Starting Blocks for Global Health Resilience in Physiotherapy Education
Context
At the IFMK of Eastern Île-de-France (IFMK EF), physiotherapy education is closely aligned with national health priorities and global challenges. Our institution trains future physiotherapists over four years, combining foundational sciences with clinical experience and research. Within this framework, we introduced a semester-long course titled “Understanding Today’s and Tomorrow’s Health Challenges”, targeting first-year students.
This initiative was created in response to the urgent need for physiotherapists to better understand the systemic determinants of health and become active contributors to resilient healthcare systems. It emphasizes the interconnectedness of individual well-being, community health, and planetary boundaries, through four main lenses: disability, noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), social determinants of health (SDH), and self-care.
Course Overview and Pedagogical Structure
The sequence was integrated into the Professional English course, which allows for both disciplinary and cross-cultural exploration. Classes were bilingual and thematic, using WHO reports and global health data to foster discussion. The four sessions followed a progression from individual vulnerability (e.g. disability) to systemic inequity (e.g. SDH), and finally toward empowerment and preventive practice (e.g. self-care).
Each session was organized around: a theoretical input (global data, real-world cases), group work (discussions, pleas, posters, or position papers), MCQs for reflection and review, and open discussion to compare systems and experiences.
Optional projects (e.g. material reuse campaigns, pleas for a more pleasant urban environment) were proposed in or outside the school setting to reinforce engagement.
What Was Done: Four Modules to Build Awareness and Action
Disability as systemic indicator
Students explored the WHO’s definition of disability and were introduced to the idea that disability is not only a medical but a social and environmental construct.
Key insight: 1.3 billion people (16% of the global population) live with a significant disability. This vulnerability often worsens in crisis situations (heatwaves, displacement, service breakdown).
Students connected this to the role of physiotherapists as both caregivers and accessibility advocates.
Disability - Relevant class links, keywords, concepts and discussion points
Useful links for this topic:
- https://www.who.int/news-room/factsheets/detail/rehabilitation
- https://www.who.int/news-room/factsheets/detail/disability-and-health
- United Nations. Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. New York, USA: United Nations; 2006 [24 Nov 2023]. Available from: https://social.desa.un.org/issues/disabili ty/crpd/convention-onthe-rights-ofpersons-with-disabilities-crpd.
- World Health Organization. Rehabilitation 2030: A Call for Action 2019 [24 Nov 2023]. Available from: https://www.who.int/initiatives/rehabilitation-2030.
- World Health Organization. Priority Assistive Products List (APL) 2016 [24 Nov 2023]. Available from: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/priority-assistive-products-list.
Keywords and concept linkage
Disability and health – ICF – Rehabilitation – Social and Health Equity – Determinants of Health
Discussion
- Local examples, situations, limitations or actions
- Personal experiences
- Broaden the word “environmental” existing in the ICF to not only understand the risk factors but the what is modifiable or not and how, in addition to understanding the concept of vulnerability.
Evaluation through Wooclap MCQs
Jonathan Stammers (PT)
Musculoskeletal physiotherapist based in Paris, combining clinical work with international projects and associations. Actively involved in OMT-France and IFOMPT, promoting inclusive, diverse, and equitable healthcare through education, collaboration, and advocacy for MSK health and internationalisation.
Noncommunicable Diseases: A Silent Emergency
The second module focused on NCDs such as cardiovascular, respiratory, and musculoskeletal conditions.
Key insight: 43 million deaths in 2021 were caused by NCDs, 18 million of which were premature.
Students worked on mapping behavioural and environmental risk factors (pollution, diet, sedentariness) and discussed the role of physiotherapists in primary prevention, especially in low-resource settings.
NCDs - Relevant class links, keywords, concepts and discussion points
Useful links for this topic:
- (1)Global Burden of Disease Collaborative Network, Global Burden of Disease Study 2019 (GBD 2019) Results (2020, Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation – IHME) https://vizhub.healthdata.org/gbd-results/
- https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/noncommunicable-diseases (https://youtu.be/PmNVhCoki_E)
- More ways, to save more lives, for less money: World Health Assembly adopts more Best Buys to tackle noncommunicable diseases : https://www.who.int/news/item/26-05-2023-more-ways–to-save-more-lives–for-less-money—-world-health-assembly-adopts-more-best-buys–to-tackle-noncommunicable-diseases
Keywords and concept linkage
Prevention – (non) Modifiable factors – Modifiable behaviours – Chronic diseases – Quality of life
Discussion
Stresses on the environmental factors (climate changes influences the population’s level of vulnerability and exposure) and on socioeconomic impacts (whether financial investments in health or costs related to health and access to healthcare)
Evaluation through Wooclap MCQs
Social Determinants of Health: Roots of Inequality
Students identified how health outcomes are shaped by income, education, environment, and politics.
Key insight: SDH can cause up to a 33-year difference in healthy life expectancy depending on where one is born.
Class discussions emphasized that addressing the SDH requires not only clinical care but also advocacy and interprofessional collaboration (Case study: determinants influencing a fall and its recovery).
SDoH - Relevant class links, keywords, concepts and discussion points
Useful links for this topic:
- https://www.who.int/health-topics/social-determinants-of-health#tab=tab_1
- https://www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/determinants-of-health
- https://www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/social-determinants-of-health-key-concepts
- The contributions of health professions to the climate change & health agenda 10 June 2024 video (webinar) https://youtu.be/bImfOz9zGA4 (2:02:40 to end)
- The Social Determinants of Health: It’s Time to Consider the Causes of the Causes by Paula Braveman, MD, MPH, Laura Gottlieb, MD, MPH in Public Health Reports / 2014 Supplement 2 / Volume 129 (Nursing in 3D: diversity, disparities and determinants)
Keywords and concept linkage
Social determinants of health – environment (living and working conditions) – Equitable distribution of means – Global Health – Advocacy – Culturally competent care
Discussion
- How can I, as a physiotherapist or physiotherapy student, address health inequities?
- What is one strategy from today’s class that I could realistically apply in my future practice?
Evaluation through Wooclap Framework: Apply the SDH to the risk of Falls
Self-care and Health Literacy
The last module addressed empowerment and the growing responsibility of physiotherapists in education.
Key insight: 1.7 billion people live with musculoskeletal disorders worldwide. Physiotherapists are well positioned to educate patients on movement, pain, and self-management, especially when literacy or access to care is limited.
The students created simple, illustrated guides on basic exercises and shared how they would adapt their communication to different populations.
Self care - Relevant class links, keywords, concepts and discussion points
Useful links for this topic:
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhC8Nlcigmc&ab_channel=WorldHealthOrganization%28WHO%29
- Self-care interventions for health and well-being, Communications Toolkit 2024
Keywords and concept linkage
Prevention – Climate change resilience – Education – Determinants of health – Social justice and equity
Discussion thanks to Wooclap Wordcloud: Defining self-care
Self-care is the result of our increasing level of knowledge both on the persons seeking care or health professionals. The better we understand people living environment and the related risk factors the better education we can provide. We need to seize this opportunity to create new roles and become public health activists.
Student and Teacher Reflections
Students were often surprised at the relevance and scope of these topics. Some felt disoriented at first—“I didn’t think we’d discuss climate or social policy in a physiotherapy course!”—but most acknowledged the content felt “obvious” or “undeniable” once linked to patient care. The format encouraged active learning, with group work and presentations enhancing their confidence and sense of contribution. The same feeling was observed in teachers.
The most recurrent feedback was a feeling of powerlessness as future professionals in the face of global challenges (climate change, health inequality). This emotional response was discussed openly and framed not as defeat, but as a signal of moral engagement—a necessary step before mobilizing professional tools.
Way forward
Now that several cohorts have completed this sequence and launched small-scale projects (awareness campaigns, medical equipment re-use), we have a stronger basis to share materials with peers and propose the inclusion of global health themes across other disciplines (e.g. geriatrics, paediatrics, rehabilitation). Our goal is to create interdisciplinary bridges and embed global health literacy into the DNA of physiotherapy education.
Conclusion
By tackling disability, noncommunicable diseases, SDH, and self-care in an integrated and participatory way, we believe we are preparing future physiotherapists to be not just skilled clinicians, but also responsive educators and resilient professionals—ready to face the uncertain health landscapes of tomorrow.
AI Statement: ChatGPT was used to condense the report to 750 words, summarize and strengthen translation consistency and improve the title and headers of the report. No AI used for the detailed classes.
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