specialist
• Karen Litos, PT, DPT, Board-Certified Women’s Health Clinical Specialist
• Beth Northrop, PT, DPT
• Karen Snowden, PT, DPT, Board-Certified Women’s Health Clinical Specialist
• Julia Monie, PT, MS, Board-Certified Women’s Health Clinical Specialist
• Susan Giglio, PT, DPT, RYT

2020 President’s Award
Finance Committee

The Finance Committee has revamped the annual budget process and has co-developed new financial policies to increase internal checks and balances. The Finance Committee has prioritized investments and has advocated for more robust financial stability using a mission-based prioritization decision approach. The Pandemic year has been a wakeup call for many organizations, including the Academy, in how it manages its finances and how to best prepare for a rainy day. The Finance Committee’s role has been crucial in providing the Board recommended courses of action regarding the financial health of the Academy.

• Molly Lisenby, PT, Board-Certified Women’s Health Clinical Specialist
• Cathy Konkler, PT
• Kim Parker-Guerrero, PT, DPT
• Truly Moore, PT, Cert. MDT

2020 Elizabeth Noble Award
Sandra Gallagher, PT, DPT, Board-Certified Women’s Health Clinical Specialist
Award presented by Primary Nominator, Laurie VanCott, MSPT and supporting nominators, Julia Monie, PT, MS, Board-Certified Women’s Health Clinical Specialist and Susan Giglio, PT, DPT, RYT.

WCS Class of 2020
61 Newly Board-Certified and 13 Re-Certified Women’s Health Clinical Specialists.

• Grace Abruzzo, PT, DPT
• Anna Albrecht, PT, DPT, MPH
• Sheri Baldwin, PT, MSPT
• Lauren Bauer, PT, DPT
• Tonda Berry, PT, DPT
• Jaime Bicknell, PT, DPT
• Kimberly Breslin, PT
• Shona S Craig, PT
• Emily Davenport, PT, DPT
• Abbie DeWitt, PT
• Blair Trosclair Duthu, PT
• Emily Dutton, PT
• Lisa English, PT, DPT
• Shannon Gorman, PT
• Megan Gottlieb, PT, DPT
• Kayla Heger, PT
• Heather Heineman, PT
• Emily Jean Hood, PT, DPT
• Erica Hook, PT
• Janelle Howell, PT
• Breanne James, PT, DPT
• Ariana Jones, PT, DPT
• Kristina Kehoe, PT
• Natalie Kiefer, PT, DPT
• Heather LaPaglia, PT
• Ava Hyunhye Lee, PT, DPT
• Jenna-Marie Lewis, PT, DPT, PhD
• Kelsey Lewis, PT
• Molly Marek, PT
• Aasta McColery, PT, DPT
• Shannon McCool, PT, DPT
• Antonia McDowell, PT, DPT
• Bridget McMillion, PT, DPT
• Amy D. Medley, PT, DPT
• Alexis Meister, PT
• Kimberly Meredith, PT
• Mira Bhagwan Merille, PT, DPT
• Jillian Meyer, PT, DPT
• Zenil Nasser, PT
• Angela Pappas, PT, DPT
• Jana Parnell, PT, DPT
• Britta Patterson, PT, DPT
• Shannon Roth, PT, DPT
• Amy Rozelle, PT, DPT
• Caitlyn Rumsey, PT, DPT
• Wendy Schlessinger, PT
• Jacqueline Sineway, PT, DPT
• Andrea Sosa, PT, DPT
• Lee Sowada, PT, DPT
• Ellen Spiller, PT, DPT
• Amanda Stauder, PT, DPT
• Nava Szwergold, PT, DPT
• Amanda Townsend, PT, DPT, ATC
• Amy Vandermark, PT, DPT
• Emily VanDoren, PT, DPT
• Betsy Walts, PT
• Brittany Webb, PT, DPT
• Michelle Weeks, PT
• Karen E Wik, PT
• Kerry Winge, PT, DPT
• Joanne Zazzera, PT, DPT

Recertified WCS

• Stacie Dichsen
• Elizabeth Shelly
• Lisa Johnson
• Melissa Aul
• Jennifer Chu
• Sandra Gallagher
• Julie Peterson
• Rheam Mansour
• Meghan Markowski Cucchiara
• Teresa Maciejewski
• Julie Lombardo
• Sylvia McCandless
• April Mettler

CAPP-Pelvic Class of 2020
69 Certificate of Achievement in Pelvic Health Physical Therapy recipients

Congratulations to our newly CAPP-Pelvic certified physical therapists who have completed the rigorous obstetric health physical therapy coursework and passed the written case report. Learn more about the CAPP program.

• Valerie Akinwande, PT
• Alyssa Banks, PT
• Michele Branca, PT
• April Bronowski, PT
• Lisa Burrows, PT
• Sabina Busby, PT
• Sarahann Callaway, PT
• Jessica Cook, PT
• Natasha Dawkins, PT
• Christine Duffy-Watson, PT
• Celia Ellis, PT
• Jasmine Evans, PT
• Michelle Fritz, PT
• Ginamar Galvan, PT
• Kiara Girkins, PT
• Kathleen Goldberg, PT
• Kathryn Goncalves, PT
• Chelsea Hartman, PT
• Chelsey Howell, PT
• Aisha Hume, PT
• Sara Jarabek, PT
• Jennifer Jeshurun, PT
• Gina Kelly-Elliott, PT
• Lauren Knepper, PT
• Karalee Knox, PT
• Megan Lawless, PT
• Rachel Ledoux, PT
• Karen Litos, PT
• Lina Taing Loyd, PT
• Theresa Lugatiman, PT
• Gail Madill, PT
• Megan Madsen, PT
• Cynthia McIlrath, PT
• Brenda Milbrath, PTc
• Mary Montgomery, PT
• Allison Morton, PT
• Breanne Myers, PT
• Jennifer Niemeyer, PT
• Ashley Niemi, PT
• Krista O’Dell, PT
• Anna Patitucci, PT
• Lauren Peterson, PT, DPT
• Michelle Porter, PT
• Taylor Price, PT
• Justine Roper, PT
• Carey Rothschild, PT
• Carey Rothschild, PT
• Ann Kennedy Schofield, PT
• Mary Ann Sims, PT
• Amanda Slack, PT
• Ellen Elizabeth Spiller, PT
• Emma Stephens, PT
• Laura Teasley, PT
• Cheryl Tenpas, PT
• Cheryl Tenpas, PT
• Lauren Rae Thoma, PT
• Kayla Unruh, PT
• Gouri Varatkar, PT
• Nicholas Vernola,
• Elizabeth Volpe, PT
• Jenna Walton, PT
• Candice Wiers, PT
• Candice Wiers, PT
• Rachel Williams, PT
• Amy Wolkin, PT
• Ariel Wynne, PT
• Julie Yang, PT
• Catherine Yim, PT
• Kristine H. Zaffina, PT

CAPP-OB Class of 2020
29 Certificate of Obstetric Health Physical Therapy recipients

Congratulations to our newly certified physical therapists who’ve achieved the CAPP-OB Certificate of Achievement upon completing all required coursework and a written case report. Learn more about the CAPP program.

• Hannah-Lynn Boothe, PT
• Alexandria Burch, PT
• Aishwarya Chari, PT
• Mary Clark, PT
• Katie Coleman, PT
• Magdalena Czerniak, PT
• Sara Darland, PT
• Kerry Degaetani, PT
• Cindy Eslava, PT
• Sandra Gallagher, PT, WCS
• Lauren Garges, PT
• Ingrid Hanna, PT
• Katherine, Uttech
• Karalee Knox, PT
• Rebecca Kurk, PT
• Michelle Little, PT
• Theresa Lugatiman, PT
• Ashley Maciulaitis, PT
• Julia Monie, PT
• Darshana Nike, PT
• Amy Opensky, PT
• Amanda Osborne, PT
• Jennifer Rawlins, PT
• Bianca Saad, PT
• Mackenzie Van Loo, PT, DPT
• Danielle Vaughan, PT
• Ariel Zablocki, PT
• Kristine Zaffina, PT

Congratulations to all award recipients! Thank you for your dedication, devotion to the mission and for all that you do for the Academy and the profession as a whole.

Academy of Pelvic Health Physical Therapy