Message from the President

Dear members, It is a privilege and an honor to serve you as President. I would like to express my deepest gratitude to all previous ISPRM officers for leaving the solid foundation that will allow ISPRM to move forward in a “fast track” mode. Following the ISPRM working agenda established in 2009, over the course of the next two years, our strategic plan will be centered on the ISPRM vision to be the preeminent international scientific and educational society for practitioners in the field of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine (PRM). We intend to disseminate and share the highest standards currently available to help as a resource and for collaboration for all 5,497 ISPRM members in the care of the disabled. We will accomplish this through improved access to appropriate technologies, facilitation of knowledge transfer to individuals, support for basic science and clinical research, and, most importantly, your active, enthusiastic and motivated participation. Aware of the importance of working closely with all our members, we developed a novel long distance program which can be broadcasted live and simultaneously to several participating centers around the World. Our goal is to deliver easily accessible, online, live global training on advances and best practices in PRM. Some of the features include discussion forums, blogs, weekly polls, podcasts, challenging case discussions and group projects in a Wiki-type platform. Two-way video chats and web-conferencing systems will also be available. This will hopefully be a reference to help improve the knowledge, skills and attitudes of physicians towards understanding the pathodynamics and management of impairments and disabilities. ISPRM will also encourage and support the development of PRM, starting with undergraduate education in medical schools. As an international Society, ISPRM will assist national professional organizations to influence national and local governments on issues related to the field of PRM, and to provide the means to facilitate research activities and communication at the international level. We will help to provide mechanisms to assist international exchange regarding different aspects of Rehabilitation, including disseminating information regarding rehabilitation-related meetings. The newly established ISPRM Clinical Sciences Committee will be charged to display recommendations for best practices in PRM, through informed and evidence-based methodology. The comprehensive topic list has eight major areas: Pain, Musculoskeletal conditions, neurological and mental conditions, internal medicine and other conditions, pediatrics, geriatrics, sports rehabilitation and social integration. These topics will be reviewed according to WHO services of leadership and governance, service delivery, human resources, technology, financing and information systems. ISPRM committees will be charged to work with clear goals, agreed upon deliverables, milestones, and deadlines. We created Work Breakdown Structures (WBS) to follow up on deliverables and committee activities, creating a transparent relationship between ISPRM members and its committees. We are fortunate and privileged to be leading the ISPRM at this time. Important International Health Organizations have discovered the opportunity to help relieve the burden of over one billion people with disabilities due to various factors, including aging and chronic non transmittable diseases. I invite you to join us in seizing this tremendous opportunity to make a significant and long lasting impact on the quality of life of those who are most in need and vulnerable in our society. Prof. Marta Imamura President of ISPRM