Board of Directors nominees
2024 Nominees
AACPDM Board of Directors
Second Vice President: Kristie Bjornson, PT, MS, PhD
Kristie Bjornson, PT, MS, PhD is a professor of pediatrics at Developmental Medicine, Pediatrics, Adjunct Research Professor, Rehabilitation Medicine at the University of Washington, and Seattle Children’s Hospital Research Institute. Dr. Bjornson attended physical therapy school at the University of Minnesota. She obtained her Master’s in Rehabilitation Science and PhD in Nursing Science at the University of Washington. She completed a NIH K23 post-doctoral career development award. Clinically, she has over 45 years of clinical experience in settings such as the NICU, public schools, birth-to-three centers, and Seattle Children’s Hospital. Dr Bjornson currently practices privately one day week in a combined orthotist/PT outpatient clinic focused on precision orthotic management.
Dr Bjornson’s research program has included the assessment of community walking activity, health, and quality of life in ambulatory children with cerebral palsy (CP). Clinical trial experience includes the randomized trial and meta-analysis of selective dorsal rhizotomy and botulinum toxin-A injection therapy as well as early safety trials for intrathecal baclofen. Current NIH research addresses power training combined with treadmill training, a home-based treadmill training and testing of the Ankle-Foot Orthoses Footwear Combination (AFO-FC) orthotic management approach in ambulatory children and youth with CP.
Dr. Bjornson has been an active member and presenter at AACPDM since 1987. She has served on a number of committees and taskforces, including Adapted Sports and Recreation (1992-95, Chair 1994); Nominating (1995-96); Research Awards (1995-97, 2013-18); Membership (1995-99, Chair 1998); Research (2007-11); Scientific Review Committee (2014, 2020). Dr Bjornson was Scientific Program Co-Chair for the 2010 Annual Meeting. She served as a director on the board (1999-2004, 2019-2022) and as an Officer-Secretary (2003-2007).
In addition to her work with AACPDM, Dr. Bjornson has been active in the American Physical Therapy Association, Academy of Pediatric Physical Therapy serving on the program and research committees. She serves on the research advisory committee for United Cerebral Palsy and is part time scientific director of the Cerebral Palsy Research Network.
Secretary-Elect: Angela Shierk, PhD, OTR
Angela Shierk, PhD, OTR is a Senior Clinical Scientist at Scottish Rite for Children and an Assistant Professor at the University of Texas Southwestern in the Department of Applied Clinical Research in Dallas, TX. Dr. Shierk completed her PhD at Texas Woman’s University in Occupational Therapy. Her research focuses on exploring the effectiveness of therapeutic interventions to improve upper limb use and independence in youth with cerebral palsy including constraint-induced movement therapy augmented with virtual reality, the implementation of constraint-induced movement therapy using a caregiver coaching model for young children with cerebral palsy, and the implementation of goal-directed home programs.
Dr. Shierk has been a member of AACPDM since 2018 and currently serves on the research committee. In addition, she is an active member of the Texas Occupational Therapy Association serving as a continuing education reviewer, the American Occupational Therapy Association serving as the Quarterly Editor of the Children and Youth Special Interest Section, and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke Common Data Elements for Cerebral Palsy Oversight Committee.
Treasurer-Elect: Michael Healy, MD
Dr. Michael Healy is a pediatric orthopedic surgeon at Gillette Children’s and an Associate Professor of Orthopedic Surgery at the University of Minnesota. He is currently the Joint Preservation Program Director at Gillette where he also devotes a great deal of time to neuromuscular orthopedics and is an active member of the multi-disciplinary spasticity evaluation team.
Dr. Healy earned his medical degree from the University of Minnesota before completing an orthopedic residency at the University of Connecticut. He returned to the Twin Cities for fellowship training in pediatric orthopedics through the combined Gillette/University of Minnesota program. During that fellowship he became proficient in clinical gait analysis which is regularly applied in his practice today.
His commitment to serving children with childhood onset disabilities has been further demonstrated through several years of mission medical work, most recently in Honduras and for many years before that in Quito, Ecuador as part of a program started by his friend and mentor, AACPDM past president Dr. Jim Gage.
After joining the AACPDM as a student member during residency, he has remained active in the organization by serving on the education and membership committees, serving as chair of both before becoming a member of the nominating committee. He is also a member of the Pediatric Orthopedic Society of North America and the American Academy of Orthopedics.
Director at Large: Caitlin Cassidy, MD
Dr. Caitlin Cassidy is an Associate Professor in the Departments of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation and Paediatrics at Western University in London, Ontario, Canada. She obtained an Honours Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology at McMaster University (2005) followed by her Doctor of Medicine at the University of Ottawa (2009). She completed her residency training in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Western University in 2014 and also received her CSCN Diplomate in EMG from the Canadian Society of Clinical Neurophysiologists in 2014.
Dr. Cassidy’s main clinical and research focus is the long term rehabilitative care of adolescents and adults with childhood onset disability. She established and continues to serve as the Medical Director of the Transitional and Lifelong Care (TLC) Program at Parkwood Institute in London, Ontario in 2015, which employs an interdisciplinary approach to people with CP, Spina Bifida, Developmental Disabilities and other similar conditions of childhood onset.
Dr. Cassidy became a member of the AACPDM while still in her residency. She was a member of the Lifespan committee and also served as its chair (2021-2022). During her time on that committee, she played an active role in the founding of the Adult and Aging Special Interest Group and served as its leader until last year.
Director at Large: Gavin Colquitt, EdD
Dr. Gavin Colquitt is the Executive Director of the Appalachian Institute for Health and Wellness at Appalachian State University's Beaver College of Health Sciences. Previously, Dr. Colquitt served as an adapted physical education teacher in public schools. He then became a professor of Kinesiology at Georgia Southern University, where he taught courses in adapted physical activity. He founded and served as the Executive Director of the Center for Rehabilitation and Independent Living, a community-engaged research center. Additionally, he has established multiple community-based programs focusing on recreation, sport, and physical activity for children with disabilities. Dr. Colquitt has also served on advisory boards such as Blaze Sports International. His work has received funding from various sources, including national organizations like the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the state of Georgia, and Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina.
A member of the American Academy for Cerebral Palsy and Developmental Medicine (AACPDM) since 2015, Dr. Colquitt has served multiple years on the Adapted Sport and Recreation Committee, including as chair. He is also a co-founder of the Georgia Alliance for Cerebral Palsy.
Director at Large: Stacey Miller, BScPT, MRSc
Stacey Miller is a Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Physical Therapy and an Associate Member with the Department of Orthopaedics at the University of British Columbia. She has a Bachelor of Science in Physical Therapy, a Masters in Rehabilitation Science, and is currently completing PhD studies in Rehabilitation Sciences, all through the University of British Columbia.
Stacey has worked as a physiotherapist at BC Children’s Hospital since 2004, focusing on the orthopaedic management of children with cerebral palsy since 2009. Currently, she coordinates the province’s hip surveillance program, the first province or state wide hip surveillance program for children with cerebral palsy in North America. Stacey’s research interests are related to the orthopaedic and physiotherapy management of children with motor impairments. She has published multiple studies on hip displacement and surveillance in children with cerebral palsy and similar conditions.
Stacey has been an active member of the Academy since 2014 having served on the Care Pathways Committee from 2017 – 2022 (Chair 2020) and Care Pathways Council from 2022 to present (Chair 2023). In her role with the Care Pathways Council, Stacey has been an ex-officio member of the Board of Directors (2023) and Publications Committee (2023-present). She has also served on the Scientific Review Committee (2021) and Nominating Committee (2022).