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1111 North Fairfax Street Alexandria, VA 22314 800/875-1378 703/706-1378 www.foundation4pt.org

The Tennessee Chapter Pledges $25,000 to the Foundation FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Barbara Malm, MBA 703/706-3178 barbaramalm@foundation4pt.org

ALEXANDRIA, VA (June 28, 2013) The Tennessee Chapter Physical Therapy Association (TPTA) has pledged to donate $25,000 toward the Center of Excellence for Health Services/Health Policy Research. The mission of the Center of Excellence (COE) is to train the next generation of physical therapist investigators who will gain skills necessary to examine effective delivery, organization, financing, and analysis of outcomes. The one-year fundraising campaign for this initiative has surpassed the half-way mark, with more than $1.7 million raised toward the goal of $3 million. "The Tennessee Physical Therapy Association is extremely proud to demonstrate support and a financial commitment to the Foundation for Physical Therapys efforts in development of health services research investigators that in essence, will lead our profession in the health care reform arena. Physical therapists need to be at the big table with all parties as we try to establish health policy, and the Foundation is leading us down this path! said TPTA Vice President Alan Meade, PT, ScDPT, MPH. The Tennessee Physical Therapy Association has been a loyal benefactor for more than a decade, including its support of the Foundations 2008 major gift campaign, A Roadmap for the Future of Physical Therapy. On behalf of the Foundation I would like to thank the Tennessee Physical Therapy Association for being the first state chapter of APTA to pledge their supportof the Foundations new Center of Excellence initiative, said Foundation President William G. Boissonnault, PT, DPT, DHSc, FAPTA, FAAOMPT. About The Foundation for Physical Therapy The Foundation for Physical Therapy was established in 1979 as a national, independent, nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the quality and delivery

of physical therapy care by providing support for scientifically-based and clinicallyrelevant physical therapy research by way of doctoral scholarships, fellowships, and grants. Over the past 34 years the Foundation has awarded more than $13 million to launch and fund the careers of hundreds of physical therapist researchers around the country who have leveraged this support to secure more than $150 million in additional funding from the National Institutes of Health alone. Contributions to the Foundation for Physical Therapy are tax-deductible and can be made online at Foundation4PT.org. For more information, e-mail info@foundation4pt.org or call 800/875-1378.