The International Society for Prosthetics and Orthotics (ISPO) World Congress 2015 will take place in Lyon, France, on June 22-25; the local partner for the event is ISPO France. Leipziger Messe is organizing the parallel exhibition. The congress will take place at the Lyon Convention Center, which lies between the Rhône River and the Park of the Golden Head (Parc de la Tête d’Or), and is in proximity to downtown Lyon and the historic center.
In line with ISPO’s objective to foster a multidisciplinary approach to patient care in order to sustainably improve the treatment of people with physical disabilities, the program sessions will address topics such as orthotics, pediatrics, geriatrics, therapeutic footwear, prosthetics, quality-of-life issues, rehabilitation medicine and surgery, seating and wheelchairs, and sports and physical activities. Other issues that will be up for discussion include building P&O in developing countries, adaptive technology in developing countries, education, and evidence-based practices.
During the four days of the congress, 24 instructional courses and about 56 P&O symposia will be delivered by an international faculty, and about 250 papers and 300 posters have been selected for presentation during the conference. Specialists from around the world will examine the latest developments in science, technology, research, and practice.
The lineup of keynote speakers includes Malcolm MacLachlan, Jules Becher, and Jean Dubousset. MacLachlan is professor of global health (psychology) at Trinity College Dublin, Ireland, and extraordinary professor of rehabilitation at Stellenbosch University, South Africa. His research interests include psychoprosthetics, disability rights and policy, and inclusive global health. Becher became a professor in rehabilitation medicine in 2000, with a specialization in pediatric rehabilitation. As well as being interested in research and patient care, he is an expert on central nervous movement disorders.
Dubousset is emeritus professor at René Descartes University, Paris, France. He is a member of the Académie Nationale de Médecine (French National Academy of Medicine) and the Académie Nationale de Chirurgie (French National Academy of Surgery). He has received various awards for his work, including on 3D spinal correction and malignant tumors in children. With more than 35 years of experience, he is a defender of the multidisciplinary element that makes practical progress in the medical field possible.
This year’s Knud Jansen Lecture will be given by Chapal Khasnabis, a technical officer with the World Health Organization (WHO). Khasnabis has been involved in P&O for more than 30 years. He began his professional career as a prosthetist/orthotist in the Indian Ministry of Health before moving on to the Ministry of Social Welfare. In 1994 he established Mobility India, which is committed to enhancing the quality of life of people with disabilities and their families, particularly in rural and developing regions. Mobility India soon became an ISPO-accredited international training center. Khasnabis led the Orthotics and Prosthetics Society of India (OPSI) for nearly two decades and gradually got involved with ISPO’s work in India and in lower income countries.
In 2003, Khasnabis began working at WHO to promote P&O and community-based rehabilitation (CBR) services. Since then he has contributed to developing P&O training guidelines, wheelchair guidelines and training packages, CBR guidelines, and several other WHO documents related to disability and rehabilitation. Khasnabis’ lecture will reflect the concept behind Global Cooperation on Assistive Technology (GATE) and its relevance to the P&O sector, the international development goals, and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the common people.
More than 3,000 congress delegates from more than 85 countries are expected to attend the World Congress, attracting so many exhibitors that the available floor space has been extended.
