The Academy of Neurologic Physical Therapy (ANPT) hosted its inaugural Annual Conference in the fall of 2021. I'm writing this President's Perspective on Monday, October 4. We closed the live weekend of this virtual event last evening, and while the conference program remains available through November, we can begin asking ourselves, "Is the mission accomplished? Did we do what we set out to do?"

The idea for our own annual conference was conceived by our members and volunteer leaders who have been clamoring for such an event for some time. It was built on ANPT's long-standing commitment to education and advancing practice with high-quality programming at APTA CSM-Combined Sections Meeting, the STEP conferences, the International Conference of Vestibular Rehabilitation (ICVR), and extensive Web offerings. Under the able leadership of our Director of Education, Dr Susan Perry, and the Programming Committee, Drs Jennifer Moore, Genevieve Pinto-Zipp, and Jane Sullivan, the conference aims were established-to foster excellence in neurologic physical therapy by promoting:

* Knowledge translation strategies;

* Dissemination of clinically relevant scientific evidence;

* Application of best practices; and

* Networking opportunities among clinicians, scientists, educators, administrators, and students.

Originally slated as an in-person event for the summer of 2021, in the spring of 2020, the ANPT Board of Directors decided to convert the conference to a virtual-only format in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This was not an easy decision to make. In the spring of 2020, few public voices were speaking to the impact of the pandemic extending into 2021, and because of that, there would be a significant financial impact in the decision to cancel the live event. I am grateful for our current Board members who were grounded in science and willing to stand against the tide in making a decision they believed was in the best interest of our members and the lives of our members' patients, families, and students. And, I am grateful to past ANPT Board members who were wise stewards of ANPT's financial resources, which allowed the association to absorb the financial loss through reserve funds.

The decision to proceed with a virtual-only event enabled the programming committee to plan without worrying about the need to change directions. And plan they did! The live event started with a keynote address presented by Dr Susan Whitney: Translating Science Into Practice: Transforming Society One Person at a Time. Dr Whitney set the stage for the Saturday focus on ways in which standardized measurement can guide clinical decision-making and the Sunday focus on the ANPT "Moving Forward" position paper1 and how our profession can advance as research evolves. At the time of this writing, the conference boasted nearly 700 registrants, with representation from all 50 states as well as Norway, New Zealand, Switzerland, Australia, France, Singapore, and Taiwan. These individuals had access to 76 educational sessions (26 on-demand, 21 from the live weekend, and 29 video chats), 76 posters, and 16 exhibitors. The video chats were sprinkled throughout the live weekend and were with multiple presenters of related topics. This provided attendees the opportunity to interact more with each other and with presenters, furthering the discussion and networking. In the conference Poster Hall, registrants could find 2 different poster formats: half traditional and half #betterposter. Developed by Mike Morrison, a PhD candidate in organizational psychology at Michigan State University, the #betterposter format is designed to convey important information in a manner that is more accessible to viewers. The program committee hosted educational webinars with Mr Morrison for presenters interested in trying the #betterposter format. And, having created 2 groups of poster types, the committee is collaborating with researchers in organizational psychology to survey attendees and poster developers. They want to explore the science of learning in these 2 formats.

When I review the conference aims, it's clear to me that the mission was accomplished. We did do what we set out to do. But now what? In every session, presenters shared the stories of their work and their vision for what could be. Whether it be methods in teaching, practice, or research, on a large or small scale, each idea started with one person. One person who believed we could be better, felt empowered to make a difference, and became an incubator for innovation. Through the establishment of an Annual Conference, ANPT has taken a significant step forward in building capacity among its members for the work of transforming society. Each of us can be that one person-the spark that ignites a movement forward.

-Patricia L. Scheets, PT, DPT, NCS, President

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