January 2010

The deadline for submitting nominations for the WCPT awards programme is now just 5 months away on 31st July 2010. The Awards Committee is seeking nominations from WCPT member organisations for the following awards: 

• Mildred Elson Award
• International Service Award
• Humanitarian Service Award
• Leadership in Rehabilitation Award

The awards programme recognises international leadership by individual physical therapists and groups who have made an exceptional contribution to the profession and/or global health. The recipients will be announced at the time of WCPT's General Meeting and Congress, World Physical Therapy 2011, in Amsterdam, Netherlands, June 2011. 

For further details and the nomination procedure for each of the award categories please visit the WCPT website at http://www.wcpt.org/awards. Individual physical therapists should contact their member organisation to put forward a nomination. Member organisations may request a nomination form by emailing info@wcpt.org.

If you are interested in submitting a proposal for the satellite programme education sessions for World Physical Therapy 2011, the deadline is 26 February 2010.  

The satellite programme is a new and innovative part of the WCPT Congress experience. It will be made up of education sessions and clinical visits and is designed to complement the scientific programme with a focus on applied knowledge and skills. It will offer the delegate the chance to listen to the latest research and practice advances while gaining practical experience.

For further information please go to www.wcpt.org/sat_prog.  For general information about the WCPT Congress visit www.wcpt.org/congress.

The call for abstracts for platform and poster presentations opened earlier this month and will close on 15th September 2010.

The European network for the promotion of health-enhancing physical activity (HEPA Europe) is a collaborative project which works for better health through physical activity among all people in the WHO European Region, by strengthening and supporting efforts to increase participation and improve the conditions for healthy lifestyles.
 
Their website includes materials and links that may be of interest to all physical therapists, not only in Europe, but across the world. These include reports on how to increase physical activity and how to promote it as a healthy means for sustainable transport. Relevant international events are also listed. Go to www.euro.who.int/hepa.

The Bone and Joint Decade (BJD) initiative has recently launched a survey of pain management for global self-help. They are seeking input from a variety of backgrounds and specialties, including physical therapists, about perceptions of self-help techniques to actively manage joint pain. To participate please go to http://www.bjdonline.org/default.aspx?contId=2060.

Following the 2009 Bone and Joint Decade Global Network Conference and Patient Advocacy Seminar, videos of speakers and their presentations are now available to view at http://www.bjdonline.org/default.aspx?contId=2075.

The goal of BJD is to improve the health-related quality of life for people with musculoskeletal disorders throughout the world. For further information please see the WCPT website at http://www.wcpt.org/node/27542#BJD.

Following the recent earthquake in Haiti, WCPT has published calls for volunteers on its website at www.wcpt.org/node/32997.
 
A selection of systematic reviews and their conclusions that aid agencies and others have reported as important at this time is available from The Cochrane Library on healthcare topics. These are signposts to systematic reviews that might be helpful to decision-making. www.cochrane.org/evidenceaid/haiti/index.html
 
All countries in Latin America and the Caribbean can access the Cochrane Library for free via the Virtual Health Library BIREME interface http://cochrane.bireme.br (in English, Spanish or Portuguese).

An article profiling the development of a physical therapy education programme in Suriname was recently published in the newsletter of Health Volunteers Overseas (HVO).

WCPT’s member organisation, the Surinamese physical therapy association, had worked for many years to establish an education programme and in 1998 Health Volunteers Overseas (HVO) was asked to help in the delivery of quality education by recruiting volunteers with the right expertise to match the needs of the academic programme. As a result, since 1999 there have been consistent improvements and growth of the profession in Suriname.

To read the full article please go to www.wcpt.org/node/29539.

WCPT joins physical therapists around the world in expressing sympathy to the family of Geoffrey Maitland who died on 22 January 2010. Geoffrey Maitland made an outstanding contribution to physical therapy over his long career and in 1995 he was awarded WCPT's highest honour, the Mildred Elson Award.

A full obituary will be available on 1st February from the Australian Physiotherapy Association, www.physiotherapy.asn.au.