The National Academies of Practice (NAP) is the alliance of professionals collaborating to transform health and well-being. Founded in 1981, the National Academies of Practice advances interprofessional education, scholarship, research, practice, and public policy by educating and informing our members and others, facilitating collaborative scholarship and research opportunities, recruiting, engaging, retaining, and mentoring our network of members, and advocating the value of interprofessional practice and improve healthcare and policy for all.
The NAP Council and Executive Committee guide the strategic direction of the association with the mission of transforming interprofessional healthcare. At the 2025 Annual Meeting and Forum held in Washington, DC on March 13-15, NAP thanked the following officers and leaders whose leadership terms have come to conclusion for their dedicated service to the association and to interprofessional healthcare:
- Richard E. Weisbarth, OD, FAAO, FNAP (Immediate Past President)
- Laurel Daniels Abbruzzese, PT, EdD, FNAP (Vice President, Membership)
- Joanne M. Wisely, MA, CCC/SLP, ACE, FNAP (Vice President, Public Policy)
- Ericka Zimmerman, EdD, LAT, ATC, FNAP (Chair, Athletic Training Academy)
- Debra Abel, AuD, FNAP (Chair, Audiology Academy)
- David Itzkoff, DDS, FADPD, DABSCD, SFNAP (Chair-Elect, Dentistry Academy)
- Norma E. Conner, PhD, RN, FNAP (Chair, Nursing Academy)
- Stephanie Petrosky, DCN, MHA, RDN, FAND (Chair, Nutrition and Dietetics Academy)
- Felicia Chew, MS, OTR/L, FAOTA, FNAP (Chair, Occupational Therapy Academy)
- Richard Soden, OD, FAAO, CPC, FNAP (Chair, Optometry Academy)
- Hoai-An Truong, PharmD, MPH, FAPhA, FNAP (Chair, Pharmacy Academy)
- Kim Dunleavy, PT, PhD, OCS, FNAP (Chair, Physical Therapy Academy)
- Michael Allswede, DO, FNAP (Chair, Physician Academy)
- Catherine Grus, PhD, FNAP (Chair, Psychology Academy)
- D. Lynn Jackson, PhD, LCSW, ACSW, FNAP (Chair, Social Work Academy)
- John McCarthy, PhD, CCC-SLP, FNAP (Chair, Speech-Language Pathology Academy)
- Robert Murtaugh, DVM, MS, DACVIM, DACVECC, FCCM, FNAP (Chair, Veterinary Medicine Academy)
The following officers were confirmed as the 2025-2027 Executive Committee:
- Anthony Breitbach, PhD, ATC, FASAHP, FNAP (President)
- Andrea L. Pfeifle, EdD, PT, FNAP (Immediate Past President)
- Tricia Thomas, PhD, RN, FACHE, NEA-BC, ACNS-BC, CNL, FNAP (President-Elect)
- Victor Bray, MSC, PhD, FNAP (Secretary/Treasurer)
- John Conry, BS, PharmD, AAHIVP, FNAP (Vice President, Interprofessional Collaboration)
- Marc Taub, OD, MS, FAAO, FCOVD (Vice President, Membership)
- Juli Maxworthy, DNP, PhD(c), MSN, MBA, RN, CNL, CPHQ, CPPS, CHSE, FNAP, FSSH (Vice President, Partnerships and Networking)
- A. Lynn Williams, PhD, CCC-SLP, FASHA, BCS-CL, FNAP (Vice President, Professional Development)
- Teri Kennedy, PhD, MSW, ACSW, FGSA, FNAP (Vice President, Public Policy)
And the following academy leaders were welcomed to the NAP Council for 2025 (bolded names indicate new appointments):
- Sarah A. Manspeaker, PhD, LAT, ATC, FNAP (Chair, Athletic Training Academy)
- Laura Kunkel, EdD, LAT, ATC, PES, FNAP (Chair-Elect, Athletic Training Academy)
- Donna Smiley, PhD, CCC-A, ASHA-F (Chair, Audiology Academy)
- Thomas Tedeschi, AuD, FNAP (Chair-Elect, Audiology Academy)
- Geralyn Crain, DDS, PhD, FNAP (Chair, Dentistry Academy)
- Melanie Mayberry, DDS, MS-HCM, FNAP (Chair-Elect, Dentistry Academy)
- Kate Gawlik, DNP, APRN-CNP, FAANP, FNAP, FAAN (Chair, Nursing Academy)
- Martha Sexton, PhD, RN, FNAP (Chair-Elect, Nursing Academy)
- Kathrin Eliot, PhD, RDN/LD, FAND (Chair, Nutrition and Dietetics Academy)
- Teresa Wagner, DrPH, MS, CPH, RD/LD, CPPS, FNAP, CHWI, DipACLM, CHWC (Chair-Elect, Nutrition and Dietetics Academy)
- Sarah McKinnon, OT, OTD, OTR, BCPR, MPA, FAOTA, FNAP (Chair, Occupational Therapy Academy)
- Victoria Priganc, PhD, OTR, CHT, CLT, ECHM, FNAP (Chair-Elect, Occupational Therapy Academy)
- Heidi Wagner, OD, MPH, FAAO, Dipl. AAO, FNAP (Chair, Optometry Academy)
- Mark Nakano, OF, FNAP (Chair-Elect, Optometry Academy)
- Amber King, PharmD, BCPS, FNAP (Chair, Pharmacy Academy)
- Marie-Therese Oyalowo, BS, PharmD, BCOP, RN, FNAP (Chair-Elect, Pharmacy Academy)
- Chad Lairamore, PT, PhD, GCS, FNAP (Chair, Physical Therapy Academy)
- Kathy Lee Bishop, PT, DPT, FNAP (Chair-Elect, Physical Therapy Academy)
- Wendy S. Madigosky, MD, MSPH, FAAFP, FNAP (Chair, Physician Academy)
- Bradley Benson, MD, FNAP (Chair-Elect, Physician Academy)
- Robert Smith, DPM, MSc, SFNAP (Chair, Podiatric Medicine Academy)
- David Farmer, PhD, FNAP (Chair, Psychology Academy)
- April Wiechmann, PhD (Chair-Elect, Psychology Academy)
- Neil Maniar, PhD, MPH (Chair, Public Health Academy)
- Vani Patterson, MPH (Chair-Elect, Public Health Academy)
- Nancy Colletti, RRT, CPFT, FNAP (Chair, Respiratory Care Academy)
- Kimberly Clark, EdD, RRT, FNAP (Chair-Elect, Respiratory Care Academy)
- A. Suzanne Boyd, PhD, CMSW, ACSW (Chair, Social Work Academy)
- Kristen Reuter, LCSW-S, MSSW, CDP, CADDCT, FNAP (Chair-Elect, Social Work Academy)
- Ellayne Ganzfried, MS, CCC-SLP, ASHA-F (Chair, Speech-Language Pathology Academy)
- Lisa Milliken, MA, CCC-SLP, FNAP, CDP, RAC-CT, CADDCT (Chair-Elect, Speech-Language Pathology Academy)
- Heather Case, DVM, MPH, DACVPM, CAE, FNAP (Chair, Veterinary Medicine Academy)
- Jane Sykes, BVSc (Hons), PhD, MBA, MPH, Dipl. ACVIM (SAIM), FNAP (Chair-Elect, Veterinary Medicine Academy)
Each year at the National Academies of Practice (NAP) Annual Induction Banquet and Awards Ceremony, NAP bestows awards to truly deserving candidates who are nominated by their peers. This year’s awards were presented on March 15, 2025, during a gala at the Capital Hilton in Washington, DC.
The Creativity in Practice and Education Award was established to recognize and encourage interprofessional programs, projects, and models which focus on the improvement of healthcare. This year the recipient was the Raising Families Team at Kean University.
The Raising Families Project is a grant-funded initiative founded in April 2023 in the College of Health Professions and Human Services at Kean University. The mission of the program is to create a scalable, sustainable, caregiver-child support model, while building capacity of university students and licensed clinicians to equitably serve diverse populations.
The National Academies of Practice Interprofessional Group Recognition Award is presented to a group who has made enduring contributions to interprofessional practice and education. This year the award had two recipients: InterprofessionalResearch.Global (IPR.Global) and Joint Accreditation for Interprofessional Continuing Education™.
IPR.Global serves as the Global Network for Interprofessional Education and Collaborative Practice (IPECP) research. Its aim is to create a global community of IPECP researchers who generate, synthesize, disseminate, and apply high-quality evidence to inform policies and practices, addressing the Quintuple Aim: better health, care, value, work experience, and health equity.
Joint Accreditation for Interprofessional Continuing Education™ set the global standard for interprofessional continuing education (ICPE) designed by and for healthcare teams by embodying the principle: if we can practice together, we can learn together. Joint Accreditation offers organizations the unique opportunity to be simultaneously accredited to design and deliver ICPE for multiple professions through a single, unified application process and set of accreditation standards – making them the first and only program in the world to offer such a benefit.
The National Academies of Practice Patient Advocacy Award recognizes a patient or care partner whose lived experience transformed them, and, in turn, they are transforming healthcare to enhance the well-being of others. This year the award was bestowed upon Liz Salmi.
Liz Salmi’s work focuses on understanding the evolving dynamics of patient-clinician communication in an era of greater health information transparency. A punk rock drummer, Liz became an internationally recognized patient advocate, self-taught citizen researcher, and interprofessional educator after her cancer diagnosis at age 29. She is pioneering a new path for non-traditional patient investigators and those who seek to collaborate with them.
The Emerging Interprofessional National Academies of Practice Member of the Year Award was created to recognize an early to mid-career professional working in interprofessional care, serving as an exemplar, and demonstrating future promise in contributing to interprofessional practice and to our association. This year the award was presented to Arvie Vitente, PT, DPT, PhD, MPH, FNAP.
Dr. Arvie Vitente was inducted as a Distinguished Fellow in the Class of 2024 following two years as a Professional Member in the National Academies of Practice. He is an active member of the Physical Therapy Academy, co-founded the Online Journal Subcommittee of the Professional Development Committee, and serves as an editorial board member for the Journal of Interprofessional Education and Practice (JIEP). Dr. Vitente has repeatedly demonstrated his commitment to advancing interprofessional education and shows high promise as a dedicated contributor to NAP initiatives.
The Nicholas A. Cummings Highest Distinguished Fellow Award was created in honor of NAP’s founder and is bestowed upon a member of the National Academies of Practice who has demonstrated outstanding or extraordinary contributions to interprofessional healthcare. The 2025 Cummings Award was presented to Richard E. Weisbarth, OD, FAAO, FNAP.
Dr. Weisbarth is a highly respected leader in the field of optometry. He has dedicated his time and expertise to various charitable organizations, including Alcon’s Children’s Vision Center, the American Red Cross, and Trinity Habitat for Humanity. Recognized for his exceptional contributions to the profession, Dr. Weisbarth was elected as a Distinguished Fellow of the National Academies of Practice in 2004.
His visionary leadership was instrumental in transforming the National Academies of Practice (NAP) into a dynamic, interprofessional organization. He played a significant role in modernizing NAP’s structure, expanding membership, and establishing a new professional membership category that has broadened the organization’s reach and impact.
By fostering interprofessional collaboration and addressing critical issues such as justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion, Dr. Weisbarth has positioned NAP as a leading voice in interprofessional healthcare. His dedication to advancing interprofessional practice and improving patient care has left an enduring legacy on the organization.
New this year, was the Al Rundio Memorial Award for Outstanding Publication, named in honor of Dr. Al Rundio, a former Vice President of Scholarship for the National Academies of Practice and Co-Editor of the Journal of Interprofessional Education and Practice (JIEP), and Distinguished Fellow in the Nursing Academy. This award is intended to recognize significant contributions and impact made on interprofessional collaborative practice and/or education through innovative work published in JIEP. The inaugural award was presented posthumously to Albert Rundio, PhD, DNP, RN, APRN, NEA-BC, FNAP, FIAAN, FAAN.
Lastly, the National Academies of Practice Optometry Academy bestowed their distinguished James A. Boucher Award of Excellence. The award is presented to a member of the academy who has demonstrated exemplary contributions to the profession of optometry and the healthcare field and has upheld the mission of NAP to advance science and the concept of interdisciplinary healthcare. This year, the recipient of the award was Jeffrey L. Weaver, OD, MBA, MS, FAAO, FACHE.
About NAP
NAP is a non-profit organization founded in 1981 to advise governmental bodies on our healthcare system. Distinguished practitioners and scholars are elected by their peers from multiple different health professions to join the only interprofessional group of healthcare practitioners and scholars dedicated to supporting affordable, accessible, coordinated quality healthcare for all. NAP firmly believes that close collaboration and coordination of different healthcare professions, aligned through a common vision, can advocate for patients and model excellence in interprofessional and preventive care. NAP is dedicated to lifelong learning from, with, and among different healthcare professions to promote and preserve health and well-being for society.
Source: NAP
