By Wendy M. Featherstone, PT, DPT, President, SoWH

From the bottom of the ocean
To the mountains on the moon
Won't you please come to Chicago
No one else can take your place.
-Crosby, Still, Nash & Young

I hope you have already made your travel plans for the Windy (and possibly snowy) City and CSM 2012 in Chicago. I can guarantee you won’t want to miss it!
As usual, there are the fabulous educational offerings. We are sponsoring two Pre-conference courses and co-sponsoring a third. On Tuesday and Wednesday, February 7-8 are Mary Massery’s presentation Linked: Breathing and Postural Control, and Sara Meeks’ presentation of The Bone Class.  On Wednesday we are co-sponsoring a workshop on Writing Case Reports with the Section on Geriatrics. That kicks off the week of fabulous break-out sessions too numerous to mention. Please visit the website for details.

Next, we have a lot to celebrate! The Section on Women’s Health is celebrating our 35th anniversary in 2012. We are planning a celebration in conjunction with recognizing our new Women’s Health Clinical Specialists, and our Section Business and Town Hall Meetings. This will happen on Friday, February 10th from 6:30-9pm. We look forward to seeing you for lively conversation, drinks and hors d’oeuvres, celebration of the Clinical Specialists, presentation of the Elizabeth Noble Award, the famous “Split the Pot Raffle”, and our Annual Business Meeting.

The Annual Business Meeting traditionally includes recognition of out-going members of the Board of Directors and installation of the newly elected members, followed by nominations for open positions. Nominations for the positions of Vice President, Director of Practice, and Director of Communications will be accepted at the meeting and through May.

One of the goals of the Town Hall Meeting is to allow members to ask the current Board Members about their positions. We are putting in place some policies for mentoring new Board members, which we hope will encourage a more robust slate of candidates for the Board of Directors. Please consider running for a position or nominating a colleague for this important work.

Looking forward to seeing you in Chicago. “No one else can take your place!”

By Ann Marie Flores, PT, PhD, MS, MA, CLT, Director of Research

Meryl Alappattu, PT, DPT is a 3rd year graduate student in the University of Florida Rehabilitation Science Doctoral program. She was awarded her second Promotion of Doctoral Studies I (PODS I) award for the 2011-2012 scholarship year.  The PODS I is a scholarship awarded to post-professional graduate students continuing their studies or are in the dissertation phase of their doctoral program. 

Ms. Alappattu’s research interests include chronic and musculoskeletal pain conditions, in particular chronic pelvic pain in women.  The medical complexity of this condition, due to the interplay of the musculoskeletal, visceral, and nervous systems, makes its clinical management even more difficult.  Our limited knowledge related to the underpinning mechanisms of chronic pelvic pain poses a challenge for clinicians in how to effectively manage this debilitating condition.  The goals of Ms. Alappattu’s doctoral research are to identify certain characteristics of women with chronic pelvic pain and evaluate how physical therapy may affect these characteristics.  The end-goal of this research is to assist physical therapists and physical therapist assistants to make evidence-based, cost-effective clinical decisions in the management of patients with chronic pelvic pain.

By Marcy L. Crouch, PT, DPT, CLT, Women’s Health Residency Committee Representative

Congratulations to Baylor and Texas Women’s University!

We are proud to announce the accreditation of the 4th Women's Health Residency in the country! Baylor and Texas Women's University is the only credentialed program west of the Mississippi. They received this status in May of 2011, and are still going strong!

Baylor/TWU offers residents two different clinical sites to help develop their advanced skills and clinical reasoning in the growing field of Women's Health PT. Residents spend 6 months at the Tom Landry Center, a state of the art outpatient PT clinic specializing in obstetric physical therapy, aquatics, the female athlete, and breast cancer rehabilitation. The next 6 months are spent at Baylor Irving, where they focus their clinical time treating men and women with pelvic floor dysfunction, ranging from pain to incontinence. They also continue their lymphedema work and breast cancer rehab training as well. Texas Women's University offers the didactic portion of the residency, with advanced coursework designed to supplement the resident's clinical experience. The residents also become Certified Lymphedema Therapists during the program, through the Norton School.  Email Anna Brinker, Program Coordinator, for more information at: CBrinker@BIR-rehab.com

Sarah Hnath, SPT; Communications Coordinator of the SOWH SSIG

The Section on Women’s Health, in conjunction with the Section’s Student Special Interest Group (SSIG), is proud to announce the debut of the very first SSIG Newsletter “Spotlight”!  This quarterly newsletter is created to help increase awareness of topics in women’s health, share what is going on with PT students interested in this field, and more! 

You can access the Fall SSIG Newsletter by clicking here:

The SSIG would like to share this great accomplishment with all Section members – the intent of “Spotlight” is to increase student awareness and interest in the growing field of women’s health PT.
                                                                                        

With questions, comments and/or if members are interested in submitting for future newsletters please contact the SSIG leadership team at ssigwh-leadership@googlegroups.com or myself at sarah.hnath@snet.net

By Darla Cathcart, PT, DPT, WCS, CLT; CAPP-OB Committee Chair

Hello Section Members!

The CAPP-OB Committee is excited to be finalizing the changes for next year’s courses!  As previously advertised, these changes will include streamlining information from OB1, OB2, and OB3 into two information-dense courses: OBFundamentals (OBF) and OBAdvanced (OBA).  OBF is pre-requisite for attending OBA in this certificate series.

The first of these courses, OBFundamentals, or OBF, is the pre-requisite for taking OBA.  The major topics covered in OBF will include:  anatomical and physiological changes in pregnancy; differential diagnosis during pregnancy; pregnant-specific posture and gait changes; modifications for the pregnant P.T. examination; lumbopelvic examination and special tests, particularly related to pelvic girdle pain; diastasis rectus abdominis assessment and intervention; external pelvic floor assessment and intervention; abdominal and stabilization rehabilitation; Cesarean section and post C-section rehab; postpartum recovery and scar tissue techniques; vaginal labor and delivery and positioning strategies for labor.

The second course is OBAdvanced, or OBA.  Major topics covered in this course include:  high risk pregnancy medical diagnosis and interventions; modification of the P.T. examination in high risk pregnancy; P.T. interventions in high risk pregnancy, with addition of lab to practice these skills; special populations in pregnancy, including women with neurologic, rheumatic, orthopedic, endocrine, and other systemic implications; disability in pregnancy; traumatic injuries during pregnancy; maternal birthing injuries; thoracic spine, rib cage, and coccyx dysfunction and interventions during pregnancy; acute postpartum examination and intervention; exercise class design in pregnancy and postpartum, including Mommy and Me Postpartum Class lab; the pregnant athlete; psychosocial considerations in pregnancy and postpartum, including postpartum depression screening and referral; and kinesiology taping techniques during pregnancy and postpartum.

Other pertinent, positive changes include:

• CAPP testing is included in the day:  Skills checks occur during the day in lab time, with CAPP skills scenario performed during the last day.  (CAPP “testing” no longer occurs in the evening after the course day.)
• CAPP skills scenario is more cohesive, with participants problem-solving through an entire case rather than testing on fragmented skills.
• To accommodate the consolidation of these courses, each course will be three full days.  This means the third day of the course is extended to a full day to ensure adequate lecture and lab time for participants.
• Pre-reading is enhanced to cover much of the foundational didactic knowledge prior to course lecture.
• References continue to be updated to reflect newer literature.

Plan your continuing education now!  Next year’s courses include:

• OB Fundamentals: Boston, MA – April 28-30 (*Note this is Sat-Mon course)
• OB Fundamentals: San Diego, CA – June 8-10 (Fri-Sun)
• OB Advanced: Portland, OR – Oct 5-7 (Fri-Sun)

By Tina Mansour PT MS DPT WCS CLT; Residency Committee Chairperson

Due to the overwhelming success of its debut, CSM 2012 will be the site for the second annual “Everything You Need to Know About a Women’s Health Residency” panel presentation hosted by Natalie Sebba and Marcy Crouch. 
The session begins with an update on all the residency programs currently available, the application process, and the highlights of each program. Next, a panel comprising the current women's health residents and an alumna provides an up-close and personal account of the daily expectations and benefits of being a women's health resident. There will be ample time for questions to ensure that you leave with detailed information about how a women's health residency can advance your career.

By Theresa Spitznagle PT DPT WCS WHSC, PR/Marketing

Council Members:   Jean Irion, WHSC Chair
                               Ruth Maher, WHSC, Item Writer Coordinator
                               Theresa (Tracy) Spitznagle, WHSC PR/Marketing

• Specialization examination testing dates for the current 2012 applicants:
• TESTING DATES for the specialization examination in 2012 will take place between February 25th, 2012 and March 10th, 2012.
• Specialization examination application process for the 2013 examination cycle.

• The applications for the 2013 exam cycle will be available in the spring of 2012
• APPLICATION DEADLINE for the 2013 exam to submit to the Specialist Certification Office of the APTA will be July 1st, 2012.
• Instructions for completing the case reflection, the grading rubric for the case reflection for the 2013 application, and an example of a case reflection are also provided on the ABPTS website with the application.
• The application and details on completing the application are posted on the women’s health section of the ABPTS website, http://www.abpts.org/Certification/WomensHealth/.

• Item Writer Workshops for 2011 and 2012:
• Workshops are currently being scheduled
•             December 2, 2011 Hosted by Washington University Program in Physical Therapy
• If you would like to host an Item Writer Workshop, or have questions about one of the above Workshops contact:  
• Ruth Maher
• rmmaher@northgeorgia.edu
• Requirements and implications of participating in the Item Writer Workshop include:
• Licensed PT with experience in women’s health
• Previous item writer experience not necessary
• Online item writing training to be done before workshop.
• Do not have to be appointed as an official item writer (SACE member)
• Participation will not affect your ability to take the specialization exam.

• Leadership for the Specialty Council starting January, 2012:

• Theresa Spitznagle will move into the position of Chair on the Women’s Health Specialty Council as Jean Irion rotates off.
• Natalie Sebba DPT WCS CLT has been appointed to the Marketing Position for the specialty council.
• Ruth Maher will continue as the Item Writing Coordinator on the WH Specialty Council

• Recent Council Activities: 
• Review of applications and case reflections for the 2012 exam were completed November of 2011.  All candidates have been notified of their application and case reflection status. 
• Theresa Spitznagle attended the Combined ABPTS, Specialty Council Chair Meeting in Alexandria, VA on September 17 & 18, 2011.

• Next Steps for the WHSC
• Participate in Conference Calls as needed.
• Prepare for Opening Ceremony at CSM 2012 to recognize the next cohort of Women’s Health Specialists.  The Council hopes that the new specialists will be in attendance to be recognized and that many other women’s health practitioners will be there to congratulate them and cheer them on.
• Work with the SoWH Board of Directors for the Section to recognize the specialists at CSM 2012.

Continue to develop and refine a Policy and Procedures manual and an “annual calendar of council activities” for the Women’s Health Specialty Council.

By Julie Guthrie DPT, OCS

“The Distance Learning/Regional Mentoring” Model

Feeling like you want to help the progression of women’s health physical therapy?

Think that your clinic is too small, or that it’s too monumental of a task to build a residency program at your facility?

There is another way!

Consider one of the alternative based learning models being implemented by many orthopedic, neurologic, and sports residencies all over the country.  The “distance learning and regional mentoring” model is an option for a site that can offer mentoring for a residency but is unable to provide didactic instruction.  In this model, the didactic portion of a residency is provided at an offsite location while mentoring is completed at a local site.  

In our case out in Los Angeles, University of Southern California helps to provide much of the didactic portions for many residencies utilizing the “distance learning and regional mentoring” model. Residents come to the Movement Performance Institute at various intervals (sometimes a few days, sometimes up to a week) throughout the year to receive specific instruction while mentoring takes place at a facility local to the resident. Interspersed can be home study, specific readings, projects and other observation to help complete the requirements of the DSP.

Advantages of this format include:

• decreased fiscal cost to the resident (in terms of relocating to a new facility)
• decreased financial burden to the local facility (no need to re-invent the wheel and spend resources to provide the major didactic portions of residency)
• improved opportunities to recruit or collaborate by the larger institution offering the didactic portions of the residency

Interested in learning more? Please don’t hesitate to contact your regional representative for the Women’s Health Residency Committee!

By By Ann Marie Flores, PT, PhD, MS, MA, CLT Director of Research

“Be a Pioneer” Fundraising Campaign Continues.  Our goal is to raise $10, 000 to help grow the fund through the first annual fundraising campaign.  We have nearly $3000 already! Thank you!  Let’s keep the momentum going and meet the goal of $10,000 for the year. Tell your colleagues, friends, family and patients about this great opportunity to grow SOWH Endowment for Research Excellence in Women’s Health Physical Therapy.  Please consider a donation of any amount that you can afford. 

Donations can also be made anonymously in honor or in memory of a loved one. The on-line link to make a tribute donation* is:

http://foundation4pt.kintera.org/tribute

* Be sure to indicate the donation is for the SOWH Endowment

Suggested fundraising levels are:
Founder $5,000+
Visionary $1,000 - $4,999
Pioneer $500 - $999
Friend $250 - $499
Patron $25 - $249

There are 3 easy ways to donate:

• ONLINE at  www.foundation4pt.kintera.org/SOWH
• CALL TOLL-FREE:

(800) 875 – 1378 & ask to speak with Susan Maida - especially if this is a tribute donation.

• MAIL your donation to:

Foundation for Physical Therapy
1111 N. Fairfax Street
Alexandria, VA 22314
Attn: SOWH Foundation for Research Excellence

SOWH Research Committee & Task Force Needs Volunteer Members.   We still have room for members! The SOWH Research Committee is looking for volunteer members to serve on the Research Committee. We are also looking for volunteers to serve on the first Task Force on Research which will help develop ways to deliver news about high impact research concerning women’s health physical therapy to the membership.  If you are interested in serving on either the Research Committee or the Task Force on Research, please contact the Director of Research (Ann Marie Flores, PT, PhD, CLT) at research@womenshealthapta.org.

Let us celebrate your success!  Please e-mail a summary of your research news to the Director of Research (Ann Marie Flores, PT, PhD, CLT) at research@womenshealthapta.org.
Please be sure that your news does not exceed 350 words per newsworthy item.

Research Tip.  Did you know you that there is a lot of free data available for research studies?  The U.S. Census Bureau, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, and the National Institutes of Health have many datasets that are easy to download and use. 

Let us celebrate your success!  Please e-mail a summary of your research news to the Director of Research (Ann Marie Flores, PT, PhD, CLT) at research@womenshealthapta.org.
Please be sure that your news does not exceed 350 words per newsworthy item.

Don’t forget that the SOWH offers email blasts for research.  Do you have a research project you would like to let others know about?  The SOWH allows email blasts to be sent to our members to get the word out about research. The guidelines are as follows:

1) Specify the subject line of the email blast.
2) Include the content of email blast along with any images to be embedded (short, sweet and eye-catching gets attention).
3) Specify the group or subgroup of members to send the blast (e.g. all members, WCS only, etc.).
4) Include the release date for the email blast.
5) Email your request to:
Director of Communications (Communications@womenshealthapta.org)
and/or
Director of Research (Research@womenshealthapta.org)

By Wendy Arminio, Associate Director of Development, Foundation for Physical Therapy

The Foundation for Physical Therapy is now accepting applications for the post-professional 2012 Promotion of Doctoral Studies (PODS) Scholarship and the New Investigator Fellowship Training Initiative (NIFTI).

The deadline to apply is January 18, 2012, Noon, ET.

Please note that the Guidelines, Instructions, and Application packages for the PODS and NIFTI programs have been revised. It is advisable to download and review all materials carefully before beginning an application.

Contact Rachael Crockett for more information via e-mail or phone at 800/875-1378 ext. 3385.

Be the first to know about Foundation funding opportunities! Sign up for the F4PT Alert!

By Susan Abis, PT, Federal Government Affairs Chair

As the calendar year draws to a close, we are faced once again with the enormity of the impending therapy caps as well as elimination of the exceptions process under Medicare Part B.   As you all know, the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction (a.k.a. the “Supercommittee”) is a joint committee of the U.S. Congress created by the Budget Control Act of 2011 on August 2.  This 12 member panel is charged with creating a $1.2 trillion 10 year budget savings.  If it does not propose a package or Congress does not approve it, automatic cuts will be instituted.  This currently includes a 29.5% Cut in Medicare payments as well as the extension process of the current therapy caps.  IT IS IMPERATIVE YOU BECOME INVOLVED IN THIS!  Please ask your member of Congress to sign onto the Dear Colleague letter initiated by Rep Alysson Schwartz to include the SGR fix in the Supercommittee’s proposal. , also that they cosponsor therapy cap repeal legislation (H.R. 1546) and support addressing the cap as part of the Supercommittee package.

 
Please send an email to your Members of Congress as soon as possible and request that your patients do the same through the APTA website via the “Take Action” Button , as well as the “Patient Action Center”. 

Other issues of importance: 

H.R. 1426/ S. 975- Physical Therapist Student Loan Repayment Eligibility Act- these bills  add physical therapy to the definition of the National Health Service Corps’ primary health services, making  graduates eligible for up to $30,000 each year in loan repayments provided they agree to practice in an underserved/ rural area for a period 

H.R. 469- Protecting Student Athletes from Concussions Act-this bill defines standards for concussion management in student athletes, as well as includes physical therapists in the definition of “health care professional” involved in concussion management 

H.R. 1546/ S. 829- The Medicare Access to Rehabilitation Services Act- these bills address repeal of the cap on therapy services for Medicare beneficiaries permanently 

H.R. 531- Access to Frontline Health Care Act- this bill also addresses student loan repayment for physical therapists and other providers who choose to practice in rural and urban underserved areas
 And remember, as I believe Abraham Lincoln once said “Those who choose not to participate in Democracy are doomed to be controlled by those who do”

By Jennifer Klestinski, PT, MPT, OCS, WCS, CSCS, BCB-PMD (Director of Communications)

FREE Educational Opportunities (and a great resource for marketing material!) are available from the International Continence Society (ICS).  ICS has posted web casts and detailed presentation information from their 41st annual meeting in Glasgow, UK this past August.  Over 21 hours of scientific programming, courtesy of ICS, is now available at http://webcasts.prous.com/ICS2011/html/1-en/home.aspx?section=1.   Selections can be made from the column on the left side of this webcast home page under the headings:  State-of-the-Art Lectures, Podium Sessions, Podium Video Sessions, and Educational Courses and Workshops.  Thank you to the External Collaboration Liaison Committee for bringing this great resource to our attention!

Attending CSM 2012 in Chicago?  Watch for Email Blasts with links and information on how to volunteer just two hours of your time to help cover shifts at the Section Booth!   This is a great way to promote our specialty and network with colleagues.

Email Blasts, social media posts, and website updates are ramping up!  Thank you for your patience and feedback as we continue to grow and improve communication efforts on behalf of all Section members.  We are open to feedback as we continue to streamline and hone our communication methods and policies.  Briefly, here are key Section News from the past quarter:

• SSIG launches debut Newsletter: http://www.womenshealthapta.org/sigs/student/index.cfm

• Therapy TIPS library (great for patients!) updated on Section website: http://www.womenshealthapta.org/plp/index.cfm  (click the “refresh” button on your web browser for new TIPS OR click on the “TIPS Archive” link)

• Section’s Facebook page (www.facebook.com/womens.health.PT) fan base has grown by 19% since late July…help spread the word to patients, colleagues, and women’s health supporters!

For details on more Section happenings, visit the News webpage often at: http://www.womenshealthapta.org/news/index.cfm.  To submit an event/topic for consideration please email details to: Cheryl Wisinski, webmaster, at cherylw@familyphysicaltherapyservices.com.   Please note that national WH PT news is the focus at this time…direct local/state news to your regional representative!

Do you or a colleague have an hour or two to spare each week, or even each month?  Are you hooked on checking your email or Facebook page daily?  Then the Section could use your expertise and assistance!  We are currently seeking volunteers for social media assistance, the web committee and a Media Coordinator.  If you have ever considered giving back to the Section (while learning/growing your skill set and networking too!) then now is a great time to start – contact the Director of Communications for more information at communications@womenshealthapta.org.