This October, Sinai University officially joined the Environmental Physiotherapy Agenda, becoming the first university in Egypt to do so. With the prompt support of the Dean of the Faculty of Physical Therapy, Prof. Awny Rahmy, a session was organized for physical therapy students, teaching assistants, and staff members. As a member of the Environmental Physiotherapy Association, I delivered the session: “Integrating Environmental Physiotherapy: A Blueprint for the Modern Practitioner.”
The ecological-biopsychosocial model, the definition and fundamentals of environmental physiotherapy, the UN Sustainable Development Goals framework, actual clinical applications, sustainable practice strategies, and the formulation of personal action steps were among the important topics that were covered in the session. Mentimeter, the Zoom chat box, and a final Google Form survey were used to engage the audience in this highly interactive session.
Seventy-one percent of the audience had never heard of environmental physiotherapy before, according to the results. Of the remaining 29%, 75% had only a moderate understanding of this topic, while 25% had extensive knowledge. For those who were aware of the field, the primary sources of knowledge were university courses (35%) and social media (35%), followed by peers or colleagues (17%), with Physiopedia and conferences each being a source for 8% of this group (Figure 2).
The audience feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with 95% of participants confirming their desire to learn more about the subject. Furthermore, 85% believe that environmental issues should be part of the academic curriculum for the specialization, and 75% expressed interest in conducting research in this field.
Recommendations from the session include documenting this lecture as the starting point for implementing the faculty’s plan to activate the Environmental Physiotherapy Agenda locally and globally. It was also proposed to begin an applied research program in environmental physiotherapy under the faculty’s umbrella, in collaboration with specialized international associations, and to organize periodic workshops in cooperation with the Environmental Physiotherapy Association (EPA).
Finally, I would like to extend my gratitude to Prof. Gehan Fekry, President of Sinai University, and Prof. Fatma Aboelmagd, the former Dean of the Faculty of Physical Therapy at Sinai University and current professor at Cairo University, for their support and encouragement in joining the EPA agenda.
Alaa Noureldeen Kora (PT, MSc, PhD)
Lecturer at the Department of Physical Therapy for Pediatrics and Pediatric Surgery, Sinai University
Alaa Noureldeen Kora is a dynamic pediatric physical therapy specialist with over a decade of experience in clinical practice, academia, and research.
AI Declaration
AI was used for English language editing, as the author’s first language is not English.