Clarkson University Professor Stacey Zeigler has been awarded the LAMPlighter Award by the Health Policy & Administration Section of the American Physical Therapy Association.

Zeigler was honored with the award “in recognition of her leadership roles and experience in the profession of physical therapy,” according to a press release from Clarkson.

According to information from the HPA Section, the award recipient must “exemplify the spirit of leadership by ‘applying personal leadership skills in formal or informal leadership roles; changing culture, transforming organizations, and/or sparking innovation; and implementing methods to keep the spirit of leadership alive throughout the profession,’” the release said.

Zeigler has been involved with the professional association at the national level through committees, elected office, and volunteer service throughout her 20-year career. She has particular experience with the HPA Section as a faculty member and mentor for the section’s leadership, administration, management, and professionalism curriculum since 2000.

She also chaired the LAMP Strategic Planning Task Force in 2007 to further the section’s initiative in advancing leadership and business management skills in the profession. “These days, health care is in desperate need of good leaders, and our message is, you can lead from anywhere,” said Zeigler.

A member of the faculty at Clarkson University since 2003, Zeigler's primary teaching role has been in practice management and a variety of clinical areas of expertise.

“Most of my research involves geriatric-related topics like falls and compression fractures,” she says. “I get to work with a lot of other departments, such as engineering. It's nice to share perspectives and collaborate.”

One example of these collaborations involves a National Institute of Health grant-funded project on reducing injuries to senior citizens by using shoe sensors that can determine the risk of falls. “It is opportunities like these where I get to utilize my leadership skills to help improve the lives of others," says Zeigler.

In addition to her work at Clarkson, Zeigler owns her own private practice, providing in-home wellness and fitness for older adults.

“I am very honored to receive the LAMPlighter Award from the section and will continue to serve wherever I am needed most throughout my lifetime,” says Zeigler.

The award is being presented this week at the Combined Sections Meeting of the APTA in Anaheim, Calif.

Zeigler received her bachelor of science degree in physical therapy from Upstate Medical University in Syracuse, her master's degree in health administration and wellness promotion from California College for Health Sciences, and her doctorate in physical therapy from Simmons College.

She has been a licensed physical therapist since 1994, and a board-certified geriatric clinical specialist since 2002.