National Leadership Excellence Award
AMRPA National Leadership Excellence Award
The purpose of the AMRPA National Leadership Excellence Award is to confer association-wide recognition on individuals who have exemplified outstanding service and made significant contributions to the field of medical rehabilitation. These accomplishments should contribute to the advancement of the medical rehabilitation field as a whole, as opposed to benefiting only an individual’s institution. Individuals who are nominated for the AMRPA National Leadership Excellence Award should demonstrate leadership, integrity, vision, dedication, and excellence in the field of medical rehabilitation in two or more of the following areas:
- Transformative leadership
- Professional excellence
- Life-long service in the field
- Advocacy at the local and national level
- Mentorship of future leaders
- Improved patient outcomes
- Research and critical analysis
- Education and advancement of the field
- Contribution of time and energy to improve the quality of patient care
Congratulations to AMRPA’s 2025 National Leadership Excellence Award Recepient
Gary Armstrong, President and Chief Financial Officer, Methodist Rehabilitation Center
For nearly five decades at Methodist Rehabilitation Center, Gary Armstrong has exemplified the leadership, integrity, and dedication that the AMRPA National Leadership Excellence Award was designed to honor. He has made lasting contributions not only to his institution, but to the medical rehabilitation field at large—shaping policy, advancing access to care, and leading through transformation. Gary currently serves as President and Chief Financial Officer for Methodist Rehab, but Gary’s leadership goes beyond financial expertise and operational insight — he brings a deep sense of commitment and care to everything he does.Â
He has been a long-respected voice in the national rehabilitation community, serving on the board of the American Medical Rehabilitation Providers Association and as President of the Fund for Access to Inpatient Rehabilitation, or FAIR Fund. He has championed access to high-quality inpatient rehabilitation care on a national scale, providing steady leadership to challenge restrictive Medicare policies and resolve systemic barriers that impact providers and patients across the country.
