In a rare and prestigious visit, Dr. Justin Moore, CEO of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA), delivered an address at Briar Cliff University on Wednesday, April 23, to recognize the Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program for winning APTA’s 2024 Student Advocacy Challenge.
The address, held in the St. Francis Center at 1 p.m. on BCU’s campus, celebrated the efforts of the University’s DPT students who rose to the top of a national competition that included 335 Physical Therapy programs and 415 Physical Therapy Assistant programs. The annual competition encourages students in these respective programs to engage in advocacy efforts that promote the profession and influence policy.
“Among more than 300 [physical therapy] programs in the United States, Briar Cliff stands out as the top and model program in APTA,” Dr. Justin Moore said. “You guys were the underdogs and fought above your weight, but are also known nationally and we, at APTA, try to encourage other programs to do what you already do here.”
This year’s campaign was led by students Megan Driesen (‘24), Ashley German (‘25) and Tayler Wolfs (‘26), who coordinated advocacy initiatives and mobilized classmates with support from the DPT faculty. BCU’s students earned the top spot through sheer volume of advocacy activities, overcoming programs with significantly larger enrollment numbers. The victory ends Mercer University’s three-year winning streak.
“Our students have truly exemplified what it means to be advocates—not just for their future profession, but for the communities they’ll one day serve,” said Dr. Patrick Cross, Director of the Doctor of Physical Therapy program at Briar Cliff University. “To have Dr. Moore here in person, recognizing their commitment on a national stage, is an honor that reflects the heart and drive of this entire program.”
This visit marked one of the few times a guest speaker has presented the award in person, adding to the significance of the event. Dr. Moore has ties to Iowa as he graduated with a bachelor’s degree from Iowa State University and a master’s degree from the University of Iowa. Thus, he chose to make the trip to BCU in recognition of the students’ extraordinary efforts and success.