The Oklahoma Physical Therapy Association

Mark Acker Memorial Mentor Award

“The mentor is an inexhaustible source of mental and psychological support which solidifies one’s fortitude and helps unleash one’s potential. Mentoring provides texture, advice and context to help individuals increase their vision of the future, hone their skills, solidify their approach and stroke their passions.” (Dean Yannis C. Yortsos, USC School of Engineering 2011) The mentor is someone who takes a special interest in helping another person develop professionally. An effective mentoring relationship is characterized by mutual respect, trust, understanding and empathy.

Purpose: In loving tribute to friend, colleague and life-long mentor to countless physical therapists and physical therapist assistants in Oklahoma, the Mark Acker Memorial Mentor Award is to recognize a person who has demonstrated exceptional ability in guiding the professional growth and has influenced the development of physical therapists and/or physical therapist assistants in an outstanding or unique manner.

Eligibility:

Nominees must be OPTA members in good standing.
Members currently serving on the Board of Directors and Awards Committee are not eligible for consideration of this award.
Nominees must have evidence of actively engaging in mentoring activities for at least three years.
Nominees cannot have received this award previously within the past five years.

Selection Criteria:

The intent of this award is to reward excellence in a variety of mentoring functions. Specifically the nominator need describe:

The nominees’ impact on mentees as a professional role model.
The nominees ‘effect on the professional development of other therapists/mentees.
Evidence of the nominees’ mentoring efforts sustained over time, as well as, their mentees success(es).

Nomination Process:

Nominators must complete the nomination form which can be found on the OPTA webpage. Each nomination requires a letter that summarizes #1-3 described above. Up to three additional letters of support from mentees who can provide a firsthand account of how the nominee influenced his or her career including specific academic, clinical, educational, research and regulatory achievements (of the mentee) will be considered as important.

Selection Process:

The voting members of the OPTA Board of Directors will review completed applications that are submitted by the advertised deadline. The top three nominees will be forwarded to the Executive Committee of the OPTA Board of Directors who will make the final decision upon the recipient of the “Mark Acker Memorial Mentor Award”. This award will be given annually at the discretion of the Executive Committee dependent upon the qualifications of those nominated.

OPTA “Mark Acker Memorial Mentor Award” NOMINATION FORM

(Please Type)

I nominate the following person for consideration for the “Mark Acker Memorial Mentor Award”:

Name: Mark A. Anderson, PT, PhD, ATC

Title: Professor

Address: Dept of Rehab Sciences, College of Allied Health, OUHSC

1200 N. Stonewall Ave., Rm 3108

City/State/Zip: Oklahoma City, OK 73117-1215

American Physical Therapy Association membership Status: Current

Educational Background: See Attached CV

Professional Experience: See Attached CV

Attach a detailed description of the contributions made to the profession of physical therapy in the areas of:

1.The nominees’ impact on mentees as a professional role model.

2.The nominees’ effect on the professional development of other therapists/mentees.

3.Evidence of the nominees’ mentoring efforts sustained over time, as well as, their mentees success(es).

Signature: ______Date: 8/28/13

In the capacity of individual member of the Western District of the OPTA.

(Individual, member, district, officer, other)

Mail your completed nomination form to

To Whom It May Concern:

Although I have personally had the honor of Mark Anderson’s influence in my life over the past 14 years, his span of influence extends far beyond me. He has been an outstanding role model, friend, mentor, and encourager to countless individuals over the course of his career. I have the utmost respect and admiration for Mark. His level of commitment to students, colleagues, community, and the advancement of sports physical therapy in Oklahoma exceeds allexpectations.

Mark is an exceptional role model to our profession. He has an impeccable way of balancing family, community, and professional life. He willingly invests in the lives of others through sharing his time, his knowledge, his compassion, and his experience. He continuously goes out of his way to better the professional growthof others without expecting anything in return. His continued example of involvement in the APTA, Sports Section, OPTA, NATA, teaching continuing education courses, and volunteering in his communityis not matched by many in the field. Mark has served in the community for many years as the medical director of the Endeavor Games for Athletes with Physical Disabilities, as assistant to the medical director of Corporate Challenge, and as a medical leader for the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon. His active involvement in community has encouraged me, as well as many others, to follow suit. As a result, there are a large number of students and practicing clinicians willing to offer their time and knowledge to assist at these events as well. Mark is a leader of sports medicine in the state. The pursuit of providing sports physical therapy in the state of Oklahoma is largely due to his leadership, example, and mentorship over the years. Because of his personal investment in me, Idesire to invest in others. I want to impact the lives and professional growth of students and fellow clinicians just as Mark has impacted mine.

Mark has aided in the professional development of myself and countless other individuals. As a professor, Mark does not limit himself to Physical Therapy students. He has provided mentorship to medical students, nursing students, athletic training students, and many others. He creates an environment that fosters learning and teamwork as he teaches and provides opportunities in sports medicine and orthopedics. His weekly participation in sports medicine grand rounds as well as his encouragement for all professions to get involved in events such as the Endeavor Games helps foster collaboration that may not typically exist inside the classroom walls. This collaboration not only benefits the individual participants, but also the field of health care and the patient population of Oklahoma. Mark actively seeks out opportunities for students to be involved and advance themselves even prior to graduating. He goes above and beyond the status quo to set up clinical affiliation with professional sport markets and nationally recognized sports medicine clinics to enhance his students’ clinical rotations. He is committed to providing the best possible experience in sports coverage for physical therapy students, setting up sites all over the state for venue coverage observation. As a result of being a past student of Mark’s, I, along with many others, have focused our professional development on orthopedic and sports rehabilitation. He is, in large part, the reason I pursued further advancement in education. I have recently completed a two year sports residency program with Evidence In Motion and achieved dual certification with mySports Certification Specialist (SCS) and Orthopedic Certification Specialist (OCS), as well as obtained my Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS). He has also encouraged my involvement with physical therapy students at OUHSC. In addition to his encouragement for me to pursue clinical teaching as an APTA Credentialed Clinical Instructor, he has invited me into his classroom as a guest lecturerin the areas of shoulder and sports injury and rehabilitationfor the past three years. Without Mark’s influence, participation, and encouragement, I don’t know if my professional aspirations would have come to fruition.

Mark’s successful mentoring is evident by the number of past students who have advanced in their field of expertise. Many have gone on to work in the realm of professional sports, sports specific clinics, or have developed sports specific programing within their community through local high schools or as an extension of their outpatient clinics. During my time in the sports residency program, Mark willingly took on the role of my mentor, as he has done with numerous individuals in the past. Every Wednesday, he absorbed the time and expense to drive to the clinic where I work. He provided me a way to complete over 150 formal mentoring hours without having to take off work for extensive travel. Without his sacrificial gift, my family, my clinic, and my patients would have all suffered greatly. He also provided several connections and opportunities for me to complete over 200 hours of venue coverage. Because of Mark’s selfless gift, I have achieved my SCS and OCS and can now serve as a mentor to others within the EIM residency program. He began a cycle and now I am part of it. It makes me wonder how many professional lives have been or will be changed all because one man has decided to invest in others- invoking their passions, their potential, and their excellence.