Global Physio Podcast

Welcome to a new series on the podcast, named the FutureSeries. It will be a space where we chat with physios, and others, about our uncertainties, our fears, and most importantly, our hopes in a more just and healthy world. We envision these conversations to have “less answers”, but more imagination and creation, centered around these questions. What concerns and uncertainties in the world do you have right now when it relates to physiotherapy and health? What does a healthier world look like to you? And how do you think physiotherapists/your profession can be a part of the solution? What changes need to happen for that to come to life? What gives you hope? What/who has helped you imagine this future? If you’d like to be a part of these conversations, please reach out to us at @globalphysiopodcast@gmail.com

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 b

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 fr

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 respir

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 … Continue reading "GP063: Health Justice Series with Stephanie Lurch"

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 … Continue reading "GP062: Introducing Zeina Abu-Jurji, Our New Co-host"

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 … Continue reading "GP061: Discussing Environmental Physiotherapy with 3 University of Manitoba Students"

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

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 … Continue reading "GP059: World Indigenous Physiotherapy Alliance with Ray Gates"

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 … Continue reading "GP058: Exploring Critical Consciousness with Stephanie Lurch"

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 … Continue reading "GP057: Memoirs of a Global Health Physiotherapist with Hilary Crowley"

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 … Continue reading "Learning from a Community Rehabilitation Worker Program in Northern Ontario"

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 … Continue reading "GP055: Sport and Justice with Tracy Blake (Part 2)"

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 … Continue reading "GP054: Sport and Justice with Tracy Blake (Part 1)"

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 … Continue reading "GP053: Teaching and Practicing Around the World with Jennifer Allen"

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 … Continue reading "GP052: Urban Planning and Health with Alex Heilmann"

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 … Continue reading "GP051: Year in Review"

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. … Continue reading "GP050: Considerations for and Reflections on International Physiotherapy Work with Alex Hejazi"

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 … Continue reading "GP049: Designing Novel Work-Models with Sara Abassbhay"

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 … Continue reading "GP048: Gender Equality and Social Inclusion with Dr. Rosemary Morgan and Dr. Linda Thumba"