Dr. William D. “Bill” Bandy, a professor of physical therapy, was recently awarded the Lucy Blair Service Award from the American Physical Therapy Association.
Bandy is the first Arkansan to receive the Lucy Blair Service Award since the inception of the award in 1969.
The American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) is a national professional organization representing more than 74,000 members. Each year, the association recognizes a small group of individuals nationwide for their contributions to the association.
“I have long believed that service is how I live out my passions and my love for the profession of Physical Therapy,” Bandy said. “My service to the American Physical Therapy Association has profoundly shaped my professional identity, and the person I am today.”
The goal of the association is to foster advancements in physical therapy practice, research, and education.
To be eligible for the award, nominees must be physical therapists whose contributions were of exceptional value to the association.
Bandy teaches courses in orthopedics, sports, and research. He has over 40 publications including three textbooks.
Bandy was also honored earlier this year with the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Sports Physical Therapy Section of the American Physical Therapy Association during the awards ceremony at the 2010 American Physical Therapy Associations Combined Sections Meeting in Las Vegas. The award is to honor a sports physical therapy member whose contributions to the specialty of sports physical therapy through leadership, influence and achievements have been demonstrated for over 25 years.
Bandy is a recent past board member of the American Physical Therapy Association and currently the editor-in-chief of the North American Journal of Sports Physical Therapy.