An application to volunteer to serve for the Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Section is now available to download. Download the application form.

The American Thoracic Society Conference is taking place on May 19-22, 2012. The conference is for nurses, physical therapists, respiratory therapists, physician assistants and allied health professionals. Download the Conference Guide.

It is with great pleasure that the CVP section announces that our own Ellen Hillegass has won the Catherine Worthingham Fellowship Award for her tireless advocacy for the PT profession. Ellen was nominated by our section’s nominating committee as she has worked so diligently to further our section’s legislative presence when it comes to cardiovascular and pulmonary prevention and care. This award is a major validation of all of Ellen’s incredible efforts and talent. Congratulations Ellen!

Announcing the new VA Cardiopulmonary Physical Therapy Residency Program
VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System
2215 Fuller Road
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48105

Our mission is to prepare physical therapy residents for advanced specialty practice. This program will cultivate high level cardiopulmonary physical therapists who integrate the teacher-scholar model into their clinical practice. Through cardiopulmonary clinical experiences under the mentorship of master clinicians, along with didactic learning experiences in cardiovascular and pulmonary topics including both teaching and research, the program will develop advanced physical therapy practitioners who care for the whole patient and are prepared for board certification in cardiovascular and pulmonary physical therapy by the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties.

Residents will start the year-long program Monday after the 4th of July. They will be employed by the VA Ann Arbor Hospital, and therefore need to be a US citizen. Residents will treat a cardiopulmonary patient caseload ~30 hours/week, rotating through acute inpatient, outpatient cardiac and pulmonary rehab, and intensive care inpatient areas as well as some outside experiences in pediatrics. Residents will be involved in mentoring sessions with expert clinicians for 2-4 hours/week and didactic coursework 2 hours/week. The residents will also participate in periodic specialty clinics, as well as research and program development involvement and a variety of teaching opportunities at the VA Ann Arbor Hospital and University of Michigan-Flint throughout the year. Our program is scheduled to apply for APTA credentialed status in January 2013. Residents who successfully complete the program are eligible to apply to sit for the CCS exam.

Applications are due March 15th, with interviews in April and a final decision by April 30th, 2012. Candidates can apply as students but need to have a plan to graduate and become licensed physical therapists by the start date of the residency rotation in July 2012. Candidates interested in applying for the Cardiopulmonary PT Residency are encouraged to contact Residency Director, Alexandra Sciaky, PT, CCS at Alexandra.sciaky@va.gov or (734) 845-3809 to submit an application and/or http://www.va.gov/OAA/resources_trainees.asp for more information.

Online registration for CSM begins October 1, 2011. Early-bird registration results in a discounted price so register soon. Go to www.apta.org/csm for links to register.

The $5,000 CVP section research grant for 2011 was awarded to Sandra Billinger PhD, PT for her proposal entitled "Aerobic exercise, cardiovascular regulation and metabolic efficiency during in-patient stroke rehabilitation".

The following is a great example of what our section members can accomplish when they put their minds to it. Kathy Biggs set out on a mission to educate the public about Pulmonary Fibrosis. Congratulations to Kathy Biggs and her group for getting information out about Pulmonary Fibrosis. Kathy secured billboard space to educate the public. There are over 5 billboards and they are up in Columbia, West Columbia, and Lexington, South Carolina. The billboards will remain up for 1 Year! Great job Kathy and group!

Become a Board Certified Clinical Specialist. Applications for the 2012 exam cycle are now available!
The application deadline for specialist certification in Cardiovascular & Pulmonary is July 1, 2011.
Application forms and information are available at www.abpts.org. If you need additional information contact the Specialist Certification Program by phone at 800/999-2782, ext 8520; or by e-mail at spec-cert@apta.org.

DRIVE4COPD is a multi-year public health initiative that aims to help people identify symptoms of COPD and take action. This is a large-scale education and awareness campaign to help bring COPD to the forefront. DRIVE4COPD brings many organizations together such as the COPD Alliance, the COPD Foundation, and the US COPD Coalition.

CVP Section members can utilize materials from this campaign to educate patients and the public about COPD. There is also a screening tool that can be used by patients and the public to determine their risk of developing COPD. Check it out here or using the link at the left of the CVP Section pages for the screening tool. You can then access the DRIVE4COPD homepage from there to obtain more information and/or educational materials.

The CVP Section would like to encourage all of our members to get involved with this campaign to further educate the public and other parties about the incidence and risk of COPD

The following individuals have received the 2011 Research Awards:

2011 Research Award-Best Platform Presentation: Jennifer Dekerlegand, "Outcomes of patients with left ventricular assist devices admitted to acute rehabilitation: A pilot study"

2011 Research Award-Best Poster Presentation: Sharon A. Martino, Sue A. Sisto, Peter J. Morelli, "Changes in body composition, fitness levels and cardiac risk factors following a 10 week exercise and nutrition program for overweight/obese children"

Annie has been an unflagging supporter for her patients, students and professional colleagues. She has mentored therapists to become academic faculty, therapists and students to have greater involvement in the Section, and has spread the word of cardiovascular and pulmonary physical therapy to outside organizations, such as the North American Cystic Fibrosis Conference.

Annie has been sought out by PTs, physicians and other team members as a consultant and clinician wherever she has gone. Most recently, she has been a leader in changing both CF care and ICU practice in the Indianapolis area.

Through much hard work, persistence, and dedication, Dr. Swisher was responsible for having the Cardiopulmonary Physical Therapy Journal listed in PubMed Central in the past year. This was truly a milestone for our Section, as the listing will increase the visibility, impact, and number of manuscript submissions for our journal. The quality and quantity of articles published will be also greatly enhanced due to Dr. Swisher’s efforts.

Visit APTA section booths in the Exhibit Hall and enter for your chance to win a free section membership. The Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Section is participating with other sections in this offer and will conduct a drawing on Saturday, February 12th at 11:30am; you don’t need to be present to win. Drop off your business card or complete a brief entry form, and you may win an annual section membership at the time of your next APTA membership renewal. Limit one entry per person per section. We hope to see you there!

A flyer for the upcoming American Thoracic Society's 2011 International Conference is now available online. View it here.

A new resource is available. "Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD) Exercise Training Toolkit: A Guide for Health Care Professionals" was published by the Vascular Disease Foundation and American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation. This toolkit was designed to help health professionals develop supervised exercise programs for patients with intermittent claudication (leg discomfort from poor blood supply). Clinical practice guidelines for adults with PAD stress the importance of supervised exercise to improve functional capacity, decrease symptoms and achieve systemic risk-reduction benefits. This resource is free. Please follow the link to access the toolkit. Download Press Release