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International Connectivity

09/02/2014, 3:30am EDT
By Josh D'Angelo, PT, DPT and Efosa L. Guobadia, PT, DPT

Get involved at #globalPTconnect


Evelyn, Efosa Guobadia, Dr. Roberto Orozco, Dr. Maria Soberanis, Josh D'Angelo, Ethan Claretto

Hello all! The name of the game is international connectivity. One of the most beautiful things about our profession is its dynamicity and diversity. From coast to coast and country to country there are intricacies and differences to how different regions and clinicians practice. Yet, what is often most striking is the strength of our similarities and how true we stay to our foundational bedrocks that can be found no matter where in the world we go. Bedrocks that include: posture correction; functional enhancement; and movement efficiency.

We, Josh D’Angelo PT, DPT and Efosa L. Guobadia, PT, DPT were recently in Guatemala and posed the question of how we could play a part to initiate global collaborative efforts and connections. After meeting with therapists, academicians, and professional leaders, Guatemala seemed the right place to start the first ripple. In our discussions, three consistent themes emerged: build relationships and connections, promote education, empower clinicians.

Flash forward four months:

We are leaving today for a five day trip to Guatemala as World Physical Therapy Day approaches, and those same themes are still very much on our minds. We coordinated with the Guatemalan Physical Therapy Association President, Maria Soberanis-Reyes, to collaborate with the Universidad de Panamericana in Guatemala City. We will be doing a fusion of activities that includes: treating patients along with students, teaching clinical practice as well as discussing professional advocacy, and promoting the profession through our words and and actions. The local media will be capturing our activities and in those five days we will be at no less than four sites.

Universidad de Panamericana is a unique university. There are other entities that offers physical therapy certifications in Guatemala, yet the Universidad de Panamericana is the only one that is recognized as an accredited program by the World Confederation of Physical Therapy. As we work with students and professors from the University, we hope to stay true to our purpose of: building, promoting, and maximizing all that the profession can be. And it is with the mindset that we are all in this together and can and will grow together that will be our guiding light. The treatment of a child in Guatemala should resonate with us just as much as the treatment of the child in Georgia. The stronger our profession is around the world, the closer it will be to playing its part in making this a more functional world.

Throughout our trip, we will be posting live updates on PT Haven's Facebook and Twitter pages. We would love to hear your thoughts and will be having conversations by using #globalPTconnect on facebook and twitter. We hope that regardless of your location and experiences, you can begin to feel the same level of connectedness we feel during our time in Guatemala.

We are in this together- let's keep raising our ceiling so that we and our patients can stand taller and stronger.


Sponsored by Josh D'Angelo, DPT

Josh D'Angelo, DPT

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Josh D'Angelo served as APTA Student Assembly President in 2013 and is now active with APTA's DC Chapter and Private Practice Section. He graduated from George Washington University's Doctorate of Physical Therapy program in 2013, where he was the University's sole student to win the George Washington Award. Josh is also a former APTA Mary McMillan Scholarship awardee and is currently practicing in the outpatient orthopedic setting in Washington, D.C. He is passionate about using the unique skillset physical therapists offer to serve the greater DC community. Josh is an integral part of the PT Haven team via editing and content creativity. 

Sponsored by Efosa L. Guobadia, DPT

Efosa L. Guobadia, DPT

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Efosa is the Founder of Physical Therapy Haven. He received his B.S. in Kinesiology from Umass-Amherst, and his Physical Therapy Doctorate from the University of Scranton. He is driven by his love for this profession which allows us to use our hands and words to help others. The site contains rehabilitation resources geared towards rehab clinicians and it includes videos, study guides, as well as links to other useful sites. 


Tag(s): Physical Therapy Pulse  All Articles  Efosa Guobadia, DPT  Josh D'Angelo, DPT