The 18 seasoned physical therapy educators who have honed their knowledge and skills over the past year through the APTA Education Leadership Institute (ELI) Fellowship program know they've been a part of something special. Apparently, the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) agrees—it named the program as a recipient of a national award for leadership and innovation.

The graduates of the program in July were the eighth cohort of fellows from ELI, a program that provides developing and aspiring program directors in physical therapist and physical therapist assistant education programs with the skills and resources they need to be innovative, influential, and visionary leaders.

The final in-person gathering was held at APTA headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia, and capped off a yearlong program that included:

• 9 online modules provided by content expert faculty;
• 3 2-day face-to-face mentorship sessions and ongoing mentorship provided by experienced physical therapy program directors;
• mentorship provided by higher education leaders; and
• implementation of a personal leadership plan and an institution-based leadership project.

This year, program faculty and participants learned that the program has earned an ASAE "Power of A" Silver Award for its leadership in "advancing society and improving the economy." The Power of A awards, according to ASAE, bestow "the highest recognition an association can receive for any program they conduct with their members."

Partners who help promote and support the ELI Fellowship include the American Physical Therapy Association, American Council of Academic Physical Therapy, Academy of Physical Therapy Education, and PTA Educators Special Interest Group. Find out more about the ELI Fellowship on APTA's website. Questions about the program? Contact eli@apta.org.

The program was first accredited in 2012 by the American Board of Physical Therapy Residency and Fellowship Education (ABPTRFE), the accrediting body for postprofessional residency and fellowship programs in physical therapy, and it was reaccredited in 2017 for a 10-year period.

This year's ELI fellows were the 8th cohort in the award-winning program.