In August, the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) held its annual House of Delegates meeting in Kansas City, Mo., to vote on new policies and procedures related to the physical therapy field. With an audience of over 600 APTA board members and representatives, Marymount University student Jordan Lindamood presented new student-sponsored motions as APTA’s student council delegate.
Lindamood, a rising third-year student in Marymount’s Doctor of Physical Therapy program, says she felt some pressure as she represented over 30,000 physical therapy and physical therapy assistant students nationwide in her role.
“It’s definitely a big job, but it’s also an honor to make sure that student voices are heard and that the changes being made in the physical therapy world are taking students and new professionals into consideration,” Lindamood said.
When she first submitted her application for one of two national student delegate positions, Lindamood had “zero expectations” of being selected, still considering herself a newcomer to the field.
“I thought, ‘there’s no way I’ll get this.’ I was literally an usher at the House of Delegates meeting last year, and now I’m speaking in front of all of these people on behalf of every physical therapy student in the U.S. It’s crazy,” Lindamood reflected. “I was a dance major in college, but eventually, I decided I wanted a career change. I realized that I’m passionate about providing care to the dance community, where the need for physical therapy is so high.”
Lindamood believes Marymount’s emphasis on advocacy and leadership helped secure her APTA student delegate position.
“Being close to D.C., there are so many opportunities to do incredible advocacy,” Lindamood said. “I’ve been in classes where we have met with government officials to advocate for physical therapy protections in Congress. The APTA headquarters is also just a few miles away, so we’ve been able to go on site visits and get heavily involved in their programming. I think all those experiences added up to make me a good candidate to advocate for students nationwide.”
At the House of Delegates meeting, Lindamood helped pass four nationwide bills created by student delegations. Three dealt with the ethical implications of AI in the physical therapy profession.
“The motions were designed to help protect patients and physicians as AI is introduced into health care professions,” Lindamood explained. “Our goal was to ensure that, no matter how integral AI becomes in physical therapy – whether it’s designing home exercise routines or submitting insurance claims – real physical therapists are still being consulted every step of the way.”
Dr. Skye Donovan, Interim Dean of Marymount University’s College of Health and Education and member of APTA’s Board of Directors, says the student motions were impressive in their presentation and subject matter.
“It was definitely a ‘proud mom moment,’ seeing Jordan stand up there and advocate for AI considerations,” Dr. Donovan said. “Marymount’s program stands apart because it’s future-focused, helps students realize they will be the profession’s change agents and gives them the advocacy skills to be positive changemakers.”
Marymount’s presence in APTA has continued to grow, with more than eight alumni and former staff members presenting at July’s conference. They included Cameron Massumi ‘19, founder and CEO of Virtual Physio; Stacy Pepitone ‘18, a clinical researcher with the Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine; and Secili DeStefano ‘01, owner of the pelvic physical therapy clinic Optimal Motion.
“It’s great to see how Marymount graduates are still very involved in the profession and are in these huge leadership positions,” Dr. Donovan added. “This continued involvement has helped put Marymount’s smaller program on the map.”
