John Stanley Coulter Lecture Award History

WHO WAS JOHN STANLEY COULTER, a man whose memory is perpetuated through the Coulter Memorial Lecture? While the Lecture has been a highlight of every annual meeting of the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine since 1951, it is possible-probable-that the majority of the members of ACRM know little about the man the lectureship memorializes.

To be named the Coulter Lecturer is to be recognized as one whose professional achievements have contributed significantly to the field of rehabilitation-as did Dr. Coulter. After his death on December 16, 1949, the Board of Governors of the American Congress of Physical Medicine-as the ACRM was named at that time-established a fund to provide for a series of Coulter Lectures "as an expression of devotion to their departed colleague and leader."

The first Lecture was presented at the organization's 29th Annual Session in Denver on September 5, 1951. Given in the form of a eulogy to Dr. Coulter by Kristian G. Hansson, MD, the lecture provided a quick sketch of the man many in the field regard as "the father of physical medicine and rehabilitation."

"All human enterprises have leaders and so has medicine," Dr. Hansson said in his eulogy. "Physical medicine was fortunate to have such a leader in Dr. Coulter. He proved his leadership in many ways, as a soldier, as an author and editor, as a physician, and as a friend to those who sought his advice."

"Dr. Coulter was seldom thought of as a soldier. However, he graduated from the Army Medical School in 1911 and was in the army from 1911 to 1920. He was sent to France during the First World War, where he took charge of the first overseas convalescent and rehabilitation center. It was here that Dr. Coulter first became associated with physical therapy and occupational therapy."

"Writing and editing occupied much of Dr. Coulter's time. He was assistant editor of the Archives of Physical Medicine and Acta Americana . . . and in all contributed 53 articles on physical medicine and rehabilitation for medical journals."

"As a physician, Dr. Coulter specialized in PM&R . . . and introduced the practice of PT and OT in the treatment of industrial workers handicapped from disease and accident. He helped to establish the AMA Council on Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and was its chairman from 1942 to 1949. To further control and improve the training of physical therapy technicians, he helped form the American Registry of Physical Therapy Technicians."

Fifty-two other individuals have followed Dr. Hansson to the podium to deliver the Coulter Lecture. Listed here are the names of those individuals, the titles of their lectures, and when and where the lectures were given.

Frank Krusen, MD, New York, August 27, 1952, "Report on the International Congress of Physical Medicine."

Otto Glasser, PhD, Chicago, September 2, 1953, "A Medical Physiatrist Looks at Physical Medicine."

Walter J. Zeiter, MD, Washington, DC, September 9, 1954, "The History of the American Congress of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation."

William J. Schmidt, MD, Detroit, September 1, 1955, Problems in Rehabilitation."

Fredric J. Jung, MD, PhD, Atlantic City, September 12, 1956, "Some Problems of Communication in Medicine as Illustrated by The Coulter Bibliography."

Fred B. Moor, MD, Los Angeles, September 11, 1957, "Physical Measures in the Postoperative Care of the Surgical Patient."

Karl Harpuder, MD, Philadelphia, August 26, 1958, "Training and Fitness: Concepts and Problems in Rehabilitation."

Robert L. Bennett, MD, Minneapolis, September 2 1959, "Tomorrow's Physiatrist."

Philippe Bauwens, MRCP, Washington, DC, August 22, 1960, "Electrodiagnosis Revisited."

Donald L. Rose, MD, Cleveland, August 29, 1961, "A Second Look."

Joseph G. Benton, MD, New York, August 28, 1962, "Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation: Retrospect and Prospect."

Charles D. Shields, MD, Dallas, August 27, 1963, "An Appraisal of Recent Developments in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation."

Paul Dudley White, MD, Boston, August 25, 1964, "The Priority of Rehabilitation in Cardiovascular Diseases."

Howard A. Rusk, MD, Philadelphia, August 24,1965, "Tomorrow Is Not Yesterday."

Verne T. Inman, MD, PhD, San Francisco, August 30, 1966, "Specialization and the Physiatrist."

Arthur S. Abramson, MD, Bal Harbour, FL, August 29, 1967, "The Human Community in the Rehabilitation Process."

Frederic J. Kottke, MD, Montreal, August 28, 1968, "Physiatrist: Transmitter or Transmuter?"

William J. Erdman II, MD, Chicago, August 12, 1969, "The Delivery of Rehabilitation Services."

Sidney Licht, MD, New York, August 20, 1970, "Rehabilitation Medicine: Definition and Origin."

Jesse L. Steinfeld, MD, San Juan, PR, November 10, 1971, "Rehabilitation Medicine: A Changing Challenge in a Changing Society."

Edward W. Lowman, MD, Denver, August 24, 1972, "A Rainbow Is for Those Who See."

Paul A. Nelson, MD, Washington, DC, October 22, 1973, "History of the Once Close Relationship Between Electrotherapeutics and Radiology."

Henry B. Betts, MD, San Francisco, November 21, 1974, "Building on Dr. Coulter's Foundation."

James F. Garrett, PhD, Atlanta, November 18, 1975, "Professionalism in Rehabilitation in the 1980s."

Harold H. Wilke, DD, San Diego, November 11, 1976, "Creating the Caring Community."

Helen J. Hislop, PhD, Miami, November 1977, "Of Professional Bondage."

William A. Spencer, MD, New Orleans, November 16, 1978, "Is Anybody Listening?"

Beatrice A. Wright, PhD, Honolulu, November 13, 1979, "Person and Situation: Adjusting the Rehabilitation Focus."

Thomas C. Joe, MA, Washington, DC, October 23, 1980, "Professionalism: A New Challenge for Rehabilitation."

Norman Acton, San Diego, November 3, 1981, "The World's Response to Disability: Evolution of a Philosophy."

Ernst Gunther Marquardt, MD, Houston, November 3, 1982, "A Holistic Approach to Rehabilitation for the Limb Deficient Child."

David D. Symington, MB, ChB, Los Angeles, November 8, 1983, "The Goals of Rehabilitation."

June S. Rothberg, PhD, RN, Boston, October 24, 1984, "The Interdisciplinary Process: Is It a Chimera for Clinical Practice and for the ACRM?"

Edward A. Eckenhoff, MA, Kansas City, MO, October 1, 1985, "Rehabilitation: Ghosts . . . Images . . . Visions."

T. Franklin Williams, MD, Baltimore, October 22, 1986, "The Future of Aging."

Thomas P. Anderson, MD, Orlando, October 22, 1987, "Assumptions in Rehabilitation Medicine."

John V. Basmajian, MD, Seattle, November 1, 1988, "The Winter of Our Discontent: Breaking Intolerable Time Loss for Stroke Survivors."

Irving K. Zola, PhD, San Antonio, November 8, 1989, "Aging, Disability, and the Home Care Revolution: An Empirical Intertwining."

Carolyn L. Vash, PhD, Phoenix, October 23, 1990, "New Venues, New Allies, New Ways."

Mark L. Rosenberg, MD, Washington, DC, October 29, 1991, "Injury Control: Meeting the Challenge."

Jean Cole Spencer, PhD, OTR, San Francisco, November 15, 1992, "The Usefulness of Qualitive Methods in Rehabilitation: Issues of Meaning, of Context, and of Change."

Gerben DeJong, PhD, Denver, June 25, 1993, "Health Care Reform and Disability: Affirming Our Commitment to Community."

Gale G. Whiteneck, PhD, Minneapolis, June 11, 1994, "Measuring What Matters: Key Rehabilitation Outcomes."

Richard Bruno, PhD, Arlington, VA, June 25, 1995, "Postpolio Sequelae and the Paradigms of the 50s: Newtie, Ozzie, and Harriet Versus Paradigms of Caring and a Future for Rehabilitation in America."

Robert G. Frank, PhD, Chicago, October 15, 1996, "Lessons from the Great Battle: Health Care Reform, 1992-1994."

Florence P. Kendall, PT, Boston, September 13, 1997, "Sister Elizabeth Kenny Revisited." (This address was published in the Archives, but illness prevented Mrs. Kendall from presenting her address in Boston.) Gerben DeJong, PhD substituted as the Coulter Luncheon speaker on "The Growth Maturation, and Consolidation of the Medical Rehabilitation Industry and Their Implications for ACRM's Research Mission."

John F. Ditunno, Jr., MD, Seattle, WA, November 8, 1998, "Predicting Recovery After Spinal Cord Injury: A Rehabilitation Imperative."

Margaret A. Nosek, PhD, Orlando, FL, October 16, 1999, "Overcoming the Odds: The Health of Women With Physical Disabilities in the U.S."

Lauro S. Halstead, MD, Hilton Head, SC, October 21, 2000, "The Power of Compassion and Caring in Rehabilitation Healing."

Lex Frieden, MA, Tucson, AZ, October 27, 2001 "Listening for Footsteps (Rehabilitation and Independent Living)."

Paul Bach-Y-Rita, MD, Philadelphia, PA, October 5, 2002, "Brain Plasticity as a Basis for Late Neurologic Rehabilitation."

Joel A. DeLisa, MD, MS, Tucson, AZ, October 25, 2003, "Shaping the Future of Medical Rehabilitation Research: Using the Interdisciplinary Research Model."

Leonard Diller, PhD, ABPP/ABCN, Ponte Vedra Beach, FL, September 11, 2004, "Pushing the Frames of Reference in Cognitive Rehabilitation."

Denise Tate, PhD, ABPP, FACRM, Chicago, IL, October 1, 2005, "The State of Rehabilitation Research: Art or Science?"

Martin Grabois, MD, FACRM, Boston, MA, September 30, 2006, "Through the Looking Glass: A Personal View of Health Care Reform in Rehabilitation Medicine."

John Whyte, MD, PhD, FACRM, Washington, DC, October 6, 2007, "A Grand Unified Theory of Rehabilitation (We Wish!)."

Disclaimer