A career dedicated to improving the physiotherapy management of people with spinal cord injury has been recognised with the highest honour by the International Spinal Cord Society.
Leading physiotherapist and researcher Professor Lisa Harvey was presented with the gold medal in front of the world’s best spinal cord injury clinicians and researchers in Belgium.
Professor Harvey, who works at the John Walsh Centre for Rehabilitation Research in close collaboration with the Spinal Unit at Royal North Shore Hospital, received the award for her outstanding contribution to the field of spinal cord injuries.
Lisa has held many positions with the international society over the last three decades, including chair of the Education Committee, Editor-in-Chief of the society’s official publication, Spinal Cord, board member and now chair of the Science and Research Committee.
She has been instrumental in the development of online training for healthcare professionals treating people with spinal cord injuries and has overseen the development of freely available software to support physiotherapists prescribing exercises.
These resources can be found at www.elearnSCI.org and www.physiotherapyexercises.com
Lisa has taught physiotherapy management for people with a spinal cord injury in most corners of the world and has authored the leading textbook in the field. Along with colleague, Joanne Glinsky, Lisa runs online courses for up to 25,000 students.
She is also an active researcher, publishing widely and supervising PhD students. She is currently leading one of the largest international clinical trials to examine the effectiveness of a type of physiotherapy in the early days after injury.
Lisa said she was very grateful to receive the top honour which brings an invitation to deliver a plenary lecture at the society’s conference in Sweden in November.
“I feel particularly proud to have received the International Spinal Cord Society gold medal on behalf of allied health professionals, especially physiotherapists everywhere who have never been recognised in this way," she said.
“I would like to pay particular tribute to Associate Professor Joanne Glinsky who has been instrumental to my career and who, along with Claire Boswell Ruys, nominated me for this award.”