Member Spotlight Marilyn Moffat PT, DPT, PhD, DSc (hon), FAPTA New York University Department of Physical Therapy - Full Professor; Private Practice Owner
How Long have you been a member of APTA New York? I became a student member in 1963 and a full member in 1964, so have been a member of APTA for 58 years. What do you enjoy most about APTA New York? There are many things that I have enjoyed over the years about being a part of APTA New York, but certainly the outstanding highlights include chairing and running one of the largest NYPTA Annual Meetings we have ever had that was held in New York City in 1977 at the Roosevelt Hotel with bag pipers leading us into the banquet dinner, serving as President of NYPTA for 2 terms, and developer of both the Legislative and Leadership Chapter Workshops. In addition was my time serving in many different capacities including Editor of the Newsletter, member of the Continuing Education Committee, member of the Taskforce on the Future of Physical Therapy, member of the Board of Directors, participant in the Legislative Workshops for 11 years, Legislative Consultant for 18 years, Chair of the Political Action Committee for 5 years, Chair of the Taskforce on Insurance, member of the Vision and Strategic Planning Retreats, Chair of the Taskforce on Implementation of the Guide to Physical Therapist Practice in NYS and also as a consultant for that implementation for 6 years, and member of the Physical Therapy Scope of Practice Taskforce. Tell us a little about your background, and how your path led you to where you are today. My physical therapy education was at the certificate level, hence up until I went back for my transitional DPT degree, I had only a certificate not a degree in physical therapy. But that was what was typical for those of us entering physical therapy programs at the post-graduate level. My undergraduate degree led me to a teaching path, and I decided I did not want to teach high school students as a career. Fortunately I had a former professor who suggested I look into physical therapy, and to do that I spent some time at the New York State Rehabilitation Hospital in Havestraw NY (now Helen Hays Hospital) where I fell in love with what I saw being done with patients. The rest, as the saying goes, is history. I applied to the New York University Program that summer (I had most all of the science requirements for entry including, biology, chemistry, physiology, and microbiology and did a cram a year of physics into that same summer) and was admitted to the fall class. Finishing my entry level certificate in 14 months, I then went on for my master’s degree and my PhD degree.
APTA New York | January/February, 2022
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