Deborah Backus, PT, PhD, FACRM
ACRM Past President; Vice President of Research & Innovation, Shepherd Center
I’m Debbie Backus. I’m immediate past president of ACRM. I’ve been a member since 2004, and I keep coming back because ACRM is my professional home. It’s where I come to fill my cup up, to get reinvigorated — reinspired and ready to take on the challenges and healthcare and research all over again.
ACRM is the place where I can be with my colleagues who are researchers, who are administrators, who are clinicians, all dedicated to rehab medicine and pushing the field forward.
One of the community areas at ACRM that I started was the Neurodegenerative Diseases Networking Group. We help develop content for the conference all related to multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, ALS, Alzheimer’s disease, Huntington’s disease — really trying to find ways that we can help these people. So we need you to submit your content, your research, your clinical programs — all the things that you would want people to know to provide the best care for people with neurodegenerative diseases.
"One of the best things about ACRM is that it offers you an opportunity to get your work out there. You can come and you can present to other people like yourself, the other clinicians, other researchers."
One of the best things about ACRM is that it offers you an opportunity to get your work out there. You can come and you can present to other people like yourself, the other clinicians, other researchers.
We have policy makers, we have the people from CMS, all the people that you want to influence about your work. You can also start to develop your leadership skills. You can become a leader in any of our community groups, which will also help you to grow your resume, your CV. There are loads of great leadership opportunities at ACRM.
Okay. And if I seem like I’m yelling, it’s because we’re having this wonderful social event. And that’s another part of ACRM that I love, is that everybody here loves to see each other — loves to network with each other. We look for these opportunities to just relax and be together because we’re all committed to the same mission.
"We have policy makers, we have the people from CMS, all the people that you want to influence about your work. You can also start to develop your leadership skills."
ACRM is in Atlanta this year. We’re celebrating 100 years. Be here and celebrate with us. Come to Atlanta, see our city. See the wonderful institutions and come see me at Shepherd Center.
We’d love to have you visit, see our programs for people with spinal cord injury, brain injury, multiple sclerosis. Come meet our colleagues at Georgia Tech, Emory University. Come to #ACRM2023 and celebrate PM&R & the ACRM centennial with us.