Global Physio Podcast

In this final Part 3, we speak with 2 guests. Amira Dirie is a registered psychotherapist, currently based on the East Coast of Canada. Sandra Ballantyne is a Canadian physiotherapist who has lived and worked in urban and remote areas of Canada, in Europe and in the Middle East. Early clinical experience in Lebanon and research in Palestine led her to graduate work in Community-Based Rehabilitation under conditions of political violence, completing a Palestinian case study. She subsequently practiced within CBR in Palestine, then returned to Canada, continuing to focus on community care. Sandra is married to a Palestinian public health professional, and they and their children are strongly linked with family in the West Bank, Jerusalem, Nazareth, and in the Palestinian diaspora. In the last two years, Sandra has been increasingly active for Palestine solidarity within health care and faith- based communities. She has recently retired from clinical practice. In our workplaces and beyond, Sandra is encouraged by our shared commitment to pursue universal human rights. More about this series: 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 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. More about this series: 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 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.

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: Website: bio.site/stephlurch 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)

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/.

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

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 – Claire Ashton-James 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

Today’s guest is Ray Gates, an Aboriginal Australian (Bundjalung) physiotherapist with over 20 years experience as a PT and with Indigenous health. He was the first Aboriginal PT to become a member and later Chairperson of the Australian Physiotherapy Association’s (then) Indigenous Health Committee. He was a founder of the first Indigenous Physiotherapy Support Network in Australia, which later became the National Association of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Physiotherapists (NAATSIP). He has been involved with Indigenous health both in Australia and around the world in a variety of roles. Ray is currently living in the United States where he continues to advocate for the physiotherapy profession to be a key stakeholder in addressing the disparities between Indigenous and non-Indigenous health around the world. Resources: – How to contact Ray: rayg@raygatesphysicaltherapy.com – Australian Physiotherapy Association (APA) – National Association of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Physiotherapists, Inc. (NAATSIP) – Close the Gap Initiative – Tae Ora Tinana – Why Indigenous health needs non-Indigenous allies – Global Health Division of the Canadian Physiotherapy Association (CPA) – US Indigenous Physical Therapy Network (IPTN) – Canadian Conferences on Global Health (CCGH) – Rachel Thibeault on ResearchGate 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

Today’s guest is Stephanie Lurch, a storyteller, activist, leader and physiotherapist. A dynamic award-winning educator, Stephanie has worked across multiple settings in the healthcare and education sectors, bridging the gap between academia and practice. Her career has been distinguished by a wide breadth of clinical, teaching and real-life experiences including working with the Cirque du Soleil, as part of a team of caregivers in West Africa, with Indigenous peoples in New Zealand, and currently as a paediatric physiotherapist in the public school system. She is an Assistant Clinical Professor at McMaster University, Lecturer at Western University and was the inaugural Assistant Professor and Academic Lead: Equity, Anti-racism and Social Accountability at the University of Toronto in the Department of Physical Therapy where she worked for over 10 years. She is recognized for integrating social justice and the arts into health professions education. Her past achievements include, but are not limited to co-authoring the Essential Competency Profile for Physiotherapists in Canada (in 2017), co-authoring new equity-driven accreditation standards for Physiotherapy Education Accreditation Canada (in 2020) and providing thought leadership to both learners and key opinion leaders. Stephanie has been an invited keynote speaker in the healthcare and education spaces. Her book chapter Moving in Complex Spaces: A Call to Action for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in Physiotherapy promises to further her impact. Stephanie discusses her keynote address at the Canadian Physiotherapy Association National Congress in 2024 entitled “Manifesto of a Critical Consciousness”, and so much more, in this inspiring episode. Resources: – Manifesto of a Critical Consciousness Recording – Lurch S, Cobbing S, Chetty V, Maddocks S. Challenging power and unearned privilege in physiotherapy: lessons from Africa. Front Rehabil Sci. 2023 Jun 26;4:1175531. doi: 10.3389/fresc.2023.1175531. PMID: 37521329; PMCID: PMC10381923. – Sir Ted Robinson Ted Talk: Do Schools Kill Creativity – Mary Anne Chambers: “The real downside of privilege is that we get a narrow view of life” – Tracy Blake: Sport and Justice with Tracy Blake Part 1 and Sport and Justice with Tracy Blake Part 2 – bell hooks: “radical space of possibility” – Fannie Lou Hamer: “Nobody’s free until everybody’s free” – Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl – Harriet Jacobs  – Dr. Ayana Johnson – Phoebe Boswell: “Justice is Medicine” – Examining Anti-Blackness in Canadian Physiotherapy Education Using Critical Race Theory and Critical Race Feminism as Theoretical Perspectives By Oyindamola Otubusen and Stephanie Lurch 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

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

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/ – Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/globalphysiopodcast – Twitter: https://twitter.com/globalptpodcast

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

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

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

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

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

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/ – Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/globalphysiopodcast – Twitter: https://twitter.com/globalptpodcast

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/ – Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/globalphysiopodcast – Twitter: https://twitter.com/globalptpodcast

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

Increasing diversity, equity and inclusion, commonly abbreviated as DEI, has been in the forefront of many sectors. Within health, providing culturally sensitive care and having a professional body that is diverse can lead to improved health outcomes. The conversation often involves ensuring clinicians practice cultural sensitivity during care, forming executive committees that are representative of the communities they serve, and developing health strategies that include the perspectives of groups with different positionalities. However, what if the curriculum in which we train our health professionals deters certain groups from pursuing their career? What if their perception of the profession diverges and clashes with their cultural and religious views? What is the impact of that for DEI within the professional body, quality of care and equitable practices? Our guests today, Sarah Jang and Dr. Nathalia Costa, are the authors of the paper titled “Exploring physiotherapy education in Australia from the perspective of Muslim women physiotherapy students”. Through exploring the experiences of Muslim women within physiotherapy education, they raise important questions about the impact of Western dominant discourses within physiotherapy on ethnic minority groups. They dive into ways to make physiotherapy education more inclusive for different cultural and religious backgrounds. We also talk about the amplified image of physiotherapy and sport, envisioning physiotherapy integration with public health, discrimination and political impact on health seeking behaviors and most importantly, what we can learn from Muslim communities. Dr. Nathalia Costa is an Early Career Researcher (PhD awarded in November 2020) and a Lecturer at the Sydney School of Health Sciences, the University of Sydney. She is also an Adjunct Research Fellow at the University of Queensland. Her research spans from micro (e.g., uncertainty in clinical practice, training) to macro factors (e.g., policy, health systems) impacting musculoskeletal care that is person-centred and equitable. Her publications span both qualitative and quantitative studies, and she has also taught across a range of disciplines, including research methods, musculoskeletal physiotherapy, sociology applied to health, fundamentals of physiotherapy, fundamentals of health care, health policy and health systems finance. Dr Costa is also an Associate Editor for Qualitative Health Research, an international (Q1) journal dedicated to publishing interdisciplinary research to enhance healthcare and further the development and understanding of qualitative research in healthcare settings. Miss Sarah Jang, a physiotherapist and a rehabilitation consultant. She recently started her career working in Occupational Rehabilitation. Her interests include equity in health settings. Resources: – Nathalia’s Twitter: @nathaliaccosta1 – Sarah Jang, Nathalia Costa, Adelaide Rusinga & Jenny Setchell (2023) Exploring physiotherapy education in Australia from the perspective of Muslim women physiotherapy students, Physiotherapy Theory and Practice, DOI: 10.1080/09593985.2023.2230597 – Hassan, S.H. Effects of Religious Behavior on Health-Related Lifestyles of Muslims in Malaysia. J Relig Health 54, 1238–1248 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-014-9861-z – Abdel-Khalek AM. Religiosity, health and happiness: significant relations in adolescents from Qatar. Int J Soc Psychiatry. 2014 Nov;60(7):656-61. doi: 10.1177/0020764013511792. Epub 2013 Dec 10. PMID: 24327187. – Samuels EA, Orr L, White EB, Saadi A, Padela AI, Westerhaus M, Bhatt AD, Agrawal P, Wang D, Gonsalves G. Health Care Utilization Before and After the “Muslim Ban” Executive Order Among People Born in Muslim-Majority Countries and Living in the US. JAMA Netw Open. 2021 Jul 1;4(7):e2118216. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.18216. PMID: 34328502; PMCID: PMC8325073. – Vu M, Azmat A, Radejko T, Padela AI. Predictors of Delayed Healthcare Seeking Among American Muslim Women. J Womens Health (Larchmt). 2016 Jun;25(6):586-93. doi: 10.1089/jwh.2015.5517. Epub 2016 Feb 18. PMID: 26890129; PMCID: PMC5912720. – McLaren, H., Hamiduzzaman, M., Patmisari, E. et al. Health and Social Care Outcomes in the Community: Review of Religious Considerations in Interventions with Muslim-Minorities in Australia, Canada, UK, and the USA. J Relig Health (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-022-01679-2 – Padela AI, Gunter K, Killawi A, Heisler M. Religious values and healthcare accommodations: voices from the American Muslim community. J Gen Intern Med. 2012 Jun;27(6):708-15. doi: 10.1007/s11606-011-1965-5. Epub 2012 Jan 4. PMID: 22215274; PMCID: PMC3358400 – Samari G. Islamophobia and Public Health in the United States. Am J Public Health. 2016 Nov;106(11):1920-1925. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2016.303374. Epub 2016 Sep 15. Erratum in: Am J Public Health. 2016 Dec;106(12 ):e13. PMID: 27631738; PMCID: PMC5055770. – Padela AI, Zaidi D. The Islamic tradition and health inequities: A preliminary conceptual model based on a systematic literature review of Muslim health-care disparities. Avicenna J Med. 2018 Jan-Mar;8(1):1-13. doi: 10.4103/ajm.AJM_134_17. PMID: 29404267; PMCID: PMC5782414. – Laird LD, Amer MM, Barnett ED, Barnes LL. Muslim patients and health disparities in the UK and the US. Arch Dis Child. 2007 Oct;92(10):922-6. doi: 10.1136/adc.2006.104364. PMID: 17895342; PMCID: PMC2083249. – Sarsour NY, Hammoud MM. Integration of Arab and Muslim Health Education Into a Medical School Curriculum. MedEdPORTAL. 2021;17:11188. https://doi.org/10.15766/mep_2374-8265.11188 – Worldmapper: https://worldmapper.org/maps/ 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