John Lowman, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the UAB Department of Physical Therapy, was elected chair of the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties July 1, 2012. ABPTS is an 11-member board that oversees the eight board-certified clinical specialties in physical therapy.
“I was honored to receive the confidence of my peers and to be elected chair of ABPTS,” Lowman said. “I look forward to this new role in helping guide the growth of specialization in physical therapy while maintaining high standards in the application and examination process.”
More than 11,000 individuals have been certified through ABPTS. As chair, Lowman will help develop minimum requirements for certification and recertification to be used across all specialties and approval of specialty-specific requirements developed by specialty councils. The board also approves certification and recertification of qualified candidates.
Lowman joined UAB’s Department of Physical Therapy faculty in 2005. He is a board-certified specialist in cardiovascular and pulmonary physical therapy. He is an associate member of the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy and former chair of the exam-development committee. Lowman also is an invited member of the European Cystic Fibrosis Society’s Exercise Working Group, a global consortium working on exercise testing and prescription guidelines for persons with cystic fibrosis.