Posted:Wednesday, August 27, 2025
Congratulations to Massage Therapy Foundation Trustee/Scientific Officer Dr. Niki Munk on receiving the 2025 American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA) Distinguished Service Award! The award was presented by AMTA President Cindy Farrar at the Opening Session of 2025 AMTA National Convention in Dallas, TX.
The AMTA Distinguished Service Award is given annually to honor someone who has contributed to the massage therapy profession in an outstanding manner and to acknowledge diligent volunteerism done in an altruistic manner.
Dr. Niki Munk is Chair and Associate Professor of Health Sciences in Indiana University’s School of Health & Human Sciences in Indianapolis, a long-term Massage Therapy Foundation Trustee (since 2018) and volunteer (since 2012), a non-practicing Kentucky licensed massage therapist, and founding steering committee member for the Indiana Consortium for Integrative Medicine and Health. Niki worked as Program Director and instructor for the Lexington Healing Arts Academy (Kentucky) from 2002-2006. Discouraged by accessibility barriers to massage therapy faced by much of the population, she chose research and academia to help bridge the accessibility gap reasoning that stronger evidence for the field will lead to increased routine 3rd party coverage for massage treatment. After completing her doctorate in gerontology from the University of Kentucky in 2011, Niki has developed a robust research career focused on real-world massage therapy for chronic pain and associated factors including emotional well-being, trigger point self-care, and accessibility challenges to massage. She served as co-investigator on the Veterans Health Administration-funded TOMCATT study which examined care-ally assisted and therapist-provided massage for veterans with chronic neck pain.
Niki’s expertise and interests span several domains including that of non-pharmacological treatment clinicians, end users, care providers, and researchers. Her service efforts focus on massage clinician research engagement and developing the massage field into a sustainable and viable career while improving treatment accessibility and utilization for all people.
“Dr. Munk’s research has provided valuable insights into massage therapy’s role in addressing chronic pain and improving the quality of life for clients. A recognized leader in the profession, her contributions continue to support the advancement of massage therapy,” said AMTA President Cindy Farrar.
Kudos to Dr. Munk on this well-deserved accomplishment!