The Executive Committee met on three occasions by Zoom teleconference in the second half of 2024. The Executive Committee membership consisted of
- Glenn Ruscoe, Chair (Australia)
- Sarah Marshall (Canada) – leave of absence
- Sandra Schiller (Germany)
- Magda Fourie (South Africa)
- Cameron MacDonald (USA)
- Ryan McGrath (Australia)
- Wajida Perveen (Pakistan)
- Snjezana Schuster (Croatia)
- Ximena Suárez Bonilla (Mexico/Spain)
- Esther-Mary D’Arcy (Ireland)
Our major project ‘The History of the Word Physiotherapy’ was completed and published on the website – available here. By specifically reviewing the history of the word ‘physiotherapy’, rather than the profession, we have provided alternate perspectives, unearthed new information and challenged previous assumptions. Foremost, when did the physiotherapy begin? We were very pleased to have a summary article drawn from our work published in journal Physiotherapy Theory and Practice in October. We hope a second article from the work will be published next year.
Our ‘Student’ project was completed and aslo published on the website – available here. We collected a range of student physiotherapy experiences across time and from around the world, to find some surprising similarities and differences. It is a fun read and often triggers reflection on one’s own student experiences.
The ’20+ Seminal Texts of the 20th century’ exhibition – available here – had more information added to the explanatory text of each book and has reached completion stage.
Six articles exploring stories from the history of the profession were published on our website during the second half of the year .
The Executive Committee plans to meet again six times in 2025. Whilst there are no specific projects on the our agenda, as yet, we are conscious of the upcoming 75th anniversary of World Physiotherapy in 2026, our own 10th anniversary in 2028, and the 200th anniversary of the word ‘physiotherapy’ in 2031.
A big thank you to Glenn and his committee for their fabulous research and articles. I love reading the posts and find out history fascinating. Just wonder where are profession is going ? Apparently our new graduates are of the opinion it is not necessary to touch the patient ! I England it is in lots of cases better to seek a private physio for one to one therapy and avoid long waiting times .