“The 2023 ARP President’s Award was given to the members of the Governance Task Force in recognition of the outstanding work they did. When I reached out to each of them to let them know they had been awarded the 2023 ARP President’s Award, I was impressed by how they responded. Each one of them talked about how much they personally gained by being on the task force and how much they enjoyed the work. Quotes I jotted down included: ‘had a great time doing it,’ ‘learned the history of ACR/ARP,’ ‘great opportunity to learn from other team members’ and ‘great team to work with.’
“The Governance Task Force is a prime example of a successful team led by co-chairs who worked together seamlessly, each providing their unique leadership abilities. The group showed strong teamwork at a challenging time for the College, during the pandemic. They were given a task and approached it in multiple ways to ensure they had a thorough background on which to make recommendations for the future of the ARP. They took feedback from the ARP Executive Committee and made adjustments, going beyond expectations. Most importantly, the background work they did will continue to shape the ARP and College in the years to come.
“Best of all, they enjoyed doing it. That is the engagement I wish for all our ARP volunteers to experience.”
And the winners are…
Yvonne Golightly, PT, MS, PhD, co-chair of the ARP Governance Task Force, is the assistant dean for research and professor of physical therapy at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) College of Allied Health Professions, Omaha. Additionally, she has a courtesy appointment as professor of epidemiology at UNMC, and she serves as co-director of research for the Osteoarthritis Action Alliance.
“I am truly honored to receive this award, and I am very pleased to share this honor with the incredible ARP Governance Task Force team,” says Dr. Golightly. “I felt our whole group worked together so well, and I was extremely proud of our final product.”
Dr. Golightly holds a doctorate in epidemiology and a Master of Science in human movement science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Bachelor of Science in allied health science and physical therapy from The Ohio State University, Columbus.
She is a musculoskeletal epidemiologist and a physical therapist with 20 years of research experience and over 160 peer-reviewed publications. Dr. Golightly’s research focuses on osteoarthritis, musculoskeletal injury, lower body musculoskeletal disorders, physical activity, physical rehabilitation, falls, biomechanics, biomarkers and health equity. She has obtained research funding from multiple external funding sources, including the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
