ACRM PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS

ACRM: Rebirth and RenewalSteven R. Hinderer, MD

ABSTRACT. Hinderer SH. ACRM: rebirth and renewal.Arch Phys Med Rehabil 2001;82:147-8

© 2001 by the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medi-cine and the American Academy of Physical Medicine andRehabilitation

WHEN I WAS MOVING from the University of Wash-ington, where I had completed my physical medicine and

rehabilitation residency training and research fellowship, mymentors cautioned me that it would take at least a year in mynew location to set up the resources I would need to continuethe research I had begun. I knowingly nodded in agreement,while secretly assuring myself that I could get up and runningat my new institution much sooner. It turns out that the time-frame predicted by my mentors was more accurate than myown.

Interestingly, but not surprisingly, moving a professionalorganization from one management group to another requires asimilar period of adjustment before the “real” business of theorganization can be pursued. Many of you will recall that theBoard of Governors of the American Congress of Rehabilita-tion Medicine (ACRM) decided just over a year ago to shareoffice space and a management team with the Association ofAcademic Physiatrists. Consequently, much time and effort in2000 were spent putting the necessary resources in place tomove ACRM forward. Such decisions are seldom easy and aresometimes controversial. Yet, unless we make wise decisionsthat lay a solid foundation for future growth, our longevity maybe jeopardized. This may mean that we have to give up somethings we covet for the time being to ensure survival. I expe-rienced such a choice personally 2 days ago.

I enjoy golfing, and my wife knows how tortured I wouldhave been coming to Hilton Head, had I been unable to play,owing to my responsibilities at this conference. Wisely, shesuggested that we arrive a few days early to enjoy the areaamenities. I was golfing on a local course that contained anumber of water holes. On 1 such hole, I hit a shot of which Iwas not particularly proud. It careened off of a tree and landedalong the edge of a pond. As I approached my ball, there on thebank a few feet away from it was a 6-foot alligator sunningitself. Now, there is some additional information you need tounderstand. I was using a new golf ball, and I hate to lose golfballs. So I decided to stare down this creature, which has abrain no bigger than my coveted golf ball, hoping to intimidateit into slipping quietly back into the water. It of course was notimpressed with this tactic. As I contemplated more directmethods of recovering my ball, my cerebral cortices fortu-nately kicked in. Defiantly, I threw another golf ball down onthe ground just far enough away to be able to make a quickexit, should the alligator that had yet to move decide it wantedsomething more edible. I hit my next shot and moved on,leaving my scaly friend and shiny new golf ball behind. I know

that another golfer came along that afternoon and saw a newgolf ball lay out in the open with no one (or creature) around,and wondered why some fool left it there. But such is the waythings often occur in life and leadership positions. We make thebest decision we can with the information we have at the time,and are then second guessed afterward by others.

At this point, I am pleased to announce to you that theACRM is now financially stable, hence we no longer need tofocus primarily on survival, as we did a year ago. A solidfoundation has been laid to enable us to move forward with theCongress’s mission and strategic plan.

Well-coordinated efforts between the Board of Governors,ACRM staff, and ACRM committee chairs have ensured asmooth transition. At the annual meeting, the Board reviewedand approved committee assignments for fiscal year 2001 aspart of the strategic plan. I wish President-elect Martin Graboiswell in further implementation of the strategic plan.

THE YEAR IN RETROSPECTThe year 2000 has been one of transition. Let me highlight

some of ACRM’s accomplishments during this time.

Financial PositionSince August 31, 1999, when our current management group

assumed operational responsibility of ACRM, our net assetstotaled $148,139 and ACRM had $86,243 in cash. Since then,both ACRM’s net assets and cash position have doubled.

In 2000, the Board also passed a balanced budget, and weexpect to meet budget expectations, in contrast to the previous3 years when ACRM sustained unanticipated, substantiallosses.

MembershipACRM’s membership base has stabilized. A new database

was designed and tested for data integrity. New member aswell as academic and corporate brochures and campaigns havebeen initiated. ACRM members’ addresses are being updatedregularly withArchives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilita-tion to ensure uninterrupted delivery of the journal. All indi-viduals who no longer have current memberships have beendeactivated in the system. And a monthly billing process wasestablished for annual dues statements.

Website DevelopmentsInternal listserver capabilities were added for use by the

Board and committees. For the first time, ACRM used anonline registration form for the annual conference. A similaronline membership application was also created. Another firstwas the online call for nominations for election to the Board ofGovernors and ACRM awards. Finally, Internet hyperlinks tothe Archives and to other rehabilitation professional organiza-tions were added.

Publications

ConcerningArchives, ACRM’s executive director success-fully negotiated with WB Saunders and the American Acad-emy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (AAPM&R) toset up a system of direct royalty payments to the Congress.

From the Rehabilitation Institute of Michigan, Detroit, MI.Reprint requests to Steven R. Hinderer, MD, Rehabilitation Institute of Michigan,

Detroit, MI 48201, e-mail:Shindere@dmc.org.0003-9993/01/8202-6647$35.00/0doi:10.1053/apmr.2001.22205

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Arch Phys Med Rehabil Vol 82, February 2001

Earlier this year, ACRM’s Archives Management Committeealso participated in hiring the new managing editor, MichaelVasko. ACRM is also proud to announce that the Brain InjuryInterdisciplinary Special Interest Group’s (BI-ISIG) review ofstandards for cognitive rehabilitation was accepted (after inde-pendent peer review) and published in the December 2000issue of Archives. By the way, beginning in January 2001,current ACRM members will have free online access, throughArchive’s website, to full text in PDF format. Fully searchable,members will be able to review current as well as back issuesof the journal.

Strategic PlanningA strategic planning session of the Board of Governors was

held in Washington, DC, on May 21–22, 2000, which wasfacilitated by Jean Frankel of Tecker Consultants, Inc. Furtherrefinement of this plan was conducted by the Board during theannual meeting.

Linkages to Washington-Based AgenciesACRM staff has also been active forging and rekindling

relationships with important organizations in the field of reha-bilitation medicine. The National Center for Medical Rehabil-itation Research (NCMRR) fellowship program offered in thepast to ACRM was reactivated. Carol A. Sheredos, MA, PT,was selected by NCMRR as ACRM’s fellowship recipient.Moreover, the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilita-tion Research supported its research fellows who presentedpapers at ACRM’s annual meeting. And, for the first time inseveral years, ACRM sent representatives to the AAPM&R’sannual Health Policy and Legislation Committee meeting.

Brain Injury ISIGACRM also sent staff representation to the mid-year BI-ISIG

meeting in New Jersey, which resulted in an increase in braininjury course time allocations at this year’s annual meeting. Tome, this is an example of how the Board and staff can be moreresponsive to member needs.

Although this is not an inclusive list, it provides some sensethat many important initiatives have been successfully imple-mented or are actively underway.

THE FUTUREI read from ACRM’s mission statement to refresh memories:

The mission is to “promote the development of multidisci-plinary leadership and practice innovation for efficacious reha-bilitation management of chronic disease and disability . . . .”That sounds altruistic, but what does it really mean? Let meclarify citing the mission statement, which provides further

insights. To this end, the ACRM will “seek the involvement ofrehabilitation professionals, including clinicians, senior levelservice managers, administrators, educators, and researchers.We will call upon the leaders in rehabilitation to identifycurrent best practices and best providers at all levels of care.”

You need only look around to realize that ACRM membersare applied scientists, clinicians, administrators, and researchfunders. You need to seize the opportunity to promote collab-orative efforts with your interdisciplinary colleagues to en-hance your work and interest areas.

Second, ACRM will facilitate the integration of knowledgeand experience toward the common mission of developing andvalidating medical rehabilitation theory, science, practice, andpolicy. We all have reasons why such development and vali-dation are important to us. Facilitation is an obvious function ofthe annual meeting, but we must go beyond getting togetheronce annually to share our knowledge and expertise. We needinnovative, energized members to serve on committees, taskforces, and within networking groups to help them grow andemulate the success of the BI-ISIG. We need leaders to stepforward to facilitate the development of additional networkinggroups. We need to develop mechanisms to continue collabo-ration throughout the year. We need more members to sharetheir expertise by submitting course proposals for presentationat the annual meeting. The Membership Committee has pro-posed establishing list groups for each of the networking andISIG groups to facilitate ongoing communication. To be in-cluded on appropriate lists, it is important for ACRM membersto inform staff of your current email addresses and to identifythose networking list groups to which you want to belong.

Third, ACRM will advocate continued improvement forquality of life and functional freedom for individuals withchronic disease and disability. This is really the bottom line,isn’t it? If our research does not lead to these outcomes, thenwe are barking up the wrong tree with the theory, science,practice, and policies we have chosen.

So I again reiterate: Where do we go from here? To me, theanswer is very clear. The common theme that weaves throughACRM’s mission statement is the enormous importance ofeach member and meeting participant. There is an incrediblewealth of talent within the Congress as a whole. I have everyconfidence that ACRM will achieve its lofty goals given yourtime and commitment to the process.

Your Board of Governors has supplied the template for thissuccess, but it cannot do it alone or with only limited membersupport. Each of you has unique contributions and vital roles toplay in accomplishing these goals. Take time now to rekindlethe passionate fire to make ACRM all that each of us need andwant it to be!

148 ACRM: REBIRTH AND RENEWAL, Hinderer

Arch Phys Med Rehabil Vol 82, February 2001