Spreading rehabilitation expertise internationally, has always been recognized as a priority of the ISPRM, and its predecessors IRMA and the IFPMR.  This year, the ISPRM Board recognized the need to formalize this process and appointed a committee responsible for “International Scientific Exchange” comprising Professor Peter Disler, Melbourne, Australia, Professor Luigi Tesio of Italy, and Professor Mark Young of the USA.

Over the last few years all the members of the committee have traveled internationally, teaching and speaking at conferences, and all of us have welcomed rehabilitation personnel from other countries who have come to learn with us.  The same applies to many members of the ISPRM.  However, how does a hospital or country, particularly in an isolated geographical site, decide who is the invited person who will add most value to the program, and will that person be available?  Similarly, many rehabilitation programs send people overseas for short or long term training, but have no real way of establishing which is the best place to send them; the result is often repetitive,  prolonged a multitude of correspondence, sometimes not graced with a reply, and often frustrating.

The aim of the ISPRM Committee is to help you solve these problems.  We will be compiling a list of rehabilitation programs internationally which are willing to receive visitors or trainees, and experts who are prepared to visit.  Any person who wants information on these aspects can then just write to the committee (ma.yo@verizon.net) and we will try to provide you with the help you need. Your approaches can therefore be limited to people who are known to be enthusiastic and willing to help, minimizing both time lost and frustration.

For those who are interested, the Scientific Exchange Committee would be very grateful if you could fill in one of the following forms (or possibly both!). Click Here For Forms

ma.yo@verizon.net

Brian O' Young (USA)
Christina M. Moran de Brito (Brazil)