HSU PT professors selected for APTA Humanitarian Award

(ABILENE, Tex.)–Hardin-Simmons University is proud to announce that Drs. Janelle and Dennis O’Connell, professors of physical therapy at HSU, have been selected to receive the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) Humanitarian Award. According to APTA’s website, the award’s purpose is to “distinguish association members whose demonstrated leadership and outstanding humanitarian volunteerism have improved the quality of life of individuals worldwide.”

Dr. Janelle O’Connell

As for recipients, the award seeks to honor “individuals who exemplify the compassionate nature of the physical therapy profession by actively expressing a commitment to humanity and exhibiting admirable degrees of selflessness in addressing key health concerns.”

The Humanitarian award has three main criteria for selection: extraordinary humanitarian services and volunteerism, the advancement of Physical Therapy, and establishment of legacy. The O’Connells have certainly demonstrated their eligibility for the award through all they have done in the past years.

Dr. Dennis O’Connell

Drs. Janelle and Dennis O’Connell have remained active members of the APTA since the 1990s. They have been instrumental in serving people far and wide in the past 20 years that they have been at HSU. The O’Connells started the HSU Physical Therapy ministries in 1999 and have led students on annual mission trips to serve citizens locally, state-wide, and abroad ever since. They have taken students to Mexico, Guatemala, South Texas, Haiti, Peru, and this year, Thailand.

Through their genuine care of and actions toward people in need, the O’Connells have exemplified the Hardin-Simmons PT program’s mission statement, “Preparing individuals who demonstrate excellence in the practice of physical therapy and are enlightened by Christian faith and values.”

The O’Connells with the group of students and faculty that brought care to Peru in 2017

Dr. Marsha Rutland, professor of physical therapy at Hardin-Simmons, is one of the many people who have nothing but good things to say about the O’Connells. In a letter she sent to the Humanitarian Award Committee to consider the O’Connells for the award, she wrote, “Because of Drs. Janelle and Dennis O’Connell, our students have learned how to serve others through their profession.”

The letter highlights the many excellent things the O’Connells have done within their field to help others. Just one of the many examples is the encouragement they have given to students to participate in the yearly project “Boots on the Ground” which helps people in the community who need ramps built for their homes. Concerning this special project, Rutland wrote, “It is truly amazing to see the individuals affected by the changes in mobility provided by our faculty and students.”

The award was presented by APTA’s Board of Trustees during the APTA NEXT conference and exposition in Chicago this week. The O’Connells will also be recognized in an official announcement that will appear in an association publication.