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Abstract
Most sincere congratulations to Dr Carole Lewis on being selected to deliver the prestigious 47th Mary McMillan Lecture, as published in the October 2016 issue of Physical Therapy. 1 A founding member of the Section on Geriatrics (now the Academy of Geriatric Physical Therapy, or AGPT) of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA), Lewis has long been an exemplar of enthusiasm, advocacy, and state-of-the-art clinical practice to provide high-quality physical therapy for older adults. In keeping with the intent of the PHA, the AGPT subsequently used PHA's multidisciplinary competencies document as the framework for the development and publication of the physical therapist-specific Essential Competencies in the Care of Older Adults at the Completion of the Entry-level Physical Therapist Professional Program of Study.4 This document was completed in 2011 and was followed in 2014 by the parallel document for the physical therapist assistant.5 These documents, which have an emphasis on best evidence and evidence-based practice, can be used to guide curriculum development and to suggest specific content for courses and clinical education experiences related to working with older adults. A major goal of this issue was to provide a forum for academic and clinical faculty, and clinical practitioners, to share educational strategies, approaches, and experiences related to the aforementioned AGPT competency documents for physical therapists and physical therapist assistants.





