Ross elected president of national Physical Therapy organization

Heather Ross, PT, MPT, Ph.D., assistant dean of the Ivester College of Health Sciences and program director and department chair of Physical Therapy, has been elected president of the American Council of Physical Therapy Education (ACAPT). Her three-year term begins in October.

ACAPT is the trade organization for physical therapy education and represents all programs nationwide. Incorporated in 2014, ACAPT is a not-for-profit association dedicated to excellence in physical therapist education programs, according to the group's website.

"This is a humbling opportunity to advocate for my profession and to gain national visibility for Brenau University and our Doctor of Physical Therapy program," Ross said. "My intention is to represent Brenau well and to further the position and goals of physical therapy education. My thanks to Brenau President David L. Barnett, Provost James C. Eck and Ivester College Dean Gale Starich for their support that makes pursuing this possible."

Ross has been a member of the Brenau DPT faculty since 2015, served as program director and chair since 2018, and was appointed as assistant dean of the Ivester College of Health Sciences in 2022.

Ross has practiced in the acute, subacute and outpatient settings, primarily serving patients with neurological diagnoses. She has been active in leadership roles at the institutional, state and national levels. She is the founding chair of the Brenau University Faculty Leadership Team, a shared governance body, and currently serves as a board member for the Georgia Physical Therapy Political Action Committee and ACAPT.

"Dr. Ross's election as ACAPT president is a well-deserved recognition of her leadership and dedication to the field," James C. Eck, Ph.D., provost and vice president of academic affairs, said. "Her commitment to excellence in education and her tireless advocacy for the profession are invaluable to our students and faculty at Brenau. Having one of our own faculty members leading such a prestigious organization speaks volumes about the quality of Brenau and the Ivester College of Health Sciences, and we are honored to support her as she embarks on this important work."

Ross earned a Bachelor of Arts in exercise and sport science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, a Master of Physical Therapy from East Carolina University, and a Ph.D. in Anatomy and Neurobiology from Virginia Commonwealth University. She received post-doctoral training in the Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology and McKnight Brain Institute at the University of Florida.

She is a 2019 graduate of the American Physical Therapy Association Fellowship in Higher Education Leadership. Ross served as a K12 Rehabilitation Research Career Development Program Scholar (2009-2012) and full-time faculty member (2009-2015) in the University of Florida's Physical Therapy Department, where her primary research focus was neural stem cell biology, applications to rehabilitation, and neurological recovery and repair.

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