Professor Terry Ellis Named APTA Catherine Worthingham Fellow

Terry Ellis, PhD, PT, NCS, associate professor and chair in the Department of Physical Therapy & Athletic Training, has been named a 2020 Catherine Worthingham Fellow of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA). This is the second consecutive year that a Sargent faculty member has been selected for the top honor. Clinical Associate Professor Julie Starr received the award in 2019.

The Catherine Worthingham Fellowship (FAPTA) honors APTA members who have “demonstrated unwavering efforts to advance the physical therapy profession for more than 15 years.” The FAPTA designation is the highest honor among APTA membership categories.

Ellis is director of the BU Center for Neurorehabilitation where she conducts research and provides clinical consultations and education to healthcare professionals and individuals with neurological disorders. Ellis’ research and practice interests include exercise interventions investigating the effectiveness of rehabilitation and modifying the progression of disease and disability in those with Parkinson’s Disease. Ellis also directs the American Parkinson Disease Association National Resource Center for Rehabilitation housed at Boston University. She teaches examination and treatment of patients with neurological disorders as part of our Doctor of Physical Therapy Program and is the director of BU’s Neurologic Physical Therapy Residency, a post-professional program run in collaboration with Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Spaulding Rehabilitation.

Ellis has a PhD in behavioral neurosciences from Boston University School of Medicine, and she is a board certified specialist in neurologic physical therapy. She has published numerous articles and lectures internationally on topics related to rehabilitation in individuals with Parkinson’s disease. Ellis is on the editorial board of the Journal of Neurologic Physical Therapy and is a member of the International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.

Ellis was previously recognized by the APTA in 2019 with the Excellence in Research Award from the Academy of Neurologic Physical Therapy and the Chattanooga Research Award in 2018.

Fellows will be honored at a ceremony during APTA’s NEXT conference in Phoenix this June.