Category Archives: Newsletters

Congratulations to Dr. Deborah Backus

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ACRM is proud to present the Coulter Award to —

Deborah Backus, PT, PhD, FACRM
Vice President, Research and Innovation
Director of Crawford Research Institute
Director of Multiple Sclerosis Research, Shepherd Center
ACRM Past President

To be named the Coulter Award Lecturer is to be recognized as one whose professional achievements have contributed significantly to the field of rehabilitation, as did Dr. John Stanley Coulter.

Join us to honor Dr. Deborah Backus at the awards ceremony during the centennial celebration of the ACRM Annual Conference this year in Atlanta —#ACRM2023.

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In Memoriam Susan E. Bennett, PT, DPT, EdD, NCS, MSCS

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Sue Bennett with June Halper

POSTPONEMENT
Due to continued concerns regarding COVID, only a limited amount of people are able to gather at a church. Therefore, we have decided to postpone the celebratory mass for Dr. Sue Bennett that had been scheduled for August 1.

Updates regarding a rescheduled celebratory mass will be posted on her business website: bennettphysicaltherapy.comand also on their Facebook page.

We look forward to gathering with all of her friends, family, colleagues, students, and patients to share stories and our love of Sue.

Sue started her physical therapy practice as a solo practitioner in 1992. Since that time, her team has grown to include 24 employees at 5 Western New York locations. Her focus on comprehensive rehabilitation services for individuals with neurologic conditions made her and her practice a household name among patients and area neurologists. More specifically, she was a national pioneer in the field of rehabilitation for individuals with Multiple Sclerosis helping to advance the standard of care and improving the quality of life of thousands of patients. She served as member of the board of directors of the New York Physical Therapy Association and eventually as the organization’s President. She also served as President of the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers which is the preeminent international professional organization for medical/rehab providers involved in the care of patients with MS. Here she led physicians, nurses, and other rehab professionals in advancing research, advocacy, and clinical practice for the MS community. In 2016 the CMSC awarded her with the Lifetime Achievement Award which recognizes an individual whose decades-long commitment has driven significant advances in the care of people with MS. She was the first rehabilitation professional to have received this award

In addition to her clinical practice, Sue was a full-time faculty member within the University at Buffalo and D’Youville College Doctor of Physical Therapy programs. Throughout her career in education, she taught thousands of student physical therapists how to provide compassionate care that enhances the function of patients with neurologic and vestibular dysfunction. Her clinical touch and empathetic nature will live on for generations through the students that she has impacted. As part of her legacy, Sue has planned for her physical therapy practice to continue to provide exceptional care as her way of helping people long after she herself has stopped treating patients.

Donations to the foundation Sue set up to help cover costs for neurological patients in need:
Checks can be made out to “WNY Center for Neurological Wellness, Inc” and sent to Bennett Rehabilitation Institute; 2075 Sheridan Drive, Kenmore, NY 14223

“I am deeply saddened to hear about Sue. It is a tremendous loss for the MS Rehab community. At the same time I am extremely grateful for all the time I was able to spend with Sue over the years. She was a tremendous educator, colleague and role model. She blazed a path for all of us in the MS Rehab community to follow and we are all better people and therapists for knowing and learning from Sue. I treasure the time I was able to spend with her in Seattle, at the last CMSC meeting. Sue leaves a legacy in Western NY through the Rehab Institute, but also nationally in how she helped shape the next generation of rehab professionals along with developing standards of rehabilitation care for people living with MS. My thoughts are with her family, friends and all the patients she has affected over the years. I am proud to call Sue my friend and colleague and I will miss her.”

Brian Hutchinson

“Sue was one of a kind! She is not replaceable. This is a loss for all of us. My heart goes out to all she associated with!”

Randall Schapiro

“Susan is leaving an amazing legacy for both Physical Therapy and the CMSC/IOMSRT. She will be greatly missed.”

LA Campbell

” She was a great president.  Not only thinking of how to advance HCPs but she was also concerned about the CMSC staff.  She would always ask how we were and if there was anything she could do for us.

CMSC will miss her!”

Rachelle Ramirez

Important Message for Rehabilitation Professionals in MS

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Dear Rehabilitation Therapist,

You are receiving this message because you are included in the data base of the Consortium of MS Centers (CMSC) as a rehabilitation provider (physical therapist, occupational therapist, speech therapist, Physiatrist or other). We want your attention! Read about Free education, a Special Interest Group for Rehabilitation Professionals and the Annual Meeting of the CMSC! Please do share this message with other rehabilitation professionals that you know! 

The CMSC is the pre-eminent organization of Multiple Sclerosis health care professionals whose goal is to improve the lives of those affected by multiple sclerosis. We build the future of MS care by providing educational opportunities to health care professionals who have a focus in MS. For these health care professionals, we build on their knowledge already acquired by providing them with specific MS care and treatment education. With that in mind, you are invited to review our Rehab Primer, A Practical Guide to Rehabilitation in Multiple Sclerosis: 2nd Edition.

Rehab Primer, A Practical Guide to Rehabilitation in Multiple Sclerosis: 2nd Edition

This highly interactive ePrimer is designed to equip clinicians with practical, evidence-based information they can use to optimize the benefits derived from rehabilitative services for their patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). Readers will find strategies and tools that can aid increased collaboration and communication between disciplines, as well as between clinician and patient. Within this activity there is an opportunity to get a certificate and earn continuing education units until September 29, 2020.  Special Interest Group for Rehabilitation Professionals.  

The CMSC is proud to represent the comprehensive approach to multiple sclerosis. As such, the CMSC has established Special Interest Groups (SIG) for our unique membership categories: Rehabilitation Therapists, Mental Health Professionals, PAs, Pharmacists, and Professionals in Training (physicians, nurses, etc). These unique groups contribute to the CMSC’s educational activities, research, and program development throughout the year. The SIG for Rehabilitation Professionals is the IOMSRT (International Organization of MS Rehabilitation Therapists). 

If you are not yet a member of this group, please join us today, FREE of charge!  If you have other questions or comments, please feel free to reach out to the CMSC: nancy.chazen@mscare.org or 201-487-1050, ext 107.