Carol H Zehnacker Advocacy Award
The award honors the memory and legacy of Carol Hamilton Zehnacker. The Carol H. Zehnacker award was established to recognize a member who has demonstrated the most support or fostered the growth of the Physical Therapy profession through legislative efforts as exemplified by the contributions made to the profession by Carol Zehnacker.
Criteria includes:
- Be an active APTAMD member in good standing; and
- Be a licensed physical therapist or physical therapist assistant in Maryland; and
- Promotes significant state and or federal legislative advocacy efforts by increasing grassroots participation, MDPT-PAC fundraising, and/or other activities directly and positively impacting these efforts; and,
- Evidence of exceptional service in state and/or federal advocacy and a role model for members.
The pool of candidates is drawn from letters of nomination submitted to the APTA Maryland Award Committee.
If you know someone who you think should be considered for this award, please use the nomination form below.
Deadline for submission is September 1.
Dr. Zehnacker was a member of the APTA for 56 years. She served our profession in many ways at both the state and national levels as a leader, mentor, and advocate. She received her degree in Physical Therapy from Duke University and her Doctor of Physical Therapy from Widener University.
She demonstrated a steadfast commitment to the profession with not only her personal time and efforts through the years as an APTA member but with her dedication to her various roles within APTA Maryland.
At the state level, Dr. Zehnacker served for ten years on the Maryland Physical Therapy Board of Examiners. At the national level, she served as the Federal Affairs Liaison and Government Affairs Committee Chair for the Home Health Section. In this role she advocated fiercely against administrative burden and regulations that hamper PTs ability to provide quality care which can lead to provider burnout.
Dr. Zehnacker has been acknowledged by her colleagues for outstanding service to the profession of physical therapy and has been awarded the APTA Maryland Henry O. and Florence P. Kendall Awardee in 2005; the Richard T. Peret Distinguished Service Award in 2018; the Stephen Levine Award in 2019; and, by APTA with the 2021 Lucy Blaire Service Award.
