1923
The Congress was founded as the American College
of Radiology and Physiotherapy, a professional association of
physicians who used physical agents to diagnose and treat illness
and disability. The first elected president of the organization
was Samuel B. Childs, MD. |
1925
 The trend toward specialization in medicine resulted
in a separation of radiology from physical therapy and a change
in name to the American Congress of Physical Therapy. The 1925
Annual Meeting of the Congress was promoted in the Journal
of Radiology |
1926
 The
journal, which began publication in 1920, changed its name to
the Archives of Physical Therapy, X-ray, Radium and was
declared the official journal of the American Congress of Physical
Therapy. In 1930, Albert F. Tyler, MD, presented the Archives
to the Congress as a debt-free, unencumbered gift. |
1932
 The
first Gold Key Awards were given to a total of seven people,
including William L. Clark, F. Howard Humphris, and Albert
F. Tyler |
1933
In another change reflecting the times, the
American Congress of Physical Therapy assimilated the American
Physical Therapy Association, whose membership was comprised
solely of physicians. Albert F. Tyler, MD, was elected as president
of the newly configured association. |
|
1938
 The
journal name was shortened to Archives of Physical Therapy
due to the decreased emphasis on X ray and radium.
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1939
 A
specialty society was founded called the Society of Physical
Therapy Physicians, which became the American Academy of Physical
Medicine and Rehabilitation in 1956. The society was restricted
to physicians who devoted themselves exclusively to the practice
of physical therapy. The Archives was designated as its
official journal. |
1944
The Congress again changed names, to the American
Congress of Physical Medicine. |
1945
 The
24th Annual Meeting was canceledat the request of the National
War Committee on Conventions. This was the first and only time
since the Congress was founded that an annual meeting was not
held.
The
name of the journal became the Archives of Physical Medicine.
The term physical medicine represented a change of
emphasis from the purely clinical to the scientific and diagnostic
basis of the medical use of physical agents. It also served
to clarify the distinction between physicians and technicians
of physical therapy, a stance the American Medical Association
(AMA) had recently adopted. |
1949
During the annual meeting the membership voted
to collaborate with the British Association of Physical Medicine
in the formation of an International Federation of Physical
Medicine. |
1951
 The
first John Stanley Coulter Memorial Lecture was presented by
Kristian G. Hansson, MD, and it highlighted the many contributions
of John S. Coulter, MD (photo), the third association
president. |
1952
  Increasing
recognition of the relationship between physical medicine and
the rapidly growing field of rehabilitation resulted in a change
in name to the American Congress of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.
The official name of the journal changed to its present name,
Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation the
following year. |
1954
 Walter
J. Zeiter, MD (photo), concluded the fourth Coulter Lecture
by stating, "Our history has been crowded with individuals,
ideas, and actions that have fostered our growth. We have a
proud past, and I have every confidence that we will have an
illustrious future." |
1965
 A
thorough study of the Congress and its functions was begun with
the formation of the Professional Development Committee (PDC)
under the chairmanship of John W. Goldschmidt, MD (photo).
Some impressive accomplishments of the PDC include a study of
the objectives, constitution, and structure of the Congress,
sponsorship of interdisciplinary forums, and a broadening of
the membership. The PDC contributed significantly to the management
and direction of ACRM for thirty years. |
1966
 A
group of forward-looking physicians in the Congress recognized
the need for a forum in which members of various rehabilitation
disciplines could share their professional, scientific, and
technical talents. An amendment to the Congress constitution
extended membership privileges to persons "holding an earned
doctoral degree and active in and contributing to the advancement
of the field of rehabilitation medicine." This allowed
membership to be extended to psychologists, nurses, physical
therapists, occupational therapists, speech pathologists, social
workers, vocational counselors, and others. Membership grew
from 1,195 members in 1965 to 1,458 members in 1967. The name
was officially changed once again, to the American Congress
of Rehabilitation Medicine. |
1968
The first Interdisciplinary Forum was held, supported by a training
grant from the Department of Health, Education and Welfare Rehabilitation
Services Administration. It was attended by 142 physicians and
196 nonphysicians. Some of the topics included "Stroke,"
"Intellectual-Perceptual Deficits and Implications for
Team Management," and "Operating Conditioning." |
1970
Another constitutional amendment opened the membership to rehabilitation
professionals with earned master's degrees. ACRM's membership
grew from 1,572 members in 1970 to approximately 1,940 members
in 1973. |
1972
 The
PDC published the landmark report Development of the American
Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine into a Multidisciplinary
Professional Society. As noted in the introduction of the
report, "his report reviews the methodology by which reorganization
[of the association] was accomplished and records the progress
made in restructuring membership, program, publications, and
governance." ACRM President Herman J. Flax, MD (photo),
was the Project Director and John W. Goldschmidt, MD, and Edward
Lowman, MD, were the principal investigators. |
1973
 A
major exhibition tracing the development of physical medicine
in the United States in the past 200 years opened at the Smithsonian
Institution in Washington, DC, under sponsorship of the American
Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Entitled Triumph Over
Disability, the exhibit was planned as part of the observance
of the 50th anniversary of the founding of ACRM. |
1973
 ACRM
formed the Ad Hoc Committee on Rehabilitation of Children to
address the unique needs of this population. The committee was
active for over a decade and included the work of physicians
such as Dennis Mathews, Michael Alexander, Gabriella Molnar,
Bruce Gans, and other noted pediatric physiatrists. One of the
most notable achievements of this committee's efforts was the
allotment of more time in ACRM meetings to pediatric programs
(photo). |
1975
ACRM's Social and Environmental Aspects of Rehabilitation (SEAR)
Committee was formed to work in collaboration with the Legislative
Committee in making legislative recommendations and in developing
model architectural barrier legislation. During the Carter administration,
under the direction of Chair Nancy Crewe, PhD, SEAR was asked
to examine some of the issues involved in independent living
and to prepare a position paper that could be used in testimony.
SEAR's involvement in the independent living movement led to
the 1978 Amendments of the Rehabilitation Acts of 1973. |
1976
 The
first prize in the scientific exhibit competition was awarded
to the Sexuality and Disability exhibit presented by Sandra
and Ted Cole. (Sir Ludwig Guttmann, the world's preeminent expert
on spinal cord injury and medical director of Stoke Mandeville
Hospital in England, attended that meeting and praised the exhibit
as a first in the field.) This exhibit led to the establishment
of the Sexuality and Disability Task Force. The task force changed
its name to the Sexuality Interdisciplinary Interest Group which
in turn led to the creation of ACRM's first Special Interest
Group. This was the genesis of today's Interdisciplinary "SIGs,"
the I-SIGs. |
1977
 The
first nonphysician ACRM President, June Rothberg, PhD RN
(photo), took office. In her presidential address entitled
"...And It Came to Pass," she focused on the evolution
of ACRM from unidimensional to multiprofessional in scope and
interest. |
1978
The annual conference in New Orleans, LA, boasted
over 350 presenters, in a variety of formats ranging from panel
discussions and didactic lectures to papers and posters. Key
topics addressed were Sexuality and Disability, the Independent
Living movement, and Measurement and Evaluation models. |
1979
The article "Independent Living: From Social Movement to
Analytic Paradigm" by Gerben DeJong, PhD, was printed in
the October issue of the Archives. This landmark article
was reprinted sixteen times and translated into seven languages. |
1979
 The
first official meeting of the ACRM Head Injury Task Force, chaired
by Sheldon Berrol, MD (photo-right, Tom Anderson, MD-left),
took place at the annual meeting. Now known as the Brain Injury
ISIG, this group has been very influential in the development
of standards and guidelines in the brain injury rehabilitation
field over the past twenty years. |
1980
  The
first Elizabeth and Sidney Licht (photos) Award for Excellence
in Scientific Writing was presented to Carl Granger, Gary Albrecht,
and Byron Hamilton for their article "Outcomes of Comprehensive
Medical Rehabilitation: Measurement by PULSES Profile and the
Barthel Index." |
1986
Rehabilitation professionals with bachelor's
degrees were admitted into membership. ACRM's membership grew
from 2,902 members in 1986 to 3,360 members in 1989. |
1987
 The
annual meeting held in Orlando, FL, was presided over by Dorothea
Glass, MD, whose presidential address, "Accessibility and
the American Congress of Rehab Medicine," reflected the
conference theme. |
1989
 The
first Distinguished Member Award was presented to Mary Romano,
MSW (posthumously). The first Edward W. Lowman (photo)
Award was presented to Wilbert Fordyce, PhD. |
1990
  Dorothy
Gordon, DNSc (photo), presided over a year of significant
change for the Congress. The American Congress of Rehabilitation
Medicine separated operationally from the shared offices and
management of the American Academy of Physical Medicine and
Rehabilitation. ACRM was visibly involved in support for the
Americans with Disabilities Act, which was signed into law on
July 26, 1990 |
1991
At the annual meeting in Washington, DC, organizational politics
focused on the changes resulting from the decision to separate
from shared offices and management. Revisions to the constitution
and bylaws were debated during the annual business meeting.
Substantive changes included a restructuring of the board of
directors to eliminate the succession through multiple offices
to the presidency. An executive committee was established and
provisions requiring submission of an annual budget were included. |
1992
Over 980 ACRM members attended the combined meeting of the Congress
and American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
in San Francisco. Further enhancements to the organizational
structure were proposed but defeated by the present members. |
1993
 The
first independent annual meeting of ACRM was held in Denver,
CO. This was the first meeting held independently from the American
Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation since 1938.
Over 625 registrants participated in the meeting. |
1995
 Continuing
with the transition of the organizational structure, a total
of six members-at-large were seated on the Board of Governors.
Thomas P. Dixon, PhD (photo), who was the last individual
to be elected as Fifth Vice President, ascended to the Presidency.
Under Tom Dixon's direction, the corporate membership program
began to expand substantially. |
1996
The Board of Governors began articulating a new vision for ACRM.
It was developed in response to the changing dynamics within
the healthcare environment and changing demographics within
the membership of ACRM. Board members acknowledged that a new
paradigm for ACRM needed to evolve if the association was to
flourish in the future. |
1997
 Continuing
the evolution, the Board of Governors conducted an extensive
study of the field of medical rehabilitation associations and
professionals to determine the need and focus for ACRM in the
future. Based on the findings and the coincidental release of
the Institute of Medicine Report, Enabling America, the
Board of Governors committed to a focus devoted exclusively
to relevant rehabilitation research for those who generate,
utilize, or fund rehabilitation research. In her presidential
address, Karen Hart, PhD (photo), presented the rationale,
process, and implementation plans for the new focus on this
unfulfilled niche within the rehabilitation community. |
1998
 Theodore
M. Cole, MD (photo), is the second to serve two terms as
president of ACRM--1993 and 1998. Evidence of the changing focus
on relevant rehabilitation research is reflected in articles
published in the Rehabilitation Outlook and in the content
of the annual educational conference. ACRM celebrates its 75th
Anniversary during the annual meeting held in Seattle November
8-10, 1998. The anniversary committee, chaired by Robert H.
Meier III, MD, coordinated a number of events and activities
in celebration of this momentous occasion. While celebrating
the rich traditions of the American Congress of Rehabilitation
Medicine, there has been a renewed commitment to the vision
and future of ACRM. |
| Content for this poster
was obtained from historical records, conference proceedings,
and other documents of ACRM. This is in no way intended to
reflect the comprehensive history, and therefore, it is highly
likely that many significant events are not included. It is
intended as an encapsulated sampling of those events and markers
along the way that reflect the evolution of ACRM. |
History > Past Presidents of ACRM