Catalyst Groups serve as collection points for smaller groups of members who have an interest in an idea or initiative not represented adequately in other segments of APTA or the Academy of Leadership and Innovation. These groups are informal networks of individual members with a shared interest in exploring a topic or interest area relevant to the profession of physical therapy.
The Academy of Leadership and Innovation supports Catalyst Groups by providing a group discussion forum and a group contact.
There is no additional charge to be a member of a Catalyst Group; however, you must be a member of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) and the APTA Academy of Leadership and Innovation (ALI). Learn more about each Catalyst Group
below.
Mission To provide education, resources, networking, support, mentorship, and guidance to PTs and PTAs building non-clinical careers.
Vision Every PT and PTA has marketable
skills that can be transferred to non-clinical roles – we envision a world where hospital systems, corporations, and tech leaders employ physical therapy professionals to solve healthcare’s biggest problems.
Mission • To bring together both disability self-advocates and allies of people with disabilities within the physical therapy profession to promote, represent, discuss, and create actionable strategies
to promote disability rights, justice, and inclusion both within the profession and in our communities. • To achieve this mission, we will use this forum to provide a safe and welcoming space for our colleagues with and
without disabilities, where we all can be our authentic selves across many intersecting identities that are a part of our humanity. Through this diverse coalition we will not only discuss how we can move the physical therapy
profession forward to support a more diverse society, but also discuss how we can act now in our own communities to begin promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion for those with disabilities.
Vision To
transform physical therapy education and practice to address health equity and full community inclusion of people with disabilities through promoting disability cultural competence, social responsibility, and leadership development
within the physical therapy workforce, clinical practice, and in the community.
Goals • Foster advocacy efforts to optimize value and progress in health equity for people with disabilities • Promote value and equity in health for people with disabilities through best practices in leadership • Inspire innovative healthcare practices to optimize value and progress equity in health for people with
disabilities
• Grow Disability Justice and Anti-Ableism Catalyst group membership and engagement to increase disability advocacy reach both interprofessional and intraprofessionally
Primary Activities • 4 meetings annually with 1 being at CSM • Collaborative efforts in scholarship opportunities (e.g., publications, presentations, grants) • Community and organizational outreach and engagement
Mission To serve as an information and networking hub promoting environmentally responsible practice, research, education, innovation and policy across healthcare settings and populations.
Vision To optimize physical and mental health by supporting environmental stewardship and environmental justice.
Goals • Understanding of how natural and built environments impact health and
health equity
• Appreciation of healthcare’s current and potential roles in environmental harm and protection
• Knowledge, skills, and agency regarding climate change mitigation and adaptation at individual and organizational levels
Mission Building a community for multicultural PTs/PTAs/students that advances the profession of physical therapy while advocating for cultural safety to improve the health of multicultural society.
Vision Transforming multicultural society by optimizing movement to improve the human experience.
Mission Our mission is to provide a supportive community for parents in physical therapy, across all career
stages, focused on navigating the unique challenges of balancing caregiving responsibilities with
professional growth.
Vision Our vision is to create a profession where parents are fully supported in their dual roles as caregivers and professionals, with access to the resources, mentorship, and policies needed to succeed.
Who We Are - Mission To support physical therapists on their journey to becoming excellent clinicians, educators, scholars, and leaders dedicated to helping individuals, families, communities, and populations
improve and restore mental health.
What We Strive For - Vision To improve standards and consistency of practice, advocacy, research, education, and public policy in mental health by physical therapists.
Our Commitment To raise awareness around physical therapist-delivered whole-person mental healthcare
and its positive impact on physical, psychological, social, and spiritual domains of health for individual and population health.
