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Submissions due by October 31, 2025

Purpose

The Educational Programming and Innovation Committee (EPIC) facilitates educational and professional development opportunities for ACAPT members and the physical therapy education community. EPIC designs, oversees, and supports programming that advances academic excellence and innovation, in alignment with ACAPT’s strategic priorities and the Excellence Framework.

Composition

The committee is composed of approximately ten members and seeks broad representation across geographic regions, program types, and practice settings. 

Ex-officio liaisons include:

• An ACAPT Board of Directors member
• An ACAPT Staff member

To ensure diverse engagement and equitable opportunities, no individual serving on EPIC may concurrently serve on another ACAPT institute, committee, or commission.

Membership and Terms

• Leadership: Each individual appointed serves a total of three consecutive years. 
  • Year 1: Vice Chair and ELC Co-Chair
  • Year 2: Chair and ELC Co-Chair
  • Year 3: Past Chair

  This leadership structure ensures continuity, mentorship, and smooth transitions.

• Committee Members: Serve two-year terms with a maximum of two consecutive terms.
  
  Staggered committee member terms are maintained to ensure diversity of perspectives and ongoing committee renewal.

Leadership Structure and Succession

• Chair and Vice Chair: Appointed by the Board of Directors from ACAPT member institutions in good standing and must be an ACAPT representative.
• Past Chair: Serves as a resource for continuity, providing historical knowledge and guidance.
• Leadership Pipeline: Together, the Vice Chair, Chair, and Past Chair ensure knowledge continuity, mentorship, and smooth transitions.
• ELC Co-Chairs: The EPIC Chair and Vice Chair also serve as two of the three co-chairs for the Educational Leadership Conference (ELC).
• Succession Planning: Outgoing leaders will mentor their successors, and future leaders are drawn from an open call to the ACAPT membership.

Selection Process

• Committee Members (general seats)
  • Open call: anyone from an ACAPT member institution can apply.
  • Eligibility: applicants do not need to be the ACAPT representative.
  • Selection: EPIC forms a subcommittee to review applications and make recommendations to the full committee.
  • Final appointment: confirmed at the committee level
• EPIC Leadership (Vice Chair, Chair, Past Chair)
  • Each year, ACAPT issues an open call for Vice Chair applications.
  • The ACAPT Board of Directors reviews applicants and appoints the Vice Chair.
  • Once appointed, the individual serves three consecutive years in the leadership pipeline:
    • Year 1: Vice Chair
    • Year 2: Chair
    • Year 3: Past Chair
  o Eligibility: appointees must be from ACAPT member institutions in good standing and typically serve as the ACAPT representative.
  o Succession: outgoing leaders mentor successors

Commitee Organization and Assignments

EPIC members are assigned to targeted areas that align with ACAPT’s strategic plan, Excellence Framework, and operational priorities. Assignments are designed to support both the creation of new content and the maintenance of existing resources.

• New Content Responsibilities:
  • Pre-Conference programming for the annual Education Leadership Conference (ELC).
  • Initiatives identified as unique or emerging needs in physical therapy education.

• Existing Content Responsibilities:
  • Scheduled review of existing educational products (e.g., courses, webinars, documents, online tools, and guidelines) as assigned by ACAPT staff liaison.
  • Coordination of revisions or updates with ACAPT staff as needed.

Responsibilities

. Educational Leadership Conference (ELC)
• Chair, Vice Chair, and one EPIC member serve as the ELC co-chairs, overseeing conference programming in partnership with the Academy of Education.
• Ensure smooth transitions by mentoring incoming co-chairs and documenting best practices.
b. Institutes, Commissions & Committees
• Assign one EPIC member as a liaison to each of ACAPT’s Institutes, Commissions, and Committees
c. Resource Management
• Collaborate with ACAPT staff to evaluate existing educational products for ongoing relevance and value.
• Recommend and coordinate revisions on programming as necessary.
• Implement a systematic review cycle for all resources every three to five years.
d. Committee Chair and Vice Chair Responsibilities
• Lead monthly EPIC meetings
• Collaborate with ACAPT staff to develop plans and timelines for educational programming.
• Ensure programming alignment with ACAPT’s Strategic Plan and Excellence Framework.
• Submit written reports on committee initiatives and outcomes as requested by the Board of Directors.

Evaluation

The Board of Directors evaluates EPIC’s work annually to assess impact, ensure accountability, and to support the professional development of committee members