Board of Directors

Dr. Greathouse is currently the director of Clinical Electrophysiology Services, Texas Physical Therapy Specialists, New Braunfels, Texas and adjunct professor, US Army-Baylor University Doctoral Program in Physical Therapy, Fort Sam Houston, Texas.  Dr. Greathouse holds a BA in biology and physical education from Marshall University, a Certificate in Physical Therapy from the D.T. Watson School of Physiatrics, and an MS (Education/Physical Therapy) and PhD (Anatomy) from the University of Kentucky.  Dr. Greathouse is also a Diplomate, American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties. From 1970-1996, Dr. Greathouse served in the United States Army attaining the rank of Colonel.  Colonel Greathouse had clinical assignments at Walter Reed Army Medical Center (staff therapist), Washington, DC; Irwin Army Community Hospital (assistant chief), Fort Riley, Kansas; Brooke Army Medical Center (staff therapist), Fort Sam Houston, Texas; and 196th Station Hospital (chief PT), Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE), Mons, Belgium.  From 1985-1990, Dr. Greathouse was the director, US Army-Baylor University Graduate Program in Physical Therapy, Fort Sam Houston, Texas.  From 1990-1993, Colonel Greathouse served as chief, Physical Therapist Section, Office of The Surgeon General, Falls Church, Virginia; and from 1993-1996, he was chief, Army Medical Specialist Corps, Office of The Surgeon General, Falls Church, Virginia. From 1996-2005, Dr. Greathouse served as the founding chair and associate dean of the Belmont University School of Physical Therapy, Nashville, Tennessee.  During this time, he also was an adjunct professor, Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine where he was a member of the anatomy team teaching gross anatomy to first-year medical students.  Dr. Greathouse also was a clinical electrophysiologist (EMG/NCS) in the Neurology Clinic, Blanchfield Army Community Hospital, Fort Campbell, Kentucky. Dr. Greathouse is currently the President of the Board of Directors and a member of the Editorial Review Board of the Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy (JOSPT).  He is a member of the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties (ABPTS) and a commissioner on the Commission of Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE) for the APTA.  Dr. Greathouse has published over 40 manuscripts and 7 book chapters/monologues, and has given over 70 professional presentations.  In addition, he is a manuscript reviewer for Physical Therapy Journal and Clinical Anatomy.  Dr. Greathouse is a past chair of the ABPTS, past member of the Research Advisory Committee (RAC) and Scientific Review Committee (SRC) for the Foundation for Physical Therapy, and a former associate editor for JOSPT.  He was a recipient of the Clinical Electrophysiology Section (APTA) Award of Excellence in 1999.  Dr. Greathouse was named a Catherine Worthingham Fellow of the APTA in 2006.

Mr. Blackburn earned his BS in Education and MEd in Guidance and Counseling as well as his National Athletic Trainers Association Board of Certification at the University of Virginia as well as his National Athletic Trainers Association Board of Certification. The Medical College of Virginia awarded his physical therapy degree. Mr. Blackburn worked nearly 2 decades at the Hughston Sports Medicine Center at the Human Performance and Rehabilitation Center/Rehabilitation Services of Columbus in Columbus, Georgia. He is a founding member of the Berkshire Institute Orthopedic and Sports Medicine, Teton Physical Therapy, and the North American Sports Medicine Institute. Mr. Blackburn has served as past president, treasurer, and secretary of the Sports Physical Therapy Section of the American Physical Therapy Association, and as interim president of the Georgia State Board of Physical Therapy in 1993. He is a member of the American College of Sports Medicine and the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine. Mr. Blackburn serves on the Board of Directors for the Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy as vice president. A highlight in Mr. Blackburn's sports medicine career was serving on the sports medicine team at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta at the Sports Center and Track and Field. Mr. Blackburn also served 7 years as executive director and adjunct professor at the Tulane Institute of Sports Medicine in New Orleans. He is currently vice president of Corporate Development for Clemson Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation and clinic director of SportsPlus Physical Therapy of Manchester, Georgia. He serves as adjunct professor at the University of St. Augustine. Mr. Blackburn has lectured nationally and internationally on shoulder, knee, foot and ankle pathology and has constructed orthotics for over 20 years. He received SPTS's top award in 1994, the Ron Peyton Award, and has since been honored by SPTS for his long-time support of the Section with the creation of the "Turner A. Blackburn Lifetime Achievement Award."

Dr. Godges is currently the ICF Project Coordinator for the Orthopaedic Section of the APTA, Inc., and adjunct associate professor of clinical physical therapy in the Division of Biokinesiology & Physical Therapy at the University of Southern California. Previously, Dr. Godges was an associate professor at Loma Linda University and coordinator of the physical therapy clinical residency and fellowship programs for Kaiser Permanente in southern California. He received his MPT from the U.S. Army-Baylor University Program in Physical therapy, his MA in Counseling Psychology from Loyola Marymount University, and his DPT from Loma Linda University. He was among the first group of 26 clinical specialists in orthopaedic physical therapy, certified in 1989. Dr. Godges has instructed numerous educational seminars and has authored numerous publications related to orthopaedic physical therapy clinical practice. He has served on the Orthopaedic Specialty Council as the test item bank manager for the orthopaedic physical therapy specialist certification examination, on the APTA's initial Committee on Clinical Residency and Fellowship Credentialing, on the Orthopaedic Section's Board of Directors as Treasurer. He began his current term as a Board of Director of JOSPT in February 2008.

Dr. Appling has been a member of the faculty at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis since 1992 where she is now an Associate Professor of Physical Therapy.  Very active in the American Physical Therapy Association, she served as Editor of the APTA Orthopaedic Section's Orthopaedic Physical Therapy Practice for 6 years.

Dr. Ritter's career as a Physical Therapist began in 1967 with a direct commission in the United States Army.  Twenty years later, he had served in a variety of medical treatment facilities from very small community hospitals to large medical centers, and from Japan and Germany to Washington, Alaska, California, New York, Oklahoma, and Texas. From 1987-2001, Dr. Ritter was in private practice either as an associate, an owner/partner, or a clinic director in the San Francisco Bay area.  In 2001, he joined the Faculty Practice, Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science, School of Medicine at the University of California San Francisco, where he holds an appointment as assistant clinical professor. Active participation as a clinical educator has been important throughout Dr. Ritter's career. Over time and in various locations, he has worked with students from 25 educational programs. In addition to clinical teaching for second-year MSPT students, he is a clinical mentor for the Mentored Practice course in the UCSF postprofessional DPT program. Dr. Ritter has been active in many American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) components as he moved around the country.  He has served in elected and appointed positions at the District and Chapter levels in Alaska, Oklahoma, and California.  From 1997-2002, he served 2 terms as Director and 1 term as Secretary, California Physical Therapy Association (CPTA). He was elected again to the CPTA Board of Directors for a 2-year term in 2006. Additionally, he has been a CA Chapter Delegate to the APTA House of Delegates for more than 10 years. A member since the beginning of the APTA's Orthopaedic Section, Dr. Ritter has served on the Nominating Committee as member and chair, and on the Orthopaedic Specialty Council as a member (1988-91) and chair (1991-93). He was co-editor of Orthopaedic Physical Therapy, A Description of Advanced Clinical Practice, which was published in 1994. In 1996 he received the Paris Distinguished Service Award from the Orthopaedic Section. He is also a member of the Sports Physical Therapy Section and an associate member of AAOMPT. On the national level, Dr. Ritter has worked with the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties as a member of the Orthopaedic Specialty Council and served as a practice parameters reviewer.  He was the Keynote Speaker at APTA's 2002 Combined Sections Meeting.  From 2001-2004, he served as member and  then Chair (2003) of the Advisory Panel on Practice to the APTA Board of Directors. Also from 2001-2004, Dr. Ritter served on the Orthopaedic Subcommittee for screening proposals for the annual Physical Therapy Meeting and Exposition.  Currently, he serves on the Examination Development Committee-PT of the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy. Dr. Ritter was recently appointed to the Board of Directors for the Journal of Orthopaedic and Sports Physical Therapy. Dr. Ritter received a BS in Physical Therapy from Marquette University in 1967, an MA in Human Resources Management from Pepperdine University in 1981, and a DPT from the University of California, San Francisco in 2005.  He became a Board Certified Clinical Specialist in Orthopaedic Physical Therapy in 2000.  He was recognized by the Marquette PT Alumni Association with the Distinguished Alumnus Award in 1997.

  Dr. Beattie received his BS degree from Quinnipiac College, his MS degree in Orthopedic Physical Therapy from the Medical College of Virginia, and his PhD in Exercise Science from the University of New Mexico. He has been a physical therapist since 1975 and has been Board Certified in Orthopedic Physical Therapy since 1988. Dr. Beattie is currently a clinical associate professor in the Doctoral Program in Physical Therapy, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina and in the Department of Anatomy, School of Medicine, University of South Carolina.  He has numerous publications on a variety of topics, including impairment of the lumbar spine, lumbar magnetic resonance imaging, patient satisfaction with care and clinical measurement. Dr. Beattie has been a member and chair of the Research Advisory Board for the APTA and a member of the Research Committee for the Orthopedic Section of the APTA. He has been an editorial board member for JOSPT for many years and joined the Board of Directors in 2007.

Dr. Chmielewski is associate professor, Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation, and assistant professor, Department of Physical Therapy University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida. She earned her bachelor's degree in health science and her master's degree in physical therapy from the College of St. Scholastica in Duluth, MN. Dr. Chmielewski completed her doctorate in biomechanics and movement science at the University of Delaware. She also completed a Sports Clinical Fellowship with the Sports Physical Therapy Section of the American Physical Therapy Association. Dr. Chmielewski is a member of the Sports and Orthopaedic Sections of the APTA and has been a reviewer for the Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy for the past 5 years and a member of the Editorial Review Board for 2 years. She is also a researcher and an author and her work has been published in several journals, including JOSPT.