A: My interest in advocacy comes from having a family that is very engaged, vocal, and always paying attention to elections. Growing up, advocacy was always discussed around the dinner table, and the legislative process was always very important.
Q: What policy lessons do you try to get through to your students?
A: It’s important to ask questions to gain an understanding of why things are the way they are, and then to take a stand or communicate your thoughts. Especially right now, with all of the healthcare reform discussion, it’s important to know what changes are coming, how they impact practice, and how they impact your patients.
Q: What results have you realized from your work with the Arthritis Foundation in Tennessee?
A: We have done an excellent job of partnering with our state Department of Health, and through Centers for Disease Control and Prevention grants have been able to reach out to over 80 of the 95 counties, with programs and services that make a difference and are evidenced based. Exercise programs, aquatic programs, walking … we really are trying to reach every part of Tennessee.
ARHP Distinguished Scholar Award
Maura Daly Iversen, PT, DPT, SD, MPH, BSc
Behavioral Scientist and Physical Therapist, Northeastern University and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston
Background: Dr. Iversen’s long and distinguished career as a clinician, educator, and researcher began with a simple study about how patients and providers communicate about exercise as a means of treatment in rheumatoid arthritis. Since that study, Dr. Iversen has published more than 70 original articles and authored more than 25 book chapters and reviews. She’s served as a reviewer to dozens of journals, mentored more than 50 master’s and doctoral students, and served on numerous committees, panels, and boards of directors (she’s past president of the ARHP).
