354: Roger Herr, PT, MPA: The Importance of Advocacy

On this episode of the Healthy Wealthy and Smart Podcast, Dr. Jenna Kantor, PT, DPT hosts and interviews Roger Herr on advocacy in physical therapy. Roger Herr is the Secretary of the Board of Directors of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA). Roger is a graduate of Temple University and has practiced physical therapy on both the east and west coasts. His involvement in the APTA has been longstanding at local, state and national levels. He is passionate about making a difference and communicating that to his audience.

 

In this episode, we discuss:

-Why is advocating for physical therapy important?

-How each generation of leaders enhance New York’s advocacy efforts

-Loose guidelines to follow to land a leadership position

-Why different perspectives enrich professional advocacy

-And so much more!

 

A major advocacy goal is to educate the public on the benefits of physical therapy as Roger expresses, “I love advocating because we get to explain what we do to others.”

 

As the physical therapy profession continues to grow in scope, both young and old physical therapy advocates are needed for different advocacy aims as Roger believes, “Different generations have different attributes.” Younger generations will lead online media outreach programs as Roger has found that, “Our society has less of that legacy role and more like what do we need to do now.”

 

Getting involved in advocacy can follow multiple courses as Roger stresses, “Written rules or guidelines kind of give a path but there are so many untraditional paths in our profession.”

 

For more information on Roger:

Roger Herr is the Secretary of the Board of Directors of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA). Roger is a graduate of Temple University and has practiced physical therapy on both the east and west coasts. His involvement in the APTA has been longstanding at local, state and national levels. He is passionate about making a difference and communicating that to his audience.

 

History: Physical Therapist at New York University Medical Center; taught in NYU’s Physical Therapist and Physical Therapist Assistant programs and has worked in both home health and a nursing home; spent a decade on the West Coast: 8 years in Seattle and 2 years in San Francisco; returned to NYC in 2014 to join ICS and be closer to family.

 

Where have I seen you before? As a physical therapist (BS Temple 1987), health care manager (MPA NYU 1992) who has worked in post-acute care with a focus on community health; as a site visitor/surveyor, CMS (Medicare), serving on NQF Technical Expert Panels, and with a national health care analytics organization specializing in post-acute care measures and reporting; at Sutter Care At Home in San Francisco; on the Board of the American Physical Therapy Association and as an appointee to the National Quality Forum Measurement Application Partnership Post-Acute Care (NQF MAP PAC).

 

Extracurricular: Walking, running, swimming, biking and yoga; certified yoga teacher; plays upright bass and enjoys good food and mood enhancing beverages…such as coffee.

 

For more information on Jenna:

Jenna Kantor (co-founder) is a bubbly and energetic girl who was born and raised in Petaluma, California. Growing up, she trained and performed ballet throughout the United States. After earning a BA in Dance and Drama at the University of California, Irvine, she worked professionally in musical theatre for 15+ years with tours, regional theatres, & overseas (www.jennakantor.com) until she found herself ready to move onto a new chapter in her life – a career in Physical Therapy. Jenna is currently in her 3rd year at Columbia University’s Physical Therapy Program. She is also a co-founder of the podcast, “Physiotherapy Performance Perspectives,” has an evidence-based monthly youtube series titled “Injury Prevention for Dancers,” is a NY SSIG Co-Founder, NYPTA Student Conclave 2017 Development Team, works with the NYPTA Greater New York Legislative Task Force and is the NYPTA Public Policy Committee Student Liaison. Jenna aspires to be a physical therapist for amateur and professional performers to help ensure long, healthy careers. To learn more, please check out her website: www.jennafkantor.wixsite.com/jkpt

 

Resources discussed on this show:

Roger Herr Twitter

 

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Have a great week and stay Healthy Wealthy and Smart!

 

Xo Karen