President – Dr. Nicola Phillips (UK)

Nicki Phillips worked as a clinician for 16 years prior to joining the academic staff at Cardiff University, School of Healthcare Studies. She completed a MSc in Sports Injury and Therapy in Manchester Metropolitan University in 1996 and a PhD in functional coping in ACL deficiency in 2004. She now organises the post-registration and post-graduate programmes within the school, with a specific involvement in running the MSc Sports Physiotherapy programme.

Awards:

International Federation of Sports Medicine (FIMS) European Travelling Fellowship recipient 2004.

Professional activities:

• President of the International Federation of Sports Physical Therapy
• Vice President, Association of Chartered Physiotherapists in Sports Medicine
• Chief Physiotherapist for Team GB for Beijing Olympics
• Member of editorial board of Physical Therapy in Sport

Reviewer:

• Physical Therapy in Sport
• British Journal of Sports Medicine
• Journal of Sports Science
• Journal of Athletic Training

Nicki is also serving as the chair for the Registration Board, as well as the Educational Services Team and Professional Development and Awards Committees for IFSPT.

Email: phillipsn@cardiff.ac.uk

Secretary – Maria Constantinou (Australia)

Maria Constantinou is an Australian Physiotherapy Association (APA) titled Sport Physiotherapist and a Fellow of the Australian Sports Medicine Federation (FASMF). She completed her Masters in Physiotherapy Studies (Sports) at the University of Queensland in 1999 and has worked as an academic since. Maria worked as a Sports Physiotherapist at a number of major sporting events including the Sydney 2000 and Athens 2004 Olympic Games, Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games, Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games and the Pan Pacific Masters Games in 2008 and 2010.

Maria has served on a number of committees of the Australian Physiotherapy Association and Sports Medicine Australia organizations. She is the current Sports Physiotherapy delegate to the International Federation of Sports Physical Therapy (IFSPT). Maria is a Lecturer at the School of Physiotherapy and Exercise Science, Griffith University, Gold Coast campus. Her interests include musculoskeletal assessment and management of sporting injuries. Maria has presented at a number of international and Australian sports medicine and physiotherapy conferences, symposia and professional development events. One of Maria’s interests is the international advancement of the sports physiotherapy profession. Maria is also interested in life-long learning in the physiotherapy profession which includes the facilitation and convening of postgraduate studies and the use of reflection in clinical practice.

Maria has a number of publications including the book Therapeutic Taping for Musculoskeletal Conditions which she co-authored with Mark Brown in 2010. Maria’s research interests include the neuromechanics of hip joint osteoarthritis, which is the focus of her current PhD studies.

Maria is serving on the Research Committee for IFSPT.

Email: maria.c@optusnet.com.au

Treasurer – Gordon Eiland (USA)

After years of working for rehabilitation facilities in Texas, and owning his own practice, for the past year and a half Gordon has been an independent contractor/travel therapist. He recently completed assignments in Phoenix, AZ and Traverse City, MI. He has just begun his next assignment: Physical Therapist at the new American Chinese Hospital in Shanghai, China.

Gordon is serving his second term as the Treasurer for the Sport Physical Therapy Section, APTA.

Gordon is the chair of the IFSPT’s Administrative Services Team, and as a member of the PR/Marketing and Professional Development Committees.

Email: wgeiland@gmail.com

Member-at-large – Bente Anderson (Denmark)

Bente is a senior lecturer at the Metropolitan University College, Copenhagen, School of Physiotherapy, teaching all aspects of physiotherapy to the students. She is responsble for the students’ bachelor process and projects. Bente also takes part in both research and development projects in rehabilitational and Sports Physiotherapy.

Bente is the physiotherapist for the Danish Taekwondo Association and the National Danish Taekwondo Team. She served as a member of the medical team organizing the medical staff for the World Championships in Copenhagen in October 2009, which included Anti Doping work and controls. For a period of ten years, Bente was a physiotherapist of the National Danish Cricket Team and the National Danish Judo and Ju-Jitsu team.

Bente was a staff physiotherapist for the National Danish Olympic team in both the Olympic Games in 2004 in Athens and in Torino 2006, and attended several European Youth Olympic Festival. She is a member of the Danish Sports Physiotherapy Association, planning the post graduate courses for Sports Physiotherapists in Denmark as well as serving as an examiner during testing.

Bente is the chair of the Governance Services Team, and serves on the Ethics, Nominating, Professional Development, Membership, and PR/Marketing Committees.

Email: basandersen@hotmail.com

Member-at-large – Dr. Mario Bizzini (Switzerland)

Mario Bizzini, PT, PhD is a research associate at the Schulthess Clinic, a private orthopedic and sports medicine center in Zürich, Switzerland.

He works there for the orthopedic department (lower extremity, www.schulthess-klinik.ch) and for the FIFA Medical Research and Assessment Center (F-MARC,www.fifa.com/medical). He earned a Master of Science degree (MSC) from the University of Pittsburgh (School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, UPMC Center for Sports Medicine, 2001), and in August 2010 he finished his doctoral study (PhD) at the Oslo Sports Trauma and Research Center, Norwegian School of Sports Sciences (Oslo, Norway).

His research interests focus on hip and knee rehabilitation in sports, football injuries and sports injury prevention. He has currently published 35 peer-reviewed papers, 5 books, 7 book chapters, and lectured at more than 130 national and international congresses. He is a reviewer for various scientific journals, and is Associate Editor of the International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy (www.spts.org/ijspt).

He is also a specialist in sports physiotherapy and committee member of the Swiss Sports Physiotherapy Association (www.sportfisio.ch), and of the International Federation of Sports Physical Therapy (www.ifsp-world.org), a rehabilitation consultant for professional ice hockey and football teams, and has also worked at three FIFA World Cups – Germany 2006, China 2007-women, South Africa 2010 – and at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.

Mario is chair of the Membership Services Team and the Scientific Congress Committee, and is a member of the PR/Marketing Committee.

Email: mario.bizzini@kws.ch

Member-at-large – Dr. Tony Schneiders (New Zealand)

Tony served in clinic and private practice settings before returning to full-time study in 1991 in Manipulative Physiotherapy (PGDipManipTh) at Curtin University in Western Australia, where he also worked as a Musculoskeletal Teaching Fellow.

Tony subsequently pursued further postgraduate education at both Curtin University and the University of Otago, respectively obtaining an MSc(Phty) and a PGCertTertT, and completed his PhD at Otago in 2006.

Tony joined the Otago School of Physiotherapy as a lecturer in 1995 and has since been awarded the Vadoott Cup (Best Lecturer Award) three times.

Tony has both a sports and manipulative physiotherapy focus. His specific research interests include sports injury/prevention, sports-related concussion, athlete screening, biomechanics, exercise prescription, exercise compliance/adherence issues, balance, laterality, and low back pain.

Tony serves on the Research, Professional Development, and Scientific Congress Committee, and on the IFSPT Registration Board.

Email: tony.schneiders@otago.ac.nz

Member-at-large – Craig Smith (South Africa)

Craig Smith is a South African physiotherapist interested in sport. Craig graduated from the University of Cape Town with a BSc Physio (1988) and a BSc Hons Sports Science (1989) and immediately began physio work in professional sport and cricket. Craig spent 11 years with the South African cricket team from 1991 – 2002 and a further 8 years in Country Cricket with Lancashire (first team physio), Nottinghamshire (lead physio) and Hampshire (consultant physio) from 2003 – 2010. Craig has also worked in rugby, soccer and tennis.

Craig started his business, Club Physio in 2003, which facilitates seminars, courses and conferences in Southern Africa, Europe and the Middle East / Asia.

Craig serves as the PR/Marketing liaison for the IFSPT, and on the membership committee.

Email: craig@club-physio.net

 

 

 

Member-at-large – Nevin Ergun (Turkey)

Nevin Ergun, PT, Ph.D is a Professor of Hacettepe University, Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation, Ankara,Turkey.

Graduated from Hacettepe University,School of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation in 1975, Ankara – Turkey,  she completed her M.Sc in sports injury rehabilitation from the Hacettepe Health Sciences Instıtute in 1981. She received her Ph.D in Sports injuries, Physiology and Physical Therapy from Hacettepe University in 1986. She became a full time professor in 1996. Dr. Ergun conducted and attended courses/seminars and lectures nationally and internationally from 1992-2007, Cyriax Technique in orthopedics (Turkey-England 1993) Health Related Fitness, (Finland 1994), Mulligan concept (Ankara 2006), Kinesiotaping (Ankara 2006-2007), Thera-Band Academy course (Ankara 2007).

For the past 35 years, Dr. Ergun has been developing and directing sports physiotherapy and rehabilitation programs for athletes and for approximately 22 years has been working in disabled sports. She has published journal articles and books on various topics related to sports physiotherapy and rehabilitation of sports injuries, physical activity, health promotion, secondary conditions and disability, and disabled sports. Dr. Ergun worked as a Sports Physiotherapist and Chief of Medical Team for Turkey at a number of major sporting events, including the Sydney 2000, Bejing 2008 and London 2012 Paralympic Games.

Now Dr. Ergun is the Head of of Sports Medicine Unit and Academic Coordinator of post graduate sports physiotherapist Ms & Ph.D programs in Hacettepe University, Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation .She is married and has one child.

Nevin a founding member of International Federation of Sports Physical Therapists, and Chair of Paralympic Committee.

Awards:

Received an Academic Honor award from the Prime Ministry Administration for Disabled People given to the persons for producing solutions in their field for disabled people and disabilities (December 2003)

Professional activities:

• President of Turkish Association of Sports Physiotherapists,
• Chairman of Medical Committee of Turkish Sports Federation for The Physically Disabled and Medical Committee Turkish Paralympic Committee.
• Founder member and Director of Hacettepe University “HÜSYAM”( “Research and Implementation Center for Activity and Healthier Life for Community”) Research Center.
• Founder member of TESYEV (The Disabled Sports Support and Education Foundation Turkey ).
• International  Wheelchair Basketball Federation (IWBF) Gold Level International Classifier, and IWBF Development Commission Member and chairman of  Women
• Medical Committee Member of  Turkish Football Federation and Turkish Volleyball Federation
• Fellow of American College of Sports Medicine

Reviewer: International

• ACSM Medicine and Science in  Sports and Exercise  2001
• British Journal of Sports Medicine 2003
• J Sport Rehabilitation  2012
• Polish Journal of Rehabilitation Research 2012

E-mail: nergun@hacettepe.edu.tr