Health Sciences dean receives highest award given by American Physical Therapy Association

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – Dr. Ronald Barredo, interim dean of Tennessee State University’s College of Health Sciences, is the recipient of the highest award given by the American Physical Therapy Association.

In June, Barredo will attend an award ceremony in Chicago, where he will receive the Catherine Worthingham Fellow of the American Physical Therapy Association. The award is the highest recognition that the association can give to physical therapists, and is given to individuals “who have demonstrated unwavering efforts to advance the physical therapy profession for more than 15 years,” according to the Association’s website.

Dr. Ronald Barredo

There are more than 100,000 members of the APTA. Of that number, only 214 have received the Catherine Worthingham Fellow. In Tennessee, only five have been given the honor.

““We are so proud of Dr. Ronald Barredo,” said Tennessee State University President Glenda Glover. “Here at TSU, excellence is our habit, and Dr. Barredo is continuing that tradition with this prestigious award. We applaud him, and thank him for his service to our university.”

Dr. Barredo, who is also professor and chair of the Department of Physical Therapy, is being recognized for his work in professional and post-professional education, particularly in the area of competency assessment.

He has been actively involved with the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy, with its focus on the assessment of entry-level competence through the National Physical Therapy Examination; the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties, with its focus on the assessment of continuing competence through specialist certification; the Foreign Credentialing Commission in Physical Therapy, with its focus on assessment of educational equivalence of foreign educated physical therapists; and the APTA Credentialed Clinical Instructor Program, with its focus on education and credentialing of clinical instructors.

“I am humbled and honored to be recognized as a Catherine Worthingham Fellow,” Barredo said. “My appreciation goes out to the faculty, staff and students at Tennessee State University, who make my life interesting, challenging, and fun every day.”

TSU is currently constructing a new state-of-the-art Health Sciences Building.

“This project will not only bring together a number of excellent programs under one roof – Nursing, Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Cardiorespiratory Care, and Health Information Management – but will also be a hub for collaborative practice, community service, and clinical research,” Barredo said.

For more information about TSU’s College of Health Sciences, visit http://www.tnstate.edu/health_sciences/.