Press release

14th WCPT International Congress 25.10.02
World Physical Therapy 2003

 

The opportunity of a lifetime

Over 3000 physical therapists will gather in Barcelona on 7th-12th June 2003 for World Physical Therapy 2003 – the international congress of the World Confederation for Physical Therapy (WCPT). Delegates will have a unique opportunity to debate the clinical and professional issues that will forge the profession's global future, establish links with colleagues around the world and experience the sites and culture of this beautiful city.

“This will be totally different from the sort of national conferences many physical therapists around the world have experienced,” says Elizabeth Ellis, who has headed the programme planning process. “It will be truly international, charting the global agenda for physical therapy – so it will be relevant and important whatever part of the world you come from.”

Highlights will include:
• A series of symposia and panel discussions, where experts and opinion leaders will explore current issues in lively debates
• Focused workshops examining areas of special interest
• Key presentations examining the future direction of physical therapy, the implications of new disability classifications for health professionals, and human rights for people with disabilities.

This is the first WCPT Congress to be planned by an International Scientific Committee, and the first to be managed centrally by WCPT, in collaboration with the host organisation. More than 2,400 abstracts have already been submitted for presentation at the Congress, ensuring that the carefully selected programme will be varied and of the highest quality.

“The fact that so many people are prepared to present material to this Congress in itself indicates that the profession is achieving new levels of confidence,” says Elizabeth Ellis, Chair of the WCPT International Scientific Committee. “The Congress will be a rare opportunity for clinicians to stop what they’re doing, and take a long hard look at where we’ve come from and where we are going.”

Further information

Furth

er information is available on the WCPT website: www.wcpt.org
Or contact WCPT direct: WCPT, 46-48 Grosvenor Gardens, London SW1W 0EB.
Tel: 44 (0) 20 7881 9234. Fax: 44 (0) 20 7881. 9239.
E-mail: 14thcongress@wcpt.org. Web: www.wcpt.org

 

Registration deadline: 31st December 2002 for “early bird” reduced fees
20th May 2003 final deadline