News

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The Society of Sports Therapists has collaborated with a number of Allied Health Professions in sending a letter to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Rt Hon. Rishi Sunak, MP. The letter expresses concern about the financial burden the Covid-19 pandemic has placed on healthcare professionals in the UK, including Members of The Society of Sports Therapists. The letter requests that the Government reconsiders the details of the financial support packages it has previously outlined. This is to make sure that healthcare professionals, including Members of the Society, who are self-employed, recent graduates and directors of limited companies, are supported to ensure the survival of each individual, as well as the survival of their professions. The Society of Sports Therapists would like to thank Catherine Quinn, President of the Chiropractic Association for initiating this collaboration and Sue Brown CEO of Arthritis & Musculoskeletal Alliance (ARMA) for all her hard work and support during these difficult times. Read the open letter to Rt Hon. Rishi Sunak MP: JOINT PROFESSIONS Open Letter to Rt Hon Rishi Sunak MP[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text el_id=”COVID19 – Practice & Insurance Update Further to the two communications sent to Members last week and subsequent to numerous queries that the Society received over the weekend, I thought that it would be prudent to write again, both to respond to some of the queries posed and also to update Members on the Society’s position with regard to continuing to practise and insurance.”]Further to the two communications sent to Members last week and subsequent to numerous queries that the Society received over the weekend, it was thought appropriate both to respond to some of the queries posed and also to update Members on the Society’s position with regard to continuing to practise and insurance.  However, before doing so, the Society would like to thank those Members who have taken the time to make contact in order to thank both it and the staff, for their support and advice.  Please be assured that this is very much appreciated, especially as you will undoubtedly realise that staff members are also living through and dealing with problems that affect them and their families too. The following are the main questions that the Society is currently being asked to respond to: 1.       Should I close my practice/business? While some Members are looking for a definitive answer, it is not up to The Society of Sports Therapists as a professional organisation to advise Members to close their businesses or practices.  However, the Society does have a responsibility to advise Members to follow the UK Government guidelines with regard to social distancing and to not put themselves, their patients or staff at risk.  The decision regarding closure is one that only the practitioner can make and is dependent upon whether their practice can be modified to incorporate the social distancing required. 2.       Can I continue to treat patients? As Members will predominately work in a one to one clinical/therapy environment and be in close proximity to patients for long periods of time during their sessions, the Society would recommend that these face to face interventions are stopped.  However, as indicated in previous correspondence, alternative modes of delivery should be explored and introduced and  these can include skype, FaceTime, online or telephone consultations etc.  This should then allow members to continue to provide the excellent care that they already do without placing either the practitioner or the patient at risk. 3.       Am I still insured by The Society of Sports Therapists to treat and advise patients online/virtually? This point was covered in previous correspondence but is worth revisiting again, as there have been numerous questions on it, especially in light of information that seems to be circulating from other organisations which appears to be in conflict with the advice being given by the Society.  Therefore, hopefully the following will clarify the Society’s position with regard to Medical Malpractice and Public Liability insurance from both a Member and organisation perspective: ·         The insurance offered to Members by The Society of Sports Therapists is both ongoing and continuous and is a “professional indemnity” insurance specifically designed to protect both the Member and public.  More importantly, the terms and conditions of the policy do not change, even through the COVID19 situation and, as such, Members must be cognisant of this . ·         The cover is applicable 24 hours per day, 7 days per week for the duration of the policy, for any treatment or advice of a professional nature that is given by the Member.  This means that the Member/practitioner is liable and accountable for their actions and advice at all times and not just during working hours.  The insurance policy is also there to protect Members, as well as the public, and that where any claims are, or may be made against a Member, it is The Society of Sports Therapists that works with them and the insurers to resolve the matter.  More importantly, please be assured that claims and complaints do occur. 4.       Can I assess/treat new patients virtually and does my insurance cover me to do so? This seems to be the one area that has caused the most confusion and concerns.  Therefore, hopefully the following will clarify the situation for Members.  Additionally, if the above point regarding cover and liability is considered too, then it should help Members understand their own position in respect of this matter: ·         Members/practitioners are liable and accountable for any professionally related  advice and treatment that they give.  Therefore, if it is not possible to undertake a physical examination/assessment then definitive treatment advice cannot and should not be given.  If it is and there is then a problem following it, then the practitioner would be liable.  They would then need to attempt to justify how they reached the clinical therapy decision that enabled them to implement the interventions that they did.  Hence the reason for the Society saying the Member would not be covered under these circumstances.  This is, basically, to protect the Member. ·         Members may give general advice to new patients on the provision that they have asked the necessary questions to ensure that there are no “red flags” or other symptoms that would give them cause for concern.  The patient must also be advised that it is general advice that they are receiving, as it had not been possible to undertake a thorough assessment, and this must be comprehensively recorded.  If these measures are followed, then the Member would still be covered under their insurance, on the provision that the clinical reasoning can be justified and that no specific diagnosis or hypothesis was given. 5.       Can I see patients that I have seen before and treat them virtually and be covered under my Society insurance? This point was covered comprehensively in previous correspondence and the answer still remains the same and that is – yes.  Interestingly, many members were already doing this type of consultation and rehabilitation prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, as it was sometimes more appropriate for their particular patient group.  Consequently, the criteria and guidelines under which they worked, at that time, still apply now, and vice versa. Once again, apologies for the long communication.  However, The Society of Sports Therapists feels that it is important that Members are given the best advice available, at the time that it is given, especially during this rapidly changing world that we find ourselves in.  It is also hoped that Members will appreciate that much of the advice being given is built upon 30 years’ experience as a professional body and also following discussions that have taken place, both with colleagues in other professions and the insurers.  Therefore, whilst it is acknowledged that this communication may not have given the answer that some Members had hoped for,in respect of their businesses/practice, it is hoped that it has resolved some of the concerns raised, relating to the Medical Malpractice and Public Liability insurance cover. Stay safe and follow the guidelines![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]· It is possible to give advice and ongoing modifications to rehab and exercise programmes that have already been started. However, as with all treatments and rehabilitation, correct warnings and advice must also be given, as if the patient was in the room with you. · Make sure comprehensive records are kept. Keep any recordings and treat it as if it was a patient record, but, do remember you need the patient’s permission to do so. If not granted, ensure that you keep comprehensive written notes.​ · As with all treatment interventions, make sure that they are within your scope of practice and you have the clinical reasoning to support what you do. If you follow the above, you are covered under your Society of Sports Therapists’ Medical Malpractice and Public Liability insurance. If you have alternative insurance, please check with your insurance provider. New Patients With regard to new patients, where a physical examination is required, this cannot be achieved virtually and would not be covered under The Society of Sports Therapists’ insurance. A reminder regarding Member Insurance Medical Malpractice covers for the harm that may be done when treating a patient Public Liability covers for accidents that may happen in the environment where Members are working Guidance for Members to follow in a Clinical and Therapy Environment: · Patients with a new persistent cough and/or a temperature of over 37.8 degrees should reschedule any existing appointments and self-isolate for 7 days as per the government’s most recent advice. · Have a sign on the door to notify any persons attempting to enter the premises to not enter if they have a new cough or temperature. · Any staff member who has had contact with a person with a diagnosed case of COVID-19 should be working from home/remotely from one week post contact. · Hand sanitiser should be available on entering the therapy environment and all patients must wash their hands at the start and end of their appointments. · At the end of each appointment, working areas in the therapy room, including surfaces and door handles should be cleaned. · In addition to normal cleaning practices, deeper cleaning should be scheduled for the start and end of the working day. NB: Note to all Members – Please do refer frequently to the UK Government guidelines in order to keep up with an ever changing situation.   https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/coronavirus-covid-19-list-of-guidance[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]She can usually be found on the touchline at Ochilview Park, home of Scottish Division two team Stenhousemuir  FC but Society Member Jenna Orr was recently called upon to lend her Sports Therapy skills to support the Scottish Schools’ Football Association (SSFA) U.18 team in a friendly match against Australia U.18s. Jenna’s skills as a Graduate Sports Therapist were known to the Scottish Schools’ FA, having previously worked with the SSFA Girls U.15 squad for 6 years, and together with her work and experience in professional football, they made her a great choice to support the team. Asked what the transition was like from working with professional players, the UCLan Graduate  said: ‘It’s obviously very different from being involved with a team on a regular basis. We had time prior to the game for pre match preparation and we also did a cool down after the game.’ Thankfully there were not too many on the field incidents during the game but Jenna did recall one incident where one of the players took a knock and concussion protocols came into play.  Jenna said: ‘In this case while I was able to carry out the required procedures I did have to adjust my questions slightly. Normally you would ask a player his or her name but as I hadn’t worked with the team before and didn’t know the answer, it was important to react to the situation. So I asked questions like who were we playing, what was the score so as I could make a sound judgement. Thankfully the player was fine to carry on.’ In a hard fought match played at the Scottish Junior football club Renfrew FC, the Scotland team went down 1-0; Australia scoring in the 80th minute. Life is definitely busy for Jenna. Her role as Head Therapist at Stenhousemuir  FC is on a part-time basis covering training nights, match days and providing additional support as and when needed and she also puts her Sports Therapy knowledge to further  use in the week,  working part-time as an Administrative Assistant in The Society of Sports Therapists’ Head Office in Glasgow.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Olympic gold medallist Darren Campbell MBE, trailblazing NFL coach Phoebe Schecter and Society Chairman Professor Graham N Smith will be among the guests at the University College Birmingham’s Sports Performance and Rehabilitation Conference (SPARC) on 20th January 2020. Now in its third year, the conference aims to link national and international leading research to applied practice, offering the chance to hear leaders in sports performance and rehabilitation share their experience and knowledge. SPARC 2020 will be opened by former Great Britain and England sprinter Darren Campbell who was  a member of Team GB’s gold medal-winning 4x100m relay team at the 2004 Olympics in Athens and 200m silver medallist in Sydney four years earlier. Other guests include Professor Anne Gates, Founder and Director of Exercise Works Craig Keegan, former assistant coach of Team GB’s outstanding gold medal-winning women’s hockey team at the 2016 Olympics in Rio, Dr Richard Allison, Performance Nutritionist at Arsenal FC, and Dave Fevre, a physiotherapist who served as Manchester United FC’s senior physio for the 1999 treble-winning campaign. UCB Sports Therapy Lecturer and event organiser Gareth Bate said: “This will be our third annual SPARC event here at UCB and we wanted it to be bigger and better in every way. This year, we feel like we have used the feedback from previous conferences and secured more speakers from a variety of different professional backgrounds. There will be networking opportunities, and we will also have some of our students from last year exhibiting their dissertation posters and discussing their work with those on the courses this year.” The event coincides with the opening of the University’s brand new Moss House campus in January. The site will feature state-of-the-art facilities including a 35-metre indoor running track for assessing speed and performance as well as a cutting-edge gym and strength and conditioning suite. Tickets for SPARC 2020 are available to all current and former UCB students at a reduced rate of £10, and to external delegates from outside the University for £20. To book, visit UCB’s our EventBrite page. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The Sports Therapy programme at Bournemouth University has taken on an international flavour with an exciting collaboration with Elon University, North Carolina (USA). The two universities have signed an official Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) which has come about as a direct result of research collaborations between Dr Osman Ahmed, Programme Lead for Sports Therapy at Bournemouth University and Professors Eric Hall and Caroline Ketcham; both Professors in Exercise Science and who co-direct the Elon BrainCARE Research Institute. The trio’s main research to date has looked at concussion and online health, and they are currently collaborating on a book chapter on psychology and concussion in sport. Osman and Professor Hall have also presented together internationally. Osman said : ‘Elon University has a strong focus on international mobility and education abroad, and so Professor Hall and I also presented together on a panel in October 2018 on the benefits and challenges of mentoring undergraduate research internationally.’ As part of wanting to increase opportunities for students at both institutions, summer research exchanges were created for final year Sports Therapy students from Bournemouth and the undergraduate students at Elon. Osman explained: ‘Emily Klevan was the first Elon student to be hosted here in Bournemouth in the summer of 2019, and she spent approximately 8 weeks with us. Her research looked into perspectives towards concussion legislation in the UK, with her project co-supervised by both staff at Bournemouth University and at her home institution of Elon.’ Osman returned to Elon in September 2019 to undertake a brief research visit and his time there coincided with the University hosting a two day summit on mental health. Osman said: ‘It was amazing to be a part of the summit. I chaired a session on mental health in student athletes, and the conversation and debate generated by this was fantastic. As part of my visit I was also able to speak to students at Elon University who were considering undertaking the undergraduate research exchange in the summer of 2020. We are looking forwards to hosting more students at Bournemouth University in May. ‘2020 will also see the beginning of our students from different levels visiting Elon University themselves! In April 2020, Samantha Facey and Bradley Walsh (Level 5 students) will be undertaking a one-week “observership” at Elon, where they will shadow the Athletic Trainer there to gain an insight into the demands of the role. As part of this, they will also be able to observe how National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) athletes are treated there. Following this, in May 2020 Megan Partington and Maddie Ball, current Level 6 students, will travel to Elon for a number of weeks to undertake their summer research exchange. The study areas are yet to be decided, but the goal is for the projects to be steered and led by Megan and Maddie.’ For Osman, his Sports Therapy students and for Bournemouth University, this collaboration shows just what can develop from a collaborative piece of research. He said: ‘It has been really exciting to grow our partnership with another University thousands of miles away, and hopefully it is the start of a long relationship! We are very pleased to be able to share these opportunities with our students, and hope that they get lots of valuable life experiences from this, as well as the educational and research benefits that these activities will bring.’ Editor’s Note: We look forward to learning more about this very exciting partnership and hope we can hear back from students too about their experiences. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Leeds Beckett University Graduate Megan Parker was the 2019 winner of the Student Travelling Scholarship to York University and the third Society Graduate to make the trip to Toronto. Megan has compiled a short video of some of her highlights from the trip: [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Society Member Ka Wing Mak, was the 2019 winner of the Bruce Hobbs Travelling Scholarship to Duke University, North Carolina. MK, as he likes to be called, is a Sports Therapy Graduate of The Technological and Higher Education Institute of Hong Kong and he is also a Strength and Conditioning coach. MK has combined his range of skills to develop his own gym; Elite Corner Fitness. We caught up with him on his return from the USA to hear about his trip. What made you decide to enter this Society Award? One of the reasons why I decided to enter is because of the universities prestigious status in the world of basketball. It has the reputation in the United States and for the whole of the world for investing so much money into the development of competition arenas, training facilities and sports medicine facilities. It’s difficult to find a place which includes all of these combinations in Hong Kong. Duke University has trained and developed many professional athletes in different sports such as the NFL, NBA and MLB. As I am a basketball lover, I wanted to experience the sports atmosphere at a well-known university, as it can improve the way I think at a high and professional standard. Additionally, Duke University has so many outstanding orthopaedic doctors, athletic trainers and physical therapists as well as strength and conditioning coaches. Therefore, I wanted to enter this scholarship program to enhance my skills and broaden my vision. How did you feel when you heard you had won? As soon as I received the email, I was surprised and shocked. There are so many experienced and outstanding sports therapists around the world. It’s unbelievable that I could achieve such an amazing scholarship. I was the first Asian person to receive Bruce Hobbs Scholarship in over twenty years. As well as having just graduated from University 3 years ago, I did not think it would be enough experience, even though I have done a lot of different professional standard competitions, like golf, tennis and baseball. Most competitors had worked at different professional sports competition with more experience. Therefore, I was not a specialist sports therapist compared to the others who have worked at professional sports. I am not a strong English speaker, so it is kind of my weakness. I spent so much time on preparing and memorising my script and I couldn’t believe that all the hard work paid off. So receiving the scholarship is such a great honour and an unbelievable miracle in my entire life so far. Can you tell us about how you spent your time at Duke and what you feel you have learned? My time at Duke University was awesome. I could never have expected to have learnt and seen so many different things that I would not be able to experience on a normal basis. You could see all of the medical teams and training teams working together effectively as one whole team; sharing their thoughts to others that help athletes recover from injuries, run faster, stronger and move quicker. They usually organize the staff meeting to let the training team or medical team update their knowledge and practical information, to make sure that they have mutual understandings on training or treatment methods. I have spent a lot of time with great therapists and strength coaches. Robert Bruzga is an experienced therapist and teacher; he has taught me so many things on treatment and rehabilitation. In the first day of my scholarship trip, we had a conversation to help him understand my background and also shared his experience in Asia. He helped me arrange a great work routine inside this scholarship program to make sure I could receive as much knowledge as possible and apply it to my hometown. Overall this broadened my vision and skills in my life. Michael Messer went through to understand what I wanted to do during the scholarship trip, like what kind of sports I was interested in and what kind of sports medicine department that I wanted to stay longer. Moreover, I deeply appreciate his work as he was so busy during that time as he had to manage his wedding party as well as USA soccer team physical therapy work. He would always ask me if I am satisfied with the working experience so far or do I want to add or deduct from the daily routine to guarantee I can have a fruitful scholarship experience. Chris Antonelli has given me lots of different life experiences relating to knee and shoulder rehabilitation training, varying from 15 to 50 years old. He has taught me different techniques/guidelines and the ways to optimize them during rehabilitation training. As we are both baseball fans who love MLB and take interest in great baseball athletes, we had a great conversation on preventing injuries and provide rehabilitation protocols to baseball players from high school level to professional level. Ryan Jarema is a kind and a friendly person as he always took care of me with transportation, food and updating me during the scholarship trip. His attitude towards the University football has inspired me as now I understand that it is tough and you have to spend a lot of time to achieve a specific goal. He always wakes up early to take care of the football athletes and goes to the physical therapy center to manage patients, as well as prepare presentations to the senior physical therapist. He always shared his thoughts with me about American culture, football games and mentality to succeed. I hope he can achieve his goal in the future. Ciara Burgi is a nice person and she took me to different training and treatment centers. She was patient to listen to what I have to say to her because of my poor English pronunciation and sentence structure. She had introduced so many sports medicine staff and performance coaches to me. She always shared her opinions on treatment and training to me, like how to deliver a proper rehabilitation session to different athletes. She is humble to ask others opinion to improving the quality and structure of rehabilitation or treatment plan. Kerry Mullenix is an experienced therapist that taught me that communication is a very important component to make sure that you can understand your athletes and how bad their injury is. To make sure you have a correct diagnosis and treatment plan, good communication skill is one of the key components that a successful therapist should have. He also shared his thoughts on baseball injury prevention program and treatment plan and learnt so much from this. I have a really nice time with him! It was a great surprise and unexpected that I could work with three outstanding team physicians of the Duke University Sports Medicine team who are Dr. Alison Toth, Dr. Riboh, Dr. Ned Amendola. I really appreciate that they let me jump into their daily consultation session as they were so busy with over 20 cases within 3 hours. It was my first time to observe the knee and shoulder surgeries in my life. It really shocked me, especially when I stood so close to the surgery session. This kind of surgery session has made me familiarize with the surgery protocol and understand the rehabilitation protocols properly. Tara Moore is the athletic trainer of the men’s soccer team and women’s tennis team. She is so nice to share her thoughts on soccer’s treatment and rehabilitation method. Moreover, she also added her thoughts on preventing knee injuries and groin injuries effectively. Furthermore, I am lucky that I could follow the Duke’s men soccer team training and competition against Elon University. Now I understand deeply how her daily work looks like and I can use this to help me apply to my day to day life. Meeting Alex who is the strength coach of Duke University Golf team really surprised me as I have met two of his student athletes who were Julian Suri and Motin Yeung in European tour back in Hong Kong few months ago. He has shared his thoughts on setting a proper training program to golfers, wrestlers and field hockey. His attitude towards the details of technique and athletes has sharpened my coaching skill and philosophy. I do appreciate his help on building my knowledge on performance the field. It sounds like there were lots of highlights; do you have any in particular? I have never experienced that there are so many school students and school alumni who support their school in football games. It is uncommon to see this scenario in Hong Kong as most Hong Kong people do not have that much sense of belonging. I have experienced different sports games and sports level like high school football, university football, soccer and basketball. I do enjoy the competition atmosphere in the Duke University and it made me excited. Most students and alumni spoke some motivational speeches and words to motivate the athletes to compete with opponents. Moreover, there are cheerleader teams and music performance team at Duke University and local high school that absolutely boost up the environment. The motivational words and music definitely enhance the performance of athletes in the competition, something that is rare to see in Hong Kong and in the United Kingdom. What impressed you the most? I was impressed by the training environment and facilities of Duke University. There are so many professional standard treatment modalities like individual hot pool, ice pool and underwater treadmill. It is not realistic to find some places to have those recovery pools in Hong Kong. Besides, they also have so much rehabilitation equipment like Alter-G, Isokinetic machine or even NormaTec recovery boots. Moreover, the football and basketball teams have their own huge medical staff and strength staff who are experienced in their field. It is very difficult to find this sports team staff setting in Hong Kong, especially in different universities of Hong Kong. Duke University has invested a huge amount of money on building a scientific based training and rehabilitation center for athletes that help them build the strongest team in NCAA Division I competitions. Do you have any advice for Society Members who might be thinking about applying in 2020? It is always worthy to take a shot on this scholarship program. This kind of scholarship can help you enhance your skills and broaden your vision. I would personally advise everyone to apply for this scholarship when it launches again next year. If you are planning to apply for this scholarship, I would like to give you some advice. You have to dress smart firstly to draw the first impression of committees. As the committees are not familiar with you, you have to talk about your benefits, how you would benefit The Society of Sports Therapists, Duke University sports medicine and especially yourself. Professor Graham N. Smith reflected: ‘The selection of MK for the 2019 Bruce Hobbs Travelling Scholarship opportunity at Duke University was both exciting and rewarding for the Society. To have a Member from Hong Kong chosen for this year’s award clearly demonstrated the international breath of the Society and its membership. This was reinforced even more during my own recent visit to Duke University, where all the staff that MK had been involved with had nothing but praise for him, both as a practitioner and person. He was an excellent ambassador for not only The Society of Sports Therapists but also THEi in Hong Kong, where he underwent his Sports Therapy education, and Coventry University for his Masters in Strength and Conditioning. I therefore, would like to thank, not only MK for representing the Society so well, but also all of our colleagues and friends at Duke University for making this opportunity possible and especially Bob Bruzga and Michael Messer. I know that Bruce Hobbs would be proud too.’ Some thanks from MK… There are so many great people that I would like to appreciate your sincerely help. First of all, I would like to take this opportunity to personally thank The Society of Sports Therapists for organizing this fantastic scholarship program and to everyone who have been so friendly and treated me so well at Duke Sports Medicine. Secondly, I want to say thank you to Bob Bruzga and Mike Messer for arranging an all-rounded timetable to let me learn from so many experiences and great people. Besides, I really appreciate Mike who had spent a lot of time to arrange my schedule with different kinds of people even he was so busy as he was away with US National Soccer team and his wedding. Additionally, I would like to say a special thanks to Ryan and Ciara who are so nice to treat me so great during this trip as they have introduced me to so many coaches, therapists and athletes. Then, they have patience to listen what I have said and explain the stuffs so clearly. In order words, I would like to say thank you to the people who are from Duke University Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy as all of you are so friendly to share your knowledge and skills to enable me to be a great sports therapist in the future. Last but not least, special thanks to the staff from Duke University athletic training as you are willing to share your front-side experience and practical applications to me that help me explore different kind of treatment or training skills during the trip. I am a lucky person this year as I have met so many great people during this fantastic scholarship program.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

The inaugural Transplant Sport Conference, which recently took place at Coventry University, brought together current UK and international transplant researchers, Sport and Exercise Therapists, inspirational transplant athletes and the ‘father’ of the Transplant Games, Dr Maurice Slapak. It proved to be a medal winning line-up.   The Conference was opened by Ann Green, Head of School of Life Sciences, Coventry University and Professor Graham N. Smith, Chairman of The Society of Sports Therapists, both of whom chaired sessions during the day. They were instrumental in initially suggesting the conference and had taken a huge leap of faith in running with such an untested event. However, by the end of the last session of the day, there could have been no doubt in anyone’s mind that it was the right decision and hopefully the start of something very special. The Conference, entitled ‘The Transplant Athlete: An Evolving Challenge’, formed part of The Society of Sports Therapists’ support for Transplant Sport UK, its chosen charity for 2019 and the title proved extremely appropriate. Dr Maurice Slapak, the Founding President of the British and World Transplant Games and now a Patron of Transplant Sport, gave the first Keynote presentation. It was great to hear the 89 year old surgeon recounting how the Transplant Games had begun 41 years ago, at a time when many in the audience had not even been born. Dr Slapak’s enthusiasm for Transplant Sport has not diminished and he remains as passionate as ever. In 1978, only 99 athletes took part in the first World Transplant Games, while the same event this year saw over 2,200 competitors from 60 countries take Newcastle by storm. Such exponential growth has not, however, been matched in the area of research but pockets of development are starting to shine through and this was definitely in evidence throughout the day. So it was a privilege therefore, to welcome the two other keynote speakers Dr Tania Janaudis –Ferreira from McGill University, Montreal and Thomas Hames from Coventry University. Dr Janaudis–Ferreira is Assistant Professor at McGill and a Scientist with the Research Institute of the McGill Health Centre, Montreal.  Her work is largely focused on improving care and rehabilitation for solid organ transplant candidates and recipients and she shared her research on the benefits of exercise training pre and post transplantation. Tania is also co-founder and co-chair of the Canadian Network for Rehabilitation and Exercise for Solid Organ Transplantation Optimal Recovery (CAN –RESTORE) Thomas Hames is Course Director of Sport and Exercise Therapy at Coventry University and undertaking a PhD in Transplant Sport. His talk focused on the ‘Training Characteristics of Competitive Transplantees’ and highlighted that while there is a growing transplant population,  there is a lack of current research regarding training and competition. The call for abstracts prior to the Conference revealed three excellent papers delivered by Dr Owen Tomlinson, Associate Research Fellow at the University of Exeter, Louise Anderson, PhD student at Coventry University and David Launer, a medical student at Oxford University. All three speakers will hopefully have inspired many of the student Sport and Exercise Therapists in the audience to look at Transplant Sport as a potential topic area for their dissertations and future research. What made the conference hugely special was the inclusion of Transplant Athletes who had participated in British and World Transplant Games. Prior to the Conference a call was made for  Transplant Athletes to submit short videos talking about what Transplant Sport meant to them. Eight videos were selected and shown and 7 athletes were present to take part in two panel discussions. The details of their journeys, their thoughts and shared experiences were both humbling and inspirational. The sessions were chaired by Dr Mike Price, reader in Exercise Physiology Coventry University and Vince Mayne, Chief Executive, British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS). Vince’s line of questioning was particularly insightful as he is himself a Transplant Athlete. A panel discussion took place at the end of the programme chaired by Professor Smith which included speakers, transplantees and someone who had been instrumental in the Society’s support of Transplant Sport; Sheila Leddington-Wright, Principal Lecturer in Sports Therapy at Coventry University. Sheila has worked in Transplant Sport since 2006 and been involved in both British Transplant Games and the last 3 World Transplant Games. Her selfless dedication to Transplant Athletes has been the mainstay of the current sports therapy support and the drive to encourage research at her university. Sheila’s passion for Transplant Sport was clearly reflected in the respect and affection the transplant athletes present had for her. Sheila was introduced to Transplant Sport by her lifelong friend and colleague, physiotherapist Alison Bloxham. Alison has played a key role in recognising the skills and abilities of both Student and Graduate Sports Therapists, opening up opportunities for them to be involved at both British and World Transplant Games. Alison was able to meet up with friends old and new, including Lynne Holt. Lynne is now retired as a Transplant Coordinator at the Freeman Hospital but has continued in her long time role as Team Great Britain & Northern Ireland Manager. It was a real pleasure to have both Alison and Lynne join the Conference and the Society would be more than happy to discuss what else can be done to support the therapy team. Society Chairman Professor Graham N Smith, summed up the day when he said: ‘This was a truly inspirational day and for me, reinforced why The Society of Sports Therapists has to be involved in supporting Transplant Sport UK. With so many transplantees wanting to participate in sport and physical activity, which may not have been possible before their transplant, there is now an increasing sporting group that needs support both locally and on a national level. ‘It is also a sporting population that gets no financial support even when representing their country and relies on both athletes and support staff to self-finance their own participation. Therefore, if The Society of Sports Therapists can do anything to help and offset some of the therapy and equipment costs, it will.’ Transplant Athlete:  An Evolving Challenge

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]In his final report, University of Hertfordshire Graduate Leslie Smith gives us a glimpse of this inaugural Society of Sports Therapists’ Student Travelling Scholarship to St Clair College, Windsor, Canada. We heard from him part way through his trip and he clearly had settled in well, under the guidance of Head Athletic Therapist Kim Stroesser. This was the first year of this partnership following 10 highly successful years at the University of Windsor working with Athletic Therapists Kathy Harvie and Dave Stoute at the Green Shield Sports Therapy Clinic. Kim and Kim’s family, together with staff, students  and many colleagues who have worked with our graduates in the past, all extended the hand of friendship in developing and managing this exciting new partnership.  So over to Leslie now to pick up the story………..