The annual Nancy Low Choy Memorial Award for Academic Excellence has been introduced to Bond University. It will be given to the top-performing student graduating with a Doctor of Physiotherapy degree from Bond University on the Gold Coast. Named after the late Professor Low Choy, who was the Head of Physiotherapy at the university from 2008 to 2013, It includes a Nancy Low Choy medal, a certificate, and a cash prize of $1000.

Professor Choy contributed significantly to developing the university's Doctor of Physiotherapy program and was crucial in negotiating the final accreditation of Australia's first fully accredited Doctor of Physiotherapy degree.

Professor Choy's influence on the physiotherapy industry in Australia is profound. In an era when physiotherapists were not recognised as first-contact medical professionals, and patients required a doctor's referral to consult one, Professor Choy's ground-breaking initiatives to make physiotherapists universally accessible led her to a distinguished position at Bond University.

Emeritus Professor Darryl Low Choy, husband of the late Professor Choy, shared his thoughts on her remarkable journey:

“It was the first degree of its kind in Australia, it was a controversial proposal and there was pushback within the educational world against that approach”, he said.

“So, Nancy was under immense pressure, not only to revamp the school with this program at its core, but also to convince the hierarchy of the profession to formally acknowledge the qualifications of the graduates”.

“I frequently receive emails from students that came into contact with Nancy, and the most common sentiment is that their time with Nancy at Bond changed their life”, remarks Professor Low Choy.