GP060: Understanding Physiotherapy from the Perspectives of Non-Indigenous Black Peoples in Australia with Adelaide Rusinga and Nathalia Costa

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This episode, which was recorded in early 2024, features two physiotherapists, Adelaide Rusinga and Dr. Nathalia Costa, who share the learnings from their paper titled “Exploring the Systemic Structures that Affect Access to Physical Therapist Services for Non-Indigenous Black People in Australia.” Their research set out to explore the perspectives of non-Indigenous Black people when it comes to the physiotherapy profession in Australia. We discuss the intersection of race, whiteness and physiotherapy, and ways to move towards a more culturally aware and appropriate profession.

Adelaide Rusinga is community based paediatric and neurological focus Physiotherapist based in Brisbane Australia. She is passionate about equitable health care provision, inclusive services, and advocacy of the physiotherapy profession.

Dr Nathalia Costa is a Senior Research Fellow at the University of Queensland. She is passionate about using qualitative methods and methodologies to make research, healthcare and education more inclusive, nuanced and just. Her publications (50+) span a diverse range of themes, including musculoskeletal conditions, pain, policy, sociology and culturally responsive care. She has also taught across various disciplines, including research methods, musculoskeletal physiotherapy, sociology applied to health and health policy.

Resources:

– Adelaide and Nathalias’ Paper: Exploring the Systemic Structures That Affect Access to Physical Therapist Services for Non-Indigenous Black People in Australia

– Is Physiotherapy a Luxury by Dave Nicholls

– Episode 47: Physiotherapy Education from the Perspective of Muslim Women with Sarah Jang and Nathalia Costa

– Sarah Jang and Nathalia’s Paper: Exploring physiotherapy education in Australia from the perspective of Muslim women physiotherapy students.

– Dr. Bernadette Brady

– Romy Parker

– Dr. Rebecca Olson

– Dr. Jenny Setchell

– A World of Hurt: A Guide to Classifying Pain by Melissa Kolski and Annie O’Connor

– Beavis, A.S.W., Hojjati, A., Kassam, A. et al. What all students in healthcare training programs should learn to increase health equity: perspectives on postcolonialism and the health of Aboriginal Peoples in Canada. BMC Med Educ 15, 155 (2015).

– Hojjati A, Beavis ASW, Kassam A, Choudhury D, Fraser M, Masching R, Nixon SA. Educational content related to postcolonialism and indigenous health inequities recommended for all rehabilitation students in Canada: a qualitative study. Disabil Rehabil. 2018