CHCS - Perspectives Summer/Fall 2017

34 Nova Southeastern University Physical Therapy Fort Lauderdale Distinguished Graduate Receives CHCS Alumni Award WILLIAM J. HANNEY, D.P.T., Ph.D., a 2012 alumnus, received the College of Health Care Sciences (CHCS) Distinguished Alumni Award—the highest and most prestigious honor NSU bestows upon its graduates. Hanney was selected for the award based on his prolific research, service, and teaching accomplishments. An athletic trainer and physical therapist, Hanney earned a Master of Physical Therapy degree and a Transitional Doctor of Physical Therapy degree from the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences in 1999 and 2004, respectively. In 2012, he completed his Ph.D. in physical therapy at NSU. In addition to his formal education, he holds a certification in manual physical therapy and is a certified strength-and-conditioning specialist through the National Strength and Conditioning Association. An assistant professor in the University of Central Florida’s Doctor of Physical Therapy Program, Hanney has received numerous awards from the University of Central Florida, including the 2016 Excellence in Teaching Award and the 2016 Excellence in Research Award. From a funding perspective, he was the recipient of the American Physical Therapy Associ- ation’s Orthopaedic Section Young Investigator Grant and the New York State Physical Therapy Association Grant, as well as various intramural awards, which amount to nearly $300,000 of funding to support his research. “Hanney has the unique ability to successfully manage mul- tiple projects and bring what often seem to be impossible tasks to completion,” said Morey J. Kolber, Ph.D., PT, OCS, CSCS, who serves as a professor in the Physical Therapy Department. “It is an honor and a privilege to work with such a motivated and knowledgeable professional.” His primary area of research aims to improve accuracy of the physical examination, as well as advance conservative treatment approaches for spinal disorders. Hanney’s work has established reliability and validity of measurement tools used in everyday clinical practice. “The reliability and validity of our testing is vital to clinical practice, as treatment choices are based on the accuracy of the examination,” he said. His interventional studies have focused primarily on identify- ing prognostic variables, which allow clinicians to determine if a course of treatment is likely to be effective a priori . The American Physical Therapy Association Orthopaedic Section awarded funding for his research on prognostic variables for cervical spine interventions. A longtime proponent of selecting interventions based on the patient presentation as opposed to the clinician’s defined interest area, Hanney said, “There is significant inconsistency in how physical therapists treat patients, which contributes to inconsistent outcomes and increased health care expendi- tures.” With this in mind, Hanney’s secondary area of research focuses on using a variety of research methodologies to standardize physical therapy practice. He has published numerous manuscripts that summarize existing knowledge and propose practice standards in the context of narrative reviews, systematic reviews, case studies, and commentaries. Hanney’s research has attempted to address an array of diag- noses treated by physical therapists, with a specific purpose of standardizing clinical practice based on best available evidence, to facilitate optimal care and decrease health care costs. The New York Physical Therapy Association funded his recent study, “Utilization and Payments of Office-Based