GP065: Palestine Series Part 2 with Dr. Rachel Coghlan

In the Palestine Series, we sit down with three physiotherapists from Canada, the UK, and Australia, and a psychotherapist from Canada to explore their experiences with anti-Palestinian racism in healthcare systems. Together, we reflect on our personal and professional connections to Palestine, how the ongoing occupation across Palestine and ongoing genocide against Palestinians living in Gaza shape not only lives on the ground but also clinical and rehab spaces globally.

In this series, we speak openly about discrimination, advocacy, and responsibility. We examine how politics enters healthcare spaces and institutions, how it impacts providers and patients, and what role rehabilitation professionals can and should play in advancing health justice and equity globally.

In Part 2, we speak with Dr. Rachel Coghlan. She has over 20 years’ experience in public health, humanitarian response, and clinical physiotherapy practice, specialising in palliative care, neurology, oncology, and rehabilitation. She is a global leader on qualitative research and advocacy concerning palliative care in serious illness and injury in humanitarian settings, with a focus on armed conflict. Rachel has undertaken a PhD on palliative care in Gaza.

Rachel is a storyteller who focuses on amplifying the voices and wisdom of those affected by illness, disability, or frailty, including during crisis. She enjoys writing to spread a little compassion and humanity in living and in dying, and to help make sense of grief and suffering in our world. Before and during the current genocide, Rachel has written and spoken extensively to ensure the stories and truths of friends and colleagues living in Gaza reach the world.

GP064: Palestine Series Part 1 with Rachael Moses

In this Palestine Series, we sit down with three physiotherapists from Canada, the UK, and Australia, and a psychotherapist from Canada to explore their experiences with anti-Palestinian racism in healthcare systems. Together, we reflect on our personal and professional connections to Palestine, how the ongoing occupation across Palestine and ongoing genocide against Palestinians living in Gaza shape not only lives on the ground but also clinical and rehab spaces globally.

In this series, we speak openly about discrimination, advocacy, and responsibility. We examine how politics enters healthcare spaces and institutions, how it impacts providers and patients, and what role rehabilitation professionals can and should play in advancing health justice and equity globally.

In Part 1, we have Rachael Moses, a physiotherapist for 25 years with experience in the British military, national health service, voluntary and humanitarian sectors.  Following general rotations, Rachael specialised in critical care and respiratory physiotherapy with special interests in major trauma and mechanical ventilation.  Rachael has been fortunate to work in a number of senior positions both in the UK and internationally and for the past 8 years Rachael has been volunteering with Medical Aid for Palestinians, travelling to Gaza over this time.  Rachael has had the privilege to work alongside inspirational physiotherapists who have been continuously working throughout the ongoing genocide in Gaza.

GP063: Health Justice Series with Stephanie Lurch

This episode we welcome back Steph Lurch to talk about her recent 30 day Health Justice Series, that has been taking place across several of her accounts. If you liked this conversation, head to www.linkedin.com/in/slurch to check out the rest of the content.
You can find out more about Steph Lurch here:
TikTok: medicine.needs.medicine
Art Work as part of the Health Justice Series:
Charmaine Lurch at clurch.com
Bio:
Stephanie Lurch (BScPT, MEd, Doctoral student) is a physiotherapist, educator, and health justice scholar with more than 30 years of experience at the intersection of healthcare, education, and equity. As a practicing pediatric clinician and Assistant Clinical Professor at McMaster University, she designs
and leads transformative graduate-level curriculum that weaves together systems thinking, relational care, and the arts to reshape how future clinicians understand their role in health and healing.

Her insights don’t just teach. They move. Grounded in lived experience, Stephanie speaks directly to those who’ve felt excluded from care or disconnected from the systems meant to support them. Raised in a working-class immigrant household and shaped by global work across three continents, from Cirque du
Soleil to travelling with a paraplegic ultra-marathoner in New Zealand, she brings stories, metaphor, and bold insights to ignite reflection and collective action.

Whether you’sre a healthcare provider, educator, learner, or leader, Stephanie’s work invites you to step into your power and reimagine what’s possible. She has spoken at international conferences, taught over 3000 graduate students, mentored
thought leaders, and authored publications that are love letters to those who’ve ever felt like they don’t belong.

Academic Resources Referenced in the Episode
What Action Can Look Like…
Clover, Darlene & Hill, Lilian. (2003). Learning patterns of landscape and life. New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education. 2003. 89 – 95. 10.1002/ace.113.
On racism being the longest standing instrument of social domination…
Quijano, A. (2000). Coloniality of Power, Eurocentrism, and Latin America. Nepantla, 1(3), 533–580.
The fundamental goals of oppression is to profit…
Melamed, J. (2015). Racial capitalism. Critical Ethnic Studies, 1(1), 76–85.)
Perkins, M. V., & Phelps, C. L. (2000). Autobiography as Activism: Three Black Women of the Sixties. University Press of Mississippi. ProQuest Ebook. Central. http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/mcmu/detail.action?docID=866925)

GP062: Introducing Zeina Abu-Jurji, Our New Co-host

This episode, we are delighted to introduce our listeners to Zeina Abu-Jurji, our new co-host on the podcast. Zeina’s passion and commitment in advancing health justice was evident from the very first conversation we had, and we are excited to continue to bring more conversation about physiotherapy, rehabilitation and global health to this space.

Read more about Zeina on our website, https://globalphysio.ca/about-us/.

GP061: Discussing Environmental Physiotherapy with 3 University of Manitoba Students

Today’s guests are three second year physiotherapy students at the University of Manitoba: Emma De Guzman Caballero, Alana Lesperance and Gurkirat Gill. They talk about the literature review they conducted as part of their physiotherapy programme that focused on recommendations on how to provide environmentally-responsible community-based physiotherapy in Winnipeg.

Bio:
Alana Lesperance is a 2nd year MPT student at the University of Manitoba. She is passionate about health and wellness and was a high-level ringette player who played for the 2017 national ringette team that won gold against Finland. Currently she still plays ringette for the Manitoba Herd in the NRL. She is currently interested in working in acute care CVP PT but open to any opportunities that arise once graduated. 

Emma De Guzman Caballero is a 2nd year physiotherapy student at the University of Manitoba. She had lived all over the west coast of Canada but has settled with her husband in friendly Manitoba! Her interests include playing volleyball, basketball, biking, and strength training. She loves going to the beach and for evening walks outside. As far as physiotherapy goes, she loves all aspects of the profession, but has a special interest in private practice and a passion for cardiorespiratory care! This project and the opportunity to participate in this podcast has really opened her eyes to all the possibilities for physiotherapy and planetary health. She is excited to put these concepts into her own physio practice!

Resources:
– https://globalphysio.ca/gp044-mindfulness-and-environmental-justice-with-elizabeth-houlding-susan-czyzo/

– https://world.physio/policy/ps-climate-change-and-health

GP056: Learning from a Community Rehabilitation Worker Program in Northern Ontario

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.

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