Associate Professor of Physical Therapy John Heick, PT, PhD has been recognized with ‘James A. Gould Excellence in Teaching Orthopaedic Physical Therapy Award’ by the Academy of Orthopaedic Physical Therapy of the American Physical Therapy Association. This esteemed award recognizes and support excellence in instructing orthopedic physical therapy principles and techniques with exemplary teaching skills. Since Dr. Heick began his career at NAU in 2016 he has been prolific in his teaching and research endeavors in the area of orthopaedic physical therapy. Dr. Heick maintains an active research agenda in the area of orthopaedics with a more recent focus on medical screening and differential diagnosis in physical therapy. Dr. Heick will accept the award at the virtual APTA Combined Sections Meeting in February 2021.