HPU Awards and Honors: October 2026

Dr. Tyler Shultz, president of the American Physical Therapy Association of North Carolin (APTA NC), presented Deema Sader, a Doctor of Physical Therapy student at High Point University, with two scholarships during the association’s conference on Oct. 9-10. HPU hosted the two-day conference.

HIGH POINT, N.C., Oct. 26, 2026 – High Point University students, faculty and staff recently completed service projects and received the following academic and professional awards.

Doctor of Physical Therapy Student, Faculty Members Receive APTA NC Awards

The American Physical Therapy Association of North Carolina (APTA NC) presented an HPU Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) student with two scholarships and recognized two faculty members for significant contributions to the physical therapy profession during its annual conference on Oct. 9-10. HPU hosted the two-day conference in the Congdon School of Health Sciences.

Dr. David R. Sinacore, a professor in HPU’s Department of Physical Therapy, received the APTA NC Founders’ Lecturer Award, the highest honor bestowed by the state association. The award recognizes physical therapists who have made an extraordinary impact on the field through their visionary leadership.

Dr. Lance M. Mabry, an assistant professor, was awarded the Darlene M. Sekerak Legislative Award. This honor recognizes a physical therapist who has made a substantial impact on legislative issues facing the physical therapy profession and their patients.

Deema Sader, a second-year DPT student who is also pursuing a Master of Business Administration degree, won APTA NC’s Diversity Student Scholarship in recognition of her leadership, service, advocacy and other efforts to advance diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) within the PT profession. Winners will serve on the DEI committee during the following year.

Sader also won the APTA NC EmergeOrtho Leadership Excellence Student Scholarship, which recognizes a PT or physical therapist assistant (PTA) student who demonstrates leadership through scholastic achievement in a PT/PTA program and at the local, regional, national and/or international association levels. Winners will serve on the Student Scholarship Committee for the following year.

“Receiving these two scholarships is such an honor, and I am incredibly grateful to be recognized by APTA NC,” said Sader, who is from Cary, North Carolina. “It means a lot to have my hard work, leadership and involvement in the physical therapy profession recognized at the state level. I’m excited to continue growing as a future physical therapist and finding ways to make a positive impact on the profession and the communities I serve.”

The APTA NC award that Sinacore received recognizes members whose dedication, leadership and mentorship have produced contributions of exceptional and enduring value to the PT profession. Sinacore’s more than four decades in PT have been marked by scholarship, leadership, mentorship and clinical impact. His research has addressed diabetic foot pathology, diabetic arthropathy (joint disease), frailty, sarcopenia (the gradual loss of muscle, mass, strength and physical function with age), rehabilitation science and chronic disease management. He has produced more than 130 peer-reviewed manuscripts, given more than 200 peer-reviewed presentations and received more than 19,000 citations.

Since joining HPU in 2018, Sinacore has made mentorship a central part of his work. He has advised 70 DPT students and mentored 52 students through 23 peer-reviewed presentations while serving as a senior author on four peer-reviewed publications involving North Carolina DPT student authors.

Mabry’s advocacy has produced significant engagement at both the state and federal levels. He organized 120 HPU participants for APTA NC Advocacy Day in Raleigh, North Carolina, and subsequently organized student outreach to legislators. His efforts were credited with the adoption of spinal manipulation into the North Carolina Physical Therapy Practice Act. He has also brought legislators into the classroom and organized federal advocacy events involving members of Congress while mentoring students in legislative tours and policy discussions.

Mabry has been particularly active in advancing PT authority to refer for diagnostic imaging. He developed a database examining imaging guidance across all 50 states and the District of Columbia, work that helped facilitate imaging prescriptive authority efforts in 19 states and D.C.

Stout School of Education Dean Selected for Innovation Leadership Council 

Dr. Amy Holcombe, dean of HPU’s Stout School of Education, has been selected from more than 400 education leaders across North Carolina to serve on the state’s Innovation Leadership Council (ILC).

In September, the Council brought together leaders from K–12 schools, higher education and the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) to identify and advance innovative, evidence-based practices with the potential to strengthen education statewide.

“At High Point University, we are committed to shaping the future of K–12 education through innovation, collaboration and strong partnerships with school districts across North Carolina,” Holcombe said. “I am honored to serve on the Innovation Leadership Council and help advance promising practices that strengthen schools, empower educators and create greater opportunities for students statewide.”

As the only dean on this council, Holcombe will help evaluate promising innovations, foster collaboration across educational sectors and identify strategies for bringing successful practices to schools and communities across the state. She will also contribute to recommendations and insights that inform NCDPI leadership, the State Board of Education and implementation of the state’s Achieving Educational Excellence Strategic Plan.

Through this work, Holcombe will contribute a higher education perspective to statewide efforts focused on improving learning, teaching, leadership, student support and educational outcomes for North Carolina students.

In addition, Guilford County Schools recently hosted its Celebration of Excellence. Both the Teacher of the Year and the Rookie Teacher of the Year are Stout School of Education graduates.

Suzanne Imperiale, a Class of 2020 special education alumna who teaches at Gateway Education Center in Greensboro, North Carolina, was named the county’s Teacher of the Year.

Braydyn Smith, who earned her bachelor’s degree in elementary education in 2025 and her Master of Education in elementary education in 2026, was named the county’s Rookie of the Year. She teaches at Shadybrook Elementary School in High Point.

Vice President Named to Alma Mater’s Hall of Fame

Dr. Doug Hall, HPU’s vice president of career and professional development, was inducted into the Indiana University Kokomo Alumni Hall of Fame as part of its

Homecoming festivities on Oct. 1. He was recognized for his professional accomplishments, community service and contributions to the Kokomo campus.

Hall has more than 20 years of higher education experience in recruitment, retention, training and career development. He has been part of the HPU community for more than a decade and has served as an instructor in the Nido R. Qubein School of Communication.

He described this honor and recognition by his alma mater as both humbling and deeply meaningful.

“IU Kokomo gave me a second chance at the collegiate experience and surrounded me with faculty and staff who believed in my potential and cared about my growth,” Hall said. “It was there that I discovered a calling to higher education and a passion for investing in the lives of others. That experience helped shape the trajectory of my career and continues to inspire my life’s work of serving students and professionals, opening doors of opportunity and helping others move closer to their purpose.”

Hall earned his Bachelor of Arts in communication from IU Kokomo.