Regional Vice-President:
Nachum Soroker (Isarel)
soroker@netvision.net.il
Message from the ISPRM Regional Vice President
Dear rehabilitation professional from the Africa & Middle East region,
The International Society of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine (ISPRM) provides a global platform for the exchange of ideas and knowledge in the field of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine (P&RM) among rehabilitation professionals from all countries of the world. In the various sections of this new website you can find detailed descriptions of the ISPRM mission and goals, organization, rules and procedures, history, and future plans. It is very important for individual rehabilitation professionals, as well as for national PRM societies and organizations in all countries, to become members of the ISPRM. Every rehabilitation professional who becomes member of the ISPRM not only strengthens and supports the ISPRM by this act, but also helps to advance rehabilitation medicine in her/his own country.
In many countries of our region there are no national P&RM societies and P&RM is not considered a distinct medical specialty. In addition, the infrastructure of rehabilitation services is far from being satisfactory in various countries. However, in almost all countries there are physicians, PTs, OTs and other health professionals with long standing commitment to medical rehabilitation. The chances for P&RM to develop on a local or national basis is dependent on the efforts of such enthusiastic pioneers. My message to rehabilitation people in our region who wish to advance the level of P&RM in their countries is - join the ISPRM. This call is of special importance for rehabilitation people in countries of the Africa & Middle East region where medical rehabilitation is in need of development. In all countries, and more so in developing countries, P&RM leaders can be aided by the ISPRM in their efforts to establish local/national P&RM educational programs, get appropriate training in other countries for their rehab personnel, make contact and consult with experts in all areas of the P&RM specialty, etc.
The new ISPRM website was designed with the intention to become a central means for disseminating state-of-the-art knowledge (including didactic materials and clinical guidelines covering all aspects of P&RM), throughout the world. The possibility to learn and get updated in recent P&RM developments through the rich educational materials in the 'members only' parts of the website, as well as the opportunity for large scale exchange of ideas and exposure to the latest advances in the field during the ISPRM World Congresses, make the advantages of becoming an ISPRM member salient and clear. This is true for P&RM people in all countries, and probably more so in large parts of Africa, that so far were actually disconnected from the mainstream rehab profession. Until recently, the ISPRM had individual members from the following countries of the region: Israel, Kuwait, Iran, Egypt, Tunisia, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, Pakistan, and Libya – in descending order of membership rate. I hope that all past members will consider to renew their individual membership (this can easily be done through this website - see Joining the ISPRM) and that new rehab professionals will join the international society.
Nachum Soroker
News update
June 20, 2008: The 2008 Mid-Year Conference of the Israel Association of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine, held recently in Raanana Israel, was dedicated to presentation and discussion of novel approaches in the field of brain rehabilitation. Clinically oriented application of fMRI and of EEG-based imaging methods for detection of plastic changes that occur in the damaged brain during the recovery period were analysed. The potential advantages of using such methods for online monitoring of therapeutic interventions, were presented. People in the Africa & Middle East Region (and outside) interested in discussion of these matters with Israeli researchers are invited to contact Dr Soroker: soroker@netvision.net.il .
June 20, 2008: The 2008 congress of the Mediterranean Forum of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine (MFPRM) will take place in Portorose/Slovenia in September this year. You may wish to visit the congress website to learn more on this important event: http://www.medcongress.prm08.org/home/
Regional Societies
The Mediterranean Forum of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine (MFPRM) http://www.mfprm.org gathers rehabilitation professionals from all the Mediterranean countries (as well as rehab people coming from other parts of the world), for an international congress held every two years. This regional activity is a place where rehab professionals from African and Middle East countries on the southern and eastern shores of the Mediterranean Sea can meet colleagues from the European countries of the northern shores, for the purpose of scientific and social communication, exchange of ideas, establishment of research collaboration, etc. The first congress took place in Herzlia/Israel in 1996. Successive congresses were held in Valencia/Spain (1998), Athens/Greece (2000), Syracuse/Italy (2002), Antalya/Turkey (2004) and Villamoura/Portugal (2006). The forthcoming 2008 MFPRM meeting will take place in Portorose/Slovenia in September this year.
The President of the MFPRM is Prof. Nicolas Christodoulou from Limasol/Cyprus. Contact: chrisfam@logosnet.cy.net
National Societies/Organizations
National Representatives
