Cardiovascular/Pulmonary Essentials : Applying the Preferred Physical Therapist Practice Patterns

Marilyn Moffat, PT, DPT, PhD, FAPTA, CSCS, a recognized leader in the United States and internationally, is a practitioner, a teacher, a consultant, a leader, and an author. She received her baccalaureate degree from Queens College and her physical therapy certificate and PhD degrees from New York University. She is a Full Professor of Physical Therapy at New York University, where she directs both the professional doctoral program (DPT) and the post-professional graduate master’s degree program in pathokinesiology. She has been in private practice for more than 40 years and currently practices in the New York area. Dr. Moffat was one of the first individuals to speak and write about the need for a doctoral entry-level degree in physical therapy. Her first presentation on this topic was given to the Section for Education in 1977. Dr. Moffat completed a 6-year term as the President of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) in 1997. Prior to that, she had served on the APTA Board of Directors for 6 years and also as President of the New York Physical Therapy Association for 4 years. During her term as President of the APTA, she played a major role in the development of the Association’s Guide to Physical Therapist Practice and was project editor of the Second Edition of the Guide. Among her many publications is the American Physical Therapy Association’s Book of Body Maintenance and Repair. As part of her commitment to research, Dr. Moffat is currently a member of the Board of Trustees of the Foundation for Physical Therapy, was a previous member of the Financial Advisory Committee, and has done major fundraising for them over the years. She is currently on the Executive Committee of the World Confederation for Physical Therapy (WCPT) as the North American/Caribbean Regional Representative, and she was a member of the WCPT Task Force to develop an international definition of physical therapy. She coordinated the efforts to develop international guidelines for physical therapist educational programs around the world. She has given more than 800 professional presentations throughout her practice lifetime, and she has taught and provided consultation services in Taiwan, Thailand, Burma, Vietnam, Panama City, Hong Kong, and Puerto Rico. Her diversified background is exemplified by the vast number of APTA and New York Physical Therapy Association committees and task forces on which she has served or chaired. She has served as Editor of Physical Therapy, the official publication of the Association. She was also instrumental in the early development of the TriAlliance of Rehabilitation Professionals, composed of the APTA, the American Occupational Therapy Association, and the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. She has been an Associate of the Council of Public Representatives of the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Moffat is a Catherine Worthingham Fellow of the APTA. She has been the recipient of the APTA’s Marilyn Moffat Leadership Award; the WCPT’s Mildred Elson Award for International Leadership; the APTA’s Lucy Blair Service Award; the Robert G. Dicus Private Practice Section APTA Award for contributions to private practice; Outstanding Service Awards from the New York Physical Therapy Association and from the APTA; the Ambassador Award from the National Strength and Conditioning Association; the Howard A. Rusk Humanitarian Award from the World Rehabilitation Fund; the United Cerebral Palsy Citation for Service; the Sawadi Skulkai Lecture Award from Mahidol University in Bangkok, Thailand; New York University’s Founders Day Award; the University of Florida’s Barbara C. White Lecture Award; the Massachusetts General’s Ionta Lecture Award; the Chartered Society of Physiotherapists’ Alan Walker Memorial Lecture Award; the APTA Minority Affairs Diversity 2000 Award; and the Section of Health Policy’s R. Charles Harker Policy Maker Award. In addition, the New York Physical Therapy Association also named its leadership award after her. She was the APTA’s 2004 Mary McMillan Lecturer, the Association’s highest award. Dr. Moffat has been listed in Who’s Who in the East, Who’s Who in American Women, Who’s Who in America, Who’s Who in Education, Who’s Who in the World, and Who’s Who in Medicine and Healthcare. She is also currently on the Board of Directors of the World Rehabilitation Fund and is a member of the Executive Committee. In addition to her professional associations, she was elected to be a member of Kappa Delta Pi and Pi Lambda Theta.