Rehabilitation in Public Health Emergencies | ISPRM 2026 with Dr. Colleen O’Connell

In this exclusive interview, Dr. Muhammad Tawab Khalil, co-chair of the ISPRM Communications Committee, announces the highly anticipated Sydney Licht lecture for the ISPRM 2026 Congress. This year, the focus is on understanding rehabilitation in public health emergencies, featuring Dr. Colleen O’Connell. Dr. O’Connell explains that rehabilitation must break the mold of traditional emergency response frameworks, which have historically treated these services as an optional add-on or a luxury. Instead, she argues that rehabilitation is essential and should be integrated from the very beginning stages of preparedness, continuing straight through response, recovery, and resilience activities.

She highlights that during sudden onset emergencies like earthquakes or conflicts, early rehabilitation plays a critical role in preventing secondary health conditions such as skin, bowel, and bladder issues. This early intervention is vital for both newly injured individuals and persons with existing disabilities, allowing them to maintain their health and return to their communities. Highlighting a real-world success story, Dr. O’Connell shares how the Spinal Injury Rehabilitation Center in Nepal anticipated the 2015 earthquake. By preparing their staff and community with contingency plans to manage a surge, they were able to smoothly expand their services and provide acute and long-term care when the disaster struck. Join the global medical community in just a month to hear more about this critical topic at ISPRM 2026.