EUWIIN Recognition Award for Christiane Mentrup

Christiane Mentrup, past WFOT 2nd Vice President received the European Union Women Inventors and Innovators Network (EUWIIN) Special Recognition Award in June 2007 in Berlin. She was recognised for her occupational therapy projects in Germany, Egypt and Mongolia.

The greatest achievement of Christiane Mentrup (photo right with EUWIIN Director Bola Olabisi) so far has been the role she played in supporting the development of the health profession of occupational therapy (OT) in her own country Germany, in her current host country Switzerland and in introducing it in countries in need like Egypt and Mongolia in order to promote occupational justice (equal access to activities to all) internationally.

The EUWIIN award winner can be called a citizen of the world because she has shown commitment to gain knowledge from countries which are further developed in her professional domain through her work in Canada and a close cooperation with an US academic. She volunteered this expertise in countries in need as well as through her lectures in places such as Germany, Austria, United Kingdom, Latvia, Dubai and Japan. Her involvement in the World Federation of Occupational Therapists made it possible to set up professional networks throughout the world which are now beneficial for the education of OT students in Switzerland including the planning of an international OT master’s degree and OT research activities.

To read more detailed information about Christiane's leadership role in the Egypt Project along with Dutch OT Madeleine Corstens-Mignot, go to:

http://www.wfot.org.au/office_files/ArticleMentrupaward.pdf

Egypt hosts WFOT Interim Executive Management Team Meeting

Many thanks go to Sue Hartshorne, WFOT Ambassador to the Egypt Project for coordinating the excellent organization and support of the recent Interim Meeting of the Executive Management Team in Cairo, Egypt from 23-27th April, 2007. Congratulations also go the Committee for the Development of OT (CDOT) in Egypt for the organization of the subsequent Regional Conference.

The Executive Team Interim Meeting was held over a five day period in rooms at the Nasser Institute which is the largest medical centre in Cairo. The secretariat was fully functional and the meeting itself was supported by very efficient staff members from the medical centre. The Agenda was presented and fully discussed among the Executive and Programme Coordinators. Major topics of discussion included further development of the DP&R project, ongoing development of resources for future response in disaster situations, the upgrade of the WFOT website including the introduction of e-cards and an e-newsletter, Human Rights projects, applications for membership, curricula review, WFOT Congress 2010 and financial management and fund raising strategies.

This excerpt taken from an article posted on the WFOT website, www.wfot.org, to read more details of this report, go to:

http://www.wfot.org.au/office_files/Egypt2007website.pdf

Arabic Occupational Therapists Regional Group

This group was established in April 2007 as a result of the rigorous discussions among the occupational therapists working in the region (Palestine, Jordan, Egypt, and Lebanon) and the executive team of the WFOT in Cairo\Egypt.

In this group we aim to establish communication channels between the occupational therapists in the region and the world and to work as a connection with the WFOT and other OT organizations.

We are looking to have a data base for occupational therapy practice in the Middle East in the different languages (Arabic, English and French), also to develop standards for practice and education, and finally to instigate research activities. Publishing a newsletter or maybe a bulletin, initiating a website on the internet and sharing information and experiences will be other goals of the group.

For the sake of making this project come true, all feedback, participation and help will be considered and appreciated.

Please contact Mr. Mustafa Ahmad, President of the Jordanian Society for Occupational Therapy at 00962 79 6820742 or 00962 77 6512168

Email: ceot_jor@yahoo.com or jsot2004@inbox.com

greetings from wfot

Hi Laura
Wow the blog you set up for out network has really grown - what an amazing effort!
As WFOT Ambassador to the Egypt Project I'd like to acknowledge the WFOT role in supporting the development of occupational therapy in Egypt. What many reading this blog for the first time may not know is that Christiane Mentrupp got the current momentum started with a visit and needs analysis in Cairo in January 2005.
This is when many Egyptian organisations and individuals voiced the need for occupational therapy here and especially the need for training Egyptian people to be occupational therapists. It also started the Committee for the Development of Occupational Therapy in Egypt (CDOT) network and the e-newsletter that Christiane publishes regularly with our contributions.
Collaboration gives amazing outcomes!
Mid-way through 2005 and into 2006 I began working with two universities to write ot curriculum and with support from my then employer (the University of South Australia) was able to come and run short courses about occupation.
A lot of work went into promoting the curricula on the part of our Egyptian colleagues and as you know we have heard that the Minister for Higher Education, His Excellency Dr Hany Helal, passed the graduate entry program this week after a lengthy and rigorous committee process.
And finally there are currently 8 ots - all non-Egyptians at this stage - that we know about working and living in Egypt and many exciting developments including our embryo occupational therapy network.
Laura thanks again for this amazing blog - and for inviting us to participate. Truly your tech skills are amazing!
I hope that people who have questions will continue to ask them either to you or to me directly (sue.hartshorne@gmail.com ) or to one of the others to find out about what its like to live and work here in Egypt.
Hugs as always
Sue

Susan Hartshorne
WFOT Ambassador to the Egypt Project
World Federation of Occupational Therapists

Courses & Conferences in UAE & Turkey

As continuing education is always important, I would like to share information about courses, workshops and conferences on this blog that may be of benefit to OT's in the region.
~~~ Laura

Tawam Hospital in affiliation with Johns Hopkins Medicine is proud to announce:

MODERN REHABILITATION: THE HOLISTIC APPROACH 1st INTERNATIONAL REHABILITATION CONFERENCE

Al Ain, United Arab Emirates

Pre-Conference Workshops: November 20th, 2007

Conference: November 21st & 22rd, 2007

Venue: Intercontinental Hotel, Al Ain, UAE.

Further information & registration:

Website: http://www.tawam-hosp.gov.ae/rehabilitation
Email: rehab@tawam-hosp.gov.ae
Phone: + 971 3 707 5081 / 5230 Fax: + 971 3 707 2853 ( ATT: Ruby Sumapig)
Address: The Secretary Rehabilitation Therapy Department P O Box 15258 Al Ain, Abu Dhabi, UAE

The International Course on the Hand in Turkey

5th International Course on the Hand

21st to 25th October 2007

The International Course on the Hand will take place for the fourth time in Bodrum, Turkey in 6 years. After having organised a Hand Symposium in 2005 it was decided to return to the concept of a real hand course. The first three hand courses were very successful and many lecturers and participants have spent a wonderful time in Bodrum.

The course is aiming at health care professionals involved in the diagnosis and treatment of patients with hand problems of various origins. Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation doctors, Plastic-, Hand- and Orthopaedic surgeons, Orthopaedists as well as Rheumatologists, Physiotherapists and Occupational Therapists are invited to attend the course.

Besides the multidisciplinary approach the main advantage of the meeting is that people from several countries and from several backgrounds meet and exchange ideas and opinions and return home with new enthusiasm and new inspiration.

The course really wants to contribute to a better understanding between cultures in Europe in the widest sense, improve the level of knowledge and skills of the health care professionals, with the ultimate goal to improve the treatment of those patients that suffer from hand problems.

As chairman of the 5th International Hand Course I invite all friends from Europe and host country Turkey to come to Bodrum and join this interesting meeting.

Prof. Henk J. Stam, MD, PhD, FRCP
President of the European Society of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine

For details on the conference, please go to: http://www.vitalmedbodrum.com/english/meeta.htm

Power of Internet and Blogging...

Hello all,

Thanks for all the emails of support and interest in OT development in Egypt. It is exciting every time I receive an email from someone who has received the blog from myself, been forwarded the blog from a friend and/or colleague, seen the blog on another OT's blog list or found the blog through searching OT information on the internet.

It has been a wonderful learning experience for myself, as I have found some very interesting information through other OT blogs. Some are extremely educational and others quite humorous, especially the OT student blogs!

Here are some OT Blogs of interest:

http://www.oteducation.wordpress.com/ (Merrolee's blog - an OT educator from the School of OT, Otago Polytechnic, New Zealand)

http://www.occupationaltherapydunedin.wordpress.com/ (OT in New Zealand)

http://www.occupationaltherapyotago.wordpress.com/ (OT in New Zealand developed blog to explore using blogging as a professional development tool)

http://www.thejourneyhasonlybegun.blogspot.com/ (OT Student in the US)

http://www.metaot.com/ (OT in UK)

http://www.otstudents.blogspot.com/ (OT Student in the US)

http://www.aishel.net/ (OT: Recent US graduate)

http://www.occupationaltherapyreflect.wordpress.com/ (OT)

http://www.abctherapeutics.blogspot.com/ (OT in the US)

http://www.otaroundtheworld.blogspot.com/ (OT working in Equador)

http://www.frederickroad.blogspot.com/ (OT Educators in the UK)

http://www.housingot.co.uk/ (OT in the UK)

http://usnzoccupationaltherapy.wordpress.com/ (OT in New Zealand)

http://hosmerot.blogspot.com/ (OT's working in Hosmer School in the US)

The internet can be a powerful tool to share information and learn from other OT's around the world. It would be wonderful to share more OT blogs, so if you are aware of any other OT blogs, please add them to the comments section.

Thanks,
Laura