The following individuals were recognized by the Neurology Section at the Combined Sections Meeting in San Diego, CA, February 2010.

Service to the Section Award

Dorian Rose, PT, PhD

Any Neurology Section member who has attended the Combined Sections Meeting in the past 15 years has benefited from the efforts of Dorian Rose. Perhaps you saw her as she scooted from room to room making sure everything was running smoothly, or she may have helped you with the onsite preparations for your talk, or perhaps you simply attended and were amazed by the great speakers and awesome programming. Serving as a member of the Program Committee since 1994 and then as Chair of the committee since 2005, Dorian has left her mark on all of us. During this time, she also assisted section members in less visible ways, including as a reviewer for JNPT, a member of the III-Step Dissemination Task Force, and a member of the nominating committee from 1997 to 2000. With her charming sense of humor and inimitable style, Dorian Rose has given outstanding service to the Section, and this award is but a small gesture of our great appreciation.

Clinical Excellence Award

Kathleen "Kathie" Klerk, PT

Kathie is an internationally recognized expert in the physical therapy for individuals with spinal cord injury. As the Chief of the Spinal Cord Injury Unit at Miami's Jackson Memorial Hospital for more than 30 years (since 1977), countless individuals with spinal cord injury and their family members have benefitted from Kathie's experience. Throughout these years, Kathie has also mentored innumerable others to disseminate her clinical expertise. As one of the nominators noted, "in clinical practice, one sometimes encounters questions for which there are no answers in a textbook or article, questions that can only be answered by someone with the broad knowledge base that comes from a long history of dedicated clinical experience, someone like Kathie Klerk." Her clear thinking, insightfulness, and creativity in addressing clinical issues are an inspiration to physical therapists and others who work with individuals with spinal cord injury.

Excellence in Clinical Education Award

Beth Fisher, PT, PhD

Beth has been instrumental in guiding many future physical therapists and neurologic clinical specialists in developing their skills in neurologic physical therapy. With more than 20 years of experience in treating individuals with neurologic disorders at Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center and teaching clinical management of these disorders at University of Southern California, Beth's influence has been long and far reaching. She has lectured and taught many courses nationwide on the treatment of the neuromotor disorders and has presented numerous times at scientific meetings on the local, national, and international level. She was instrumental in starting the Neurologic Physical Therapy Residency program at the University of Southern California and in getting the program credentialed by the APTA, only the second such program to earn that status and the first within a university setting.

Student Research Awards

Post-Professional Student: Shilpa Patil, PT, NCS, University of Florida

For the study entitled: Unilateral Paretic Limb Power Training Produces Bilateral Locomotor Effects Post-Stroke, conducted by Shilpa Patil, Ilse Jonkers, and Carolynn Patten.

Professional Students: Marissa Schaeuble, MS, ATC, and Joy Resetar, BA, University of Indianapolis

For the study entitled: Gait Characteristics in Persons with Chronic Stroke Classified as Limited and Full Community Ambulators, conducted by Marissa Schaeuble, Joy Resatar, Michelle Dumit, Jeannie Hartley, Kendall Schultz, Peter Rundquist, and Margaret Finley.