Call for Awards Nominations

tara ruppert
Posted by Tara Ruppert, OTD, OTR/L, CHT 06/24/2019

Attention all ASHT members and friends! It is time to recognize and award our colleagues who have made significant contribution to the field. ASHT offers multiple awards at the Annual Meeting, all of which recognize the hard work and accomplishments of distinguished individuals.

Here is a description of the five awards:

The Nathalie Barr Lectureship Award is among ASHT’s highest honors, recognizing and honoring a member of the American Society of Hand Therapists who has made significant original contributions to hand rehabilitation through the development or refinement of professional theory and/or techniques, contributions to hand therapy development as a profession and to ASHT and/or outstanding research. The nominee must have shared this information through publications and speaking presentations. Nominees must be an Active member in good standing of ASHT for at least five years. The honorary lecture is announced at the Annual Meeting and given at the following year’s meeting. The award includes a $1,000 honorarium.

The Paul Brand Award recognizes individuals who have exemplified humanitarianism in their work as a hand therapist in addition to providing clinical and professional excellence in several facets of practice. The candidate for this award is one who strives for the advancement of hand therapy, which may include underserved areas nationally and/or internationally.

The MacDermid Lifetime Scientific Award in Hand Therapy recognizes an ASHT member who has made contributions through research to the science and practice of hand rehabilitation, which have subsequently changed hand therapy professional standards.  The award is announced at the ASHT Annual Meeting. The recipient of the award will present his/her research contributions during the MacDermid Lectureship at the following year’s Annual Meeting. If the award is to be given, the recipient will be notified two months in advance of the Annual Meeting at which the award will be announced. 

Lifetime Fellowship status is an honor awarded to individuals in recognition of career-long contributions to the society and the field of hand rehabilitation. Lifelong ASHT Fellows are honored for their long-term society membership participation, exemplary leadership and documented achievements in the field. The nomination is open to ASHT members active for a minimum of 25 years. Eligible nominees must have made notable contributions to the profession through leadership, demonstrating influence and achievements, having shown frequent and sustained efforts to advance the field of hand therapy over a period of at least several years preceding and up to the time of nomination for this honor.

Honorary Membership award recognizes individuals for their long-term professional interest and interaction with the society. Recipients have made significant noteworthy advancements to the hand therapy field. The nomination is open to professionals who are not certified hand therapists (CHTs) and/or those not eligible to be members of the Society.

For full details on these awards and the nomination process, please visit the Awards page. Don’t be late! The submission deadline is July 14, 2019. On behalf of the ASHT Awards Committee, we thank you in advance for your nomination and look forward to recognizing our distinguished colleagues.

Tara Ruppert, OTD, OTR/L, CHT 
2019 Awards Committee Chair