Global Physio Podcast

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In today’s episode, the co-hosts interview Hilary Crowley who is a physiotherapist and an author. Hilary published a travel memoir entitled “Mini Saga in South Africa” about a year that she spent working around South Africa in the 1960s. This was during apartheid which started in 1948 and continued until 1994. Her experiences there led her to follow a career in paediatrics and overseas development work. It also formed the base of her interest in politics. Her previous books include Footsteps to Freedom, which covers 25 years of experiences volunteering in a community based rehabilitation program in rural south India, and Health in the Himalaya.

Resources:

– Hilary’s previous episode on the podcast: GP017: Overseas Development with Hilary Crowley

– Hilary’s website: https://hilarycrowleyauthor.ca/

– Footsteps to Freedom

– Health in the Himalaya

– Mini Saga in South Africa

– Health Volunteers Overseas

– Samuha Overseas Development Association (SODA)

Contact Us:

– Website: globalphysio.ca

– E-mail: globalphysiopodcast@gmail.com

– Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/globalphysiopodcast/

– Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/globalphysiopodcast

– Twitter: https://twitter.com/globalptpodcast

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This episode, we are lucky to have Colleen, Margaret, Kirsten and Denise, who are all a part of the Community Rehab Program in Northern Ontario, Canada, share their experiences on the program. Community rehabilitation workers in this program are local Indigenous community members trained in providing rehabilitation to support Elders in their community. We talk about the Indigenous communities where this program takes place, the challenges in delivering rehab services in rural Ontario, and some important considerations when designing health programs for Indigenous communities.

Resources:

– Møller H, Baxter R, Denton A, French E, Hill ME, Klarner T, Nothing GW, Quequish M, Rae J, Reinikka K, Strickland S, Taylor D. Outcomes from a collaborative project developing and evaluating a community rehabilitation worker program for Northwestern Ontario First Nations. Rural Remote Health. 2023 Jul;23(3):7809. doi: 10.22605/RRH7809. Epub 2023 Jul 11. PMID: 37429740.

Contact Us:

– Website: globalphysio.ca

– E-mail: globalphysiopodcast@gmail.com

– Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/globalphysiopodcast/

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– Twitter: https://twitter.com/globalptpodcast

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Today’s episode is Part 2 of a two-part series featuring Tracy Blake (she/her). The only daughter of Trinidadian immigrants, Tracy and her youngest brother were raised in the multi-cultural, multi-ethnic, multi-faith, working class neighbourhood of Rexdale in Toronto, on the traditional territory of many nations, including the Anishinabeg, Haudenosaunee, Chippewa, and Huron-Wendat peoples, as well as the Mississaugas of the Credit. Her 17-year clinical career includes providing acute inpatient care in the largest hospital system in Canada, community care to diverse populations ages 6 to 86 in private practice, field event coverage to athletes from over 25 sports at over 40 local, provincial, national, and international events, and whatever-was-needed as a personal support worker and case consultant in long term care facilities during COVID. Her curiosity, creativity, and commitment to professional dream-chasing has resulted in an unconventional career path that has meandered through a post-professional degree in Manipulative Therapy from Western University and a doctorate from the University of Calgary. It has included founding a section of the highest ranking sport medicine journal in the world as a junior editor, co-authoring the most recent iteration of the Canadian physiotherapy education accreditation standards, advocating for the inclusion of physiotherapists in athlete rights based policy innovation at the United Nations, and launching the Canada Games Sport Physiotherapy Leadership Program.

Resources:

– West SW, Clubb J, Blake TA, et al. Big data. Big potential. Big problems? BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine 2024;10:e001994. doi: 10.1136/bmjsem-2024-001994

– Refugee Olympic Team Manizha Talash https://olympics.com/en/athletes/manizha-talash

– Chapelle Roan’s post: https://www.instagram.com/chappellroan/p/C_CGxsrP4Bc/?hl=en&img_index=1.

Contact Us:

– Website: globalphysio.ca

– E-mail: globalphysiopodcast@gmail.com

– Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/globalphysiopodcast/

– Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/globalphysiopodcast

– Twitter: https://twitter.com/globalptpodcast

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Today’s episode is Part 1 of a two-part series featuring Tracy Blake (she/her). The only daughter of Trinidadian immigrants, Tracy and her youngest brother were raised in the multi-cultural, multi-ethnic, multi-faith, working class neighbourhood of Rexdale in Toronto, on the traditional territory of many nations, including the Anishinabeg, Haudenosaunee, Chippewa, and Huron-Wendat peoples, as well as the Mississaugas of the Credit. Her 17-year clinical career includes providing acute inpatient care in the largest hospital system in Canada, community care to diverse populations ages 6 to 86 in private practice, field event coverage to athletes from over 25 sports at over 40 local, provincial, national, and international events, and whatever-was-needed as a personal support worker and case consultant in long term care facilities during COVID. Her curiosity, creativity, and commitment to professional dream-chasing has resulted in an unconventional career path that has meandered through a post-professional degree in Manipulative Therapy from Western University and a doctorate from the University of Calgary. It has included founding a section of the highest ranking sport medicine journal in the world as a junior editor, co-authoring the most recent iteration of the Canadian physiotherapy education accreditation standards, advocating for the inclusion of physiotherapists in athlete rights based policy innovation at the United Nations, and launching the Canada Games Sport Physiotherapy Leadership Program.

Resources:

– Jones, C P. Levels of Racism: A Theoretic Framework and a Gardener’s Tale.  https://ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/pdf/10.2105/AJPH.90.8.1212

– Dhir J, Blake T, Cleaver S, Smith-Turchyn J, Miller P, Smith M, Udarbe Han M, Gasparelli K, Wojkowski S. The Search for Justice: Developing a Collaborative Understanding of Health Justice in Physiotherapy. Physiother Can. 2022 Aug 24;74(3):227-229. doi: 10.3138/ptc-74-3-gee. PMID: 37325207; PMCID: PMC10262822.

– Aranas K et al. Entry-To-Practice Competency Expectations for Health Justice in Physiotherapy Curricula: A Scoping Review. https://utpjournals.press/doi/abs/10.3138/ptc-2023-0039

– Blake T. In the fight for racial justice, the sidelines are no longer an option. Br J Sports Med. 2020 Nov;54(21):1245-1246. doi: 10.1136/bjsports-2020-102894. Epub 2020 Jul 30. PMID: 32732258.

– Helms, J. E. (2017). The Challenge of Making Whiteness Visible: Reactions to Four Whiteness Articles. The Counseling Psychologist, 45(5), 717-726. https://doi.org/10.1177/0011000017718943

– Barnes, S. (2022). American Dreams: Smart sleep, high-tech beds, and the National Football League. International Review for the Sociology of Sport, 57(1), 164-180. https://doi.org/10.1177/1012690221991778

– Bekker S, Ahmed OH, Bakare U, Blake TA, Brooks AM, Davenport TE, Mendonça LM, Fortington LV, Himawan M, Kemp JL, Litzy K, Loh RF, MacDonald J, McKay CD, Mosler AB, Mountjoy M, Pederson A, Stefan MI, Stokes E, Vassallo AJ, Whittaker JL. We need to talk about manels: the problem of implicit gender bias in sport and exercise medicine. Br J Sports Med. 2018 Oct;52(20):1287-1289. doi: 10.1136/bjsports-2018-099084. Epub 2018 Mar 17. PMID: 29550755.

– Dear Epidemiology – https://pantograph-punch.com/posts/dear-epidemiology

– Mismatch: How Inclusion Shapes Design by Kat Holmes: https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262539487/mismatch/

– MLSE Change the Game Report: https://www.mlsefoundation.org/change-the-game-research-project

– Centre for Sport and Human Rights: https://www.sporthumanrights.org/

– Dr. Ahmed Ali Quote: https://x.com/DrAhmednurAli/status/1383169230699433985

– Verhagen E, Oliveira F, Ahmed OH, Anderson N, Badenhorst M, Bekker S, Belavy DL, Blake T, Cao C, Carrard J, Chen L, Cheng SWM, Edouard P, Harwood A, Hendricks S, Hespanhol L, Kearney R, Keohane D, Magnani R, Mah D, Mavros Y, McLeary N, Memon AR, Moholdt T, Morais Azevedo A, Nauta J, Nicol G, Noorbhai H, Ogbonmwan I, Owen PJ, Panagodage Perera N, Reiman M, Resende R, Robinson DG, Rojas-Valverde D, Sewry N, Statuta S, van Nassau F, West L, Wheeler PC, Xiao T, Pandya T. Let us introduce ourselves, #WeAreBOSEM. BMJ Open Sport Exerc Med. 2021 Jun 30;7(2):e001171. doi: 10.1136/bmjsem-2021-001171. PMID: 34262787; PMCID: PMC8246350.

Contact Us:

– Website: globalphysio.ca

– E-mail: globalphysiopodcast@gmail.com

– Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/globalphysiopodcast/

– Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/globalphysiopodcast

– Twitter: https://twitter.com/globalptpodcast

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Today’s episode focuses on the fascinating career of Jennifer Allen, a Canadian-trained physiotherapist who is a former Chair of the Global Health Division of the Canadian Physiotherapy Association. Jennifer has practiced and taught physiotherapy all over the world. Jennifer discusses her experience at World Physiotherapy Congress in Dubai in June 2023 and emerging roles for physiotherapists in the Canadian Red Cross Emergency Response Units.

Resources:

– International Centre for Disability and Rehabilitation (ICDR)

– Jen Allen’s episode on The Project Health Wellness and Psychology Podcast

– Canadian Red Cross Emergency Response Unit (ERU)

– Experiences of Canadian Physiotherapists on the Canadian Red Cross Emergency Response Unit (ERU) Roster: Part I by Jennifer Allen

– Experiences of Canadian Physiotherapists on the Canadian Red Cross Emergency Response Unit (ERU) Register Part II: World Health Organization Emergency Medical Team Rehabilitation Network & Community of Practice by Marie Gedeon

– Qatar Rehabilitation Therapy Student Association (QRTSA)

– World Physiotherapy Congress

– Global Health Division of the Canadian Physiotherapy Association

Contact Us:

– Website: globalphysio.ca

– E-mail: globalphysiopodcast@gmail.com

– Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/globalphysiopodcast/

– Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/globalphysiopodcast

– Twitter: https://twitter.com/globalptpodcast

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Today’s episode, we have Alex Heilmann, a Masters student at UBC, studying Community Planning. He is from Boston originally and moved to Vancouver to study Planning, particularly Transportation Planning. His work and projects relate to transitioning cities away from car dependency. We cover a range of topics on how urban planning and city design impacts health, not just physical health, but social capital and environmental health.

Resources:

– War on Cars: https://thewaroncars.org/
– Strong Towns: https://www.strongtowns.org/podcasts
– Happy Cities by Charles Montgomery
– The Death and Life of Great American Cities by Jane Jacobs

Contact Us:

– Website: globalphysio.ca
– E-mail: globalphysiopodcast@gmail.com
– Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/globalphysiopodcast/
– Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/globalphysiopodcast
– Twitter: https://twitter.com/globalptpodcast

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We, the podcast co-hosts, dedicated this episode to reflecting on how things have been going since the Global Physio Podcast relaunch in 2023. We express our gratitude for the many guests who have come onto the podcast. We discuss the successes as well as the challenges and lessons learned with the podcast. We talk about the ways we’ve changed as people and clinicians, and share some of the content we’ve been immersed in as of late. Stay tuned, there is a lot of great content coming up in 2024!

Resources:

– The End of Physiotherapy by Dave Nicholls: https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/mono/10.4324/9781315561868/end-physiotherapy-david-nicholls

– Afrobeats artist Ayra Starr: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3ZpEKRjHaHANcpk10u6Ntq?si=LwzTQVdDQJaD7_6s8Ij7Og

– Ten Percent Happier Podcast: https://www.tenpercent.com/podcast

– Susan Czyzo: https://groundedphysiotherapy.ca/

– Environmental Physiotherapy Association Blog: https://environmentalphysio.com/blog/

– Paradoxa E-Blast: https://paradoxa.substack.com/

– Walkable City by Jeff Speck: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250857989/walkablecitytenthanniversaryedition

– Ma and Me by Putsata Reang: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9780374720056/maandme

– The World for Sale by Javier Blas and Jack Farchy: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-world-for-sale-9780197651537?cc=ca&lang=en&

Contact Us:

– Website: globalphysio.ca
– E-mail: globalphysiopodcast@gmail.com
– Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/globalphysiopodcast/
– Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/globalphysiopodcast
– Twitter: https://twitter.com/globalptpodcast

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In this podcast episode, we speak with Bahareh Alexandra Hejazi about her experience and insights about her time spent in Italy, Palestine and Uganda. Despite international work offering many exciting prospects for health professionals and potential to create positive change across the globe, it is important to speak about the uncomfortable truths and complexities involved.

Alex speaks candidly about the impact of power and privilege associated with professionals from the Global North, the often under-considered consequences and disruptions we cause to local communities with our “good intentions”, and suggestions she has for clinicians interested in working globally.

We hope this episode catalyses conversations for those who are considering international work, and even those who are currently engaging in this realm, to critically examine their work, projects and organizations. Does the work empower the agency of local communities to create systemic change? Or does it continue to perpetuate the narrative that “West Is Best”?

Alex qualified as a physiotherapist in 2014 in London, UK. She was working in London, both in hospital and community settings until 2018 when she moved to Canada. As a student she did elective placements in Italy and Palestine, which truly ignited her drive to ensure accessible and quality healthcare for all. During a sabbatical leave, she lived in Uganda for five months where she volunteered at a centre for children with disabilities. This experience opened her eyes to some of the power inequalities in the healthcare profession between high and middle/low-income countries that can be perpetuated by volunteering. Her volunteer experience is something she often reflects on and has guided her journey as a physiotherapist since. She now works in two communities in Eeyou Istchee, Cree First Nation territory in what is also known as northern Quebec. She is very passionate about her job and working with people to provide healthcare that is guided and led by what the community needs and wants.

Resources:

– Alex’s piece on “The Trouble of Good Intentions” with World Economic Forums: https://www.weforum.org/agenda/authors/alexandra-hejazi/

Contact Us:

– Website: globalphysio.ca
– E-mail: globalphysiopodcast@gmail.com
– Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/globalphysiopodcast/
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– Twitter: https://twitter.com/globalptpodcast

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Sara Abassbhay completed her Bachelor of Sciences in Rehabilitation and her Master of Sciences (applied) in Physical Therapy at McGill University in Montreal, Canada. Her career has taken her all over the world and she has practiced as a physiotherapist in Singapore, Ghana, and Canada. More recently, she was working in the Yukon Territory in northern Canada and on a Mercy Ship near Sierra Leone. Sara has also dipped her toe in animal rehabilitation. And this year, she will begin her PhD in the Faculty of Health and Environmental Sciences at AUT in Auckland, New Zealand.

In addition to talking about Sara’s fascinating career in global health, we talk about burnout amongst physiotherapists and how this connects with the limitations of the Western biomedical model. Sara encourages physiotherapists to question the framework that we practice within and highlights the importance of getting uncomfortable. We discuss the value of creating novel work-models and the challenges that come with that.

Resources:

– McGill Global Health Rehabilitation Initiative Podcast

– Mercy Ships

Contact Us:

– Website: globalphysio.ca
– E-mail: globalphysiopodcast@gmail.com
– Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/globalphysiopodcast/
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– Twitter: https://twitter.com/globalptpodcast

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While our profession has been female-dominated for most, if not all, of its history, leadership positions are disproportionately occupied by men. In addition, there are significant gender inequities with regard to the global unmet needs of rehabilitation. Women accounted for just over half of the 2.4 billion people worldwide living with conditions that would benefit from rehabilitation services according to data from the Global Burden of Disease Study conducted in 2019. So, why aren’t we talking more about gender equality and social inclusion (GESI) within rehabilitation? Today’s guests are here to help us do just that.

Dr. Rosemary Morgan is an Associate Scientist at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in the Department of International Health, with a joint position in the School of Nursing. Her research focuses on the role of gender inequities on health, wellbeing, and public health interventions.

Dr. Linda Thumba has her doctorate in Physical Therapy from Emory University and recently completed her Master of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University. She is currently working as an Institutional Support Contractor at USAID.

Resources:

– Dr. Rosemary Morgan Profile at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

– Linda Thumba’s Linked In Profile

– USAID: Rehabilitation Through a Gender Lens

– Cieza A et al. 2020. Global estimates of the need for rehabilitation based on the Global Burden of Disease study 2019: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. The Lancet, Volume 396, Issue 10267, 2006 – 2017. DOI: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)32340-0/fulltext

– Physiopedia Page: Introduction to Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI)

– Physiopedia Course: Introduction to Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) 

– Harvard Implicit Bias Test

– Jhpiego Gender-Transformative Leadership

– Dr. Rosemary Morgan: Gender norms, ill-fitting face masks, and making a difference (one cat at a time) on the Everybody Hates Me: Let’s Talk About Stigma Podcast

– Caroline Criado Perez’s Book: Invisible Women

– Rosemary Morgan, Lillian Asiimwe, Amanda L Ager, Zuhra Haq, Linda Thumba, Diana Shcherbinina, Rehabilitation services must include support for sexual and gender-based violence survivors in Ukraine and other war- and conflict-affected countries, Health Policy and Planning, Volume 38, Issue 3, April 2023, Pages 417–419, https://doi.org/10.1093/heapol/czad005

– Dr. Dave Nicholls’ Book: The End of Physiotherapy