Fellow of ACRM (FACRM)

2008 Deadline: April 3, 2008

The American Congress of Rehabilitation (ACRM) is the world's leading interdisciplinary rehabilitation research organization. The Fellow of ACRM designation recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions to the field of medical rehabilitation and to the ACRM.

The ACRM Fellow subcommittee is accepting nominations for the Fellow of ACRM designation, to be announced at the 2007 annual meeting of the Congress. Members in good standing may nominate their colleagues or themselves. Completed nomination packets are due by April 3, 2008. Nomination forms and Award Criteria are available below or by contacting Judy Reuter at the ACRM National Office.

Nomination Procedures:

1. Nominations may be made by members in good standing or by self-nomination by a member in good standing.

2. Nominations for the award must be received in the national office no later than April 3 for formal recognition of the elected Fellows at the following national conference. The following are needed for an application to be complete: current curriculum vitae of the nominee, a narrative statement by the nominator, 3 letters of support written by persons other than the nominator, an application form with pertinent nominee and nominator information and a nominee biosketch (maximum 300 words). Nominators are also invited to submit copies of published papers of the nominee or other documents that demonstrate the basis for the nomination. A description of each component of the application package follows:

• A full curriculum vitae or resume is required; a biographical sketch alone is NOT sufficient.

• The narrative statement by the nominator should specify WHY the facts summarized in the resume constitute outstanding performance worthy of selection as FACRM. A simple restating of the information in the CV is not sufficient. Candidates may be nominated based on their clinical, research, educational or administrative accomplishments. Regardless of the area of expertise, the narrative statement should spell out how the candidate's work has impacted the field of rehabilitation and ACRM. Some examples follow:

  • Clinician- Rather than listing the positions held by the nominee, specify what assessment methods, interventions, devices, etc. have been developed by the nominee and the extent to which such products have been adopted within the field.

  • Researcher- Rather than noting the number of papers published by the nominee, explain how the nominee's publications have influenced the practice of rehabilitation.

  • Educator- Rather than reporting the number of years the nominee has been engaged in teaching, indicate what curriculum or program changes have occurred as the result of the nominee's contributions.

  • Administrator- Rather than reviewing the nominee's administrative responsibilities, describe how the nominee established an inter-institutional collaboration that broadened educational opportunities and decreased faculty resource requirements.

• At least one letter of support should come from an ACRM member. Each letter of support should clearly indicate the institution with which the nominator is affiliated, and in what capacity the writer has known the nominee. Letters must reflect genuine knowledge and consideration of the nominee's credentials. Like the nominator, the letter writers should not simply restate the facts presented in the resume, but indicate why and how these facts have had a major impact on medical rehabilitation as a whole, and on ACRM specifically.

• The biosketch should be submitted electronically and is limited to 300 words. The biosketch should provide a factual summary of the candidate's career. It is distinct from the narrative statement in that the biosketch provides a general overview of the candidate's background while the narrative statement explains how the candidate's work has influenced the field of rehabilitation and the ACRM.

3. Individuals who are nominated and not selected may be nominated again at a later date.

4. Standing members of the Fellows Committee may not serve as a nominator nor are they permitted to submit a letter of support for a nominee.

Note: Nominators are urged to submit all application materials to the national office electronically. The biosketch must be submitted electronically.

Review Process and Timeline:

• After the ACRM national office has received nominations for a particular year, it is the responsibility of the Fellows Committee to process nominations that have been received, and to assess nominees' eligibility. The national office will provide a complete copy of each nominee's application package to all members of the Fellows Committee along with a "Committee Evaluation Form" which includes the candidate's name and room for the recommendation of the Committee member.

• Nominees will be discussed by teleconference so that selections can be completed by May 15th of each year. Final dispositions will be documented on the Committee Evaluation Form. A two-thirds vote of the voting-members of the Fellows Committee is necessary for the nomination to be brought forward to the Board. Final recommendations will be made available to the Board no later than June 1st.

• The name of each candidate recommended is forwarded to the Board along with the Committee Evaluation Form and the other supporting documents. The recommendation package will be accompanied by a cover letter from the Committee Chair indicating that the supporting documents are for reference in the event that a Board member has serious concern about a particular candidate.

• The Board will vote by simple majority to approve or disapprove the recommendations of the Fellows Committee during the next scheduled Board teleconference (i.e., June or July). Board action will be documented on the Committee Evaluation Form.

• If a recommended nominee is rejected by the Board, written documentation outlining the basis for challenging the nomination will be recorded on the Evaluation Form and returned to the Committee chair through the Board liaison within 7 days of the decision.

• The Fellows Committee reviews the Board's dissenting opinion and the Committee chair prepares a written response which is forwarded back to the Board by the liaison within 7 days of receiving the dissenting opinion.

• The Board reviews the Committee's response within one week of receipt and a final vote is taken by e-mail or other means to approve or disapprove the nomination.

Award Presentation:

• After the Board approves a nomination, the Fellows Committee Chair apprises new Fellows of their acceptance and invites them to attend the annual meeting. The Chair also responds to the nominators, apprising them of the Board's decision and contacts nominators of candidates that were not accepted, apprising them of the Committee's/Board's decision.

• New Fellows will be recognized by the ACRM President at the annual meeting and will receive a framed certificate designating the member to the Roster of Fellows (to be maintained at the national office).Additional acknowledgement may include:

• Announcement of new Fellows at the annual meeting by the President of the ACRM Board of Governors during the President's Reception and/or the business meeting. An abridged version of the nominee's biosketch may be used for this purpose.
  

• Publishing the names of new Fellows in the ACRM Annual Program, Rehabilitation Outlook, Archives of PM&R and/or on the ACRM website.
  

• Printing photos of new Fellows in the Final Annual Meeting Program, Rehabilitation Outlook, Archives of PM&R and the ACRM website.
  

• Mailing a letter of recognition to the new Fellow's place of employment.
  

• Sending a press release to local media.

A person receiving this award may identify him/herself by using "F.A.C.R.M." after his/her signature. These initials shall be included in the identifying information that follows their name in the registry as evidence of this honor.

FACRM Nomination Form

Criteria & Selection Procedures

FACRM Recipients, listed by year.