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Home News UT Medical Center Physical Therapist Appointed to Specialization Academy of Content Experts

UT Medical Center Physical Therapist Appointed to Specialization Academy of Content Experts

Published: Tuesday, January 2, 2007

The American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties (ABPTS) appointed Wes Franks, a Physical Therapist at The University of Tennessee Medical Center, to a two-year term with the prestigious Specialization Academy of Content Experts (SACE). The appointment means Franks, an eight-year employee at UT Medical Center, will serve as an item writer for the Orthopaedic Specialty Exam.

“This is quite an honor for Wes and for UT Medical Center,” said Ann Giffin, Vice President of the Brain and Spine Institute at UT Medical Center. “Wes is a very knowledgeable and talented physical therapist and certified orthopaedic clinical specialist. It’s clear by this appointment that he has demonstrated his expertise in the field to the ABPTS and we are proud of him because very few therapists throughout the country are selected to SACE.”

Early in 2007, Franks is scheduled to attend an item-writing workshop conducted by the National Board of Medical Examiners. The items written by Franks and his fellow SACE members will appear on the test administered nationwide to physical therapists seeking certification as orthopaedic clinical specialists.

“It’s humbling to be named to the academy,” Franks said. “I feel privileged that I will be able to contribute to my profession by adding input to the Orthopaedic Specialty Exam.”

Franks and his wife, Melanie, live in West Knoxville with their two-year-old son, Will. The family attends First Baptist Church in downtown Knoxville. In his spare time, Franks enjoys a hiking, climbing, cycling, fly fishing and several other outdoor sports.

The University of Tennessee Medical Center is a 581-bed, not-for-profit academic medical center, which serves as a referral center for Eastern Tennessee, Southeast Kentucky and Western North Carolina. The medical center, the region’s only Level I Trauma Center, is one of the largest employers in Knoxville. For more information about the University of Tennessee Medical Center, visit online at www.utmedicalcenter.org.