Lisa Shoaf, director of physical therapy for the Murphy Deming College of Health Sciences, has been selected to participate in the American Physical Therapy Association’s (APTA) Educational Leadership Institute Fellowship that begins July 1.
Shoaf, who went through a competitive application process, will join 16 other physical therapy (PT) professionals for a one-year fellowship that enriches new educational leaders. The goal of the institute is to imbue PTs and PT assistant education program directors with the leadership skills to facilitate change and improvement in the 21st century academic environment, think strategically to creatively implement solutions in education to respond to changes in healthcare and society, and engage in public discourse that advances the physical therapy profession. The program includes nine online modules and several face-to-face meetings with focus on topics such as leadership and management, higher education, legal and policy issues, and program development and outcomes assessment.
Shoaf has been active in the APTA and in the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy and served as president of the Virginia Physical Therapy Association from 2006–08. She came to Mary Baldwin in July from Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), where she taught ethics, professionalism, and orthopedic practice within the Department of Physical Therapy, as well as anatomy and kinesiology in the Department of Dance and Choreography. Over the years at VCU, she conducted research, ran the Clinical Education program, and maintained a clinical practice.