26 MAY 1999
PACIFICO YOKOHAMA, JAPAN
President's report
The
International Society of Educators in Physiotherapy came into being at the
second International Symposium of Physiotherapy Educators held at Shenandoah
University, Winchester, Virginia, USA in June 1995. The Final Session of that
Symposium was devoted to the formation of the International Society of Educators
in Physiotherapy (ISEP).
At
that inaugural meeting it was unanimously agreed that the office bearers of the
Society would comprise a President, President Elect and Secretary/Treasurer, and
that these members would constitute the Executive Committee of the Society.
Further it was agreed that the officers would serve a four year term, with the
President Elect taking over as President at the next formal meeting of the
Society in 1999. Professor Ruth Grant was elected the first President of ISEP,
Dr Lesley Dawson, President Elect, and Dr Marilyn Miller as Secretary/Treasurer.
Thus
today, I will hand over the reins of the Society to Dr Lesley Dawson who will
serve as the Second President of the ISEP.
These
first four years of the ISEP have been ones devoted to getting a presence and a
structure for the Society ñ in effect, bringing the Society into existence.
This period has been both challenging and rewarding ñ but much remains to be
done.
With
the valuable assistance of Allan Christie (one of the four members at the
inaugural meeting, who expressed their willingness to assist with dissemination
of information electronically), a web page for the ISEP was established, and an
attractive ISEP logo designed as a "signature" for the Society. My
thanks are extended to Allan Christie for these contributions to establishing an
electronic presence for the Society.
The
Website contains information about the Society, the Executive and the regional
representatives, as well as an application for membership form for the Society
on line. Recently the Website has been updated to include the
Nonetheless,
it must be said that the Website has not been managed as assiduously as we would
have liked. This is one of the challenges when people work in a honorary
capacity for a Society.
Invitations
to speak at International Physiotherapy Conferences in South Africa, Malaysia
and Hong Kong in my own right, during these last four years have given me
opportunities to speak both formally and informally, about the ISEP as President
of the Society. In addition, I have also used workshops in South Africa and
Thailand, and two national conferences in Australia to spread the word about the
ISEP.
The
Keynote address given to the Second Symposium of Physiotherapy Educators at
Shenandoah University by myself, was accepted by the Journal of Physical Therapy
Education (APTA) and published in the Spring 1996 edition and gave further
exposure to the existence of the ISEP. The article (and keynote address) was
titled "The Medium and the Message ñ Communication, Identity and
Excellence in Physical Therapy in Times of Constant Change".
An
article about the ISEP written in my capacity as President, was published in the
May 1996 edition of the WCPT News. This article in addition to informing readers
about the Society, listed regional representatives and executive members. In
these ways I as your President, have sought to promulgate the ISEP
internationally.
More
should and could have been done to attract members to the ISEP, and more should
have been done on my part as President, to involve the regional representatives
in active membership drives. Membership numbers are small and more detail will
be given in the Secretary/Treasurerís Report.
The
ISEP needs to have a critical mass of members and until this is achieved the
international spread of the Society, the honorary nature of executive
appointments and particularly the minimal funds base will restrict what can be
done. I therefore urge you to become a member today if you are not already one,
and to each recruit one other member. In this way, a critical membership mass
will rapidly be achieved.
News
of what is happening in each ISEP region is potentially of great interest to all
ISEP members. To that end I would like to suggest that one representative from
each region be a member of an ISEP Newsletter Committee with the President Elect
as convener, and further that news from the ISEP regions become a regular
feature of the ISEP Webpage.
In
conclusion I wish to acknowledge with gratitude the work of the
Secretary/Treasurer, Dr Marilyn Miller (located in Hawaii) and the President
Elect, Dr Lesley Dawson (who until very recently was located in Palestine).
May
I take this opportunity of wishing both the new Executive Committee and the ISEP
membership generally, every success in what I believe will be a significant
period of growth for the Society as we move into the next millennium.
Professor
Ruth Grant
May
1999 Yokohama, Japan
President Ruth Grant of Australia convened the meeting and the officers were introduced. Minutes were distributed from the Inaugural Meeting. These were approved. President Grant spoke to those attending regarding the ìJames Effectî ñ a call for looking backward to move forward. The President further announced that she had made an executive decision not to convene an ISEP Forum for this WCPT Congress. Those present expressed disappointment at the inaction of the Society and the late communication regarding the present meeting. After said discussion, the meeting moved on to agenda items.
The Bylaws of the Society were presented for ratification and approval.
The President reported using personal travel to advertise and announce ISEP activities. In addition, she proposed regional members be recruited for a Newsletter Committee. Further to this the newsletter could use the web Page distribution (New Web Page address was noted).
The next report was from the Secretary/Treasurer. This office responded to the previous meeting attendees by FAX, established the ISEP bank account, managed dues, prepared stationery and routed email requests. No reports from Regional Representatives were received or distributed. The bank balance at this meeting is $123.70. It was proposed and accepted that persons attending this meeting would retain membership through 2001.
The reports were accepted by the membership in attendance and at this time Lesley Dawson assumed the role of presiding officer.
Nominations for President-Elect and Secretary/Treasurer were accepted and election declared with Nancy Farina (USA) elected as President-Elect and Marilyn Miller elected as Secretary/Treasurer.
Regional representation was discussed. Nancy Farina (President-Elect) will initiate the Newsletter for the Society and solicit regional reports for inclusion and publication. There was a recommendation to use existing academic groups for distribution of ISEP news to physiotherapy educators. There was also discussion to establish a Physiotherapy Educators email bulletin board. With the unknown status of the Web Page, due to Alan Christieís departure from the University of South Australia, the Executive Committee will pursue this suggestion following the meeting.
The next item of business was to appoint Professor Nancy Watts (USA) as an ISEP Honorary Member. The motion passed unanimously.
ISEP President, Lesley Dawson, called for rallying participation for the next meeting to be held in conjunction with WCPT at Barcelona, Spain in 2003. An educational programme will be planned for that meeting. Recommendations should be forwarded to Lesley Dawson, ISEP President, l.dawson@bton.ac.uk or FAX ++44 1273 645652 or by mail to: School of Health Professions, University of Brighton, Robert Dodd Building, 49 Darley Road, Eastbourne, East Sussex, BN20 7UR, UK.
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