President - Kristian Thorborg (Denmark)

Kristian Thorborg is an Assistant Professor, Ph.D., and Specialist in Sports Physical Therapy. Through the last 10 years, Kristian has been deeply involved in Danish Society of Sports Physical Therapy (DSSF), first serving as Editor in Chief for the Danish Sports Medicine and Physiotherapy Journal, then as Board member for education and courses offered under the Danish Society of Sports physiotherapists.

 

The last 3 years he has been Chairman twice for the scientific committee for the Danish Sports Congress. In 2015, he was appointed Board Member of the Research Committee for the International Federation in Sport Physical Therapy Research Committee.

 

Email: president@ifspt.org

 

Vice President - Colin Paterson (UK)

Colin is currently a Senior Lecturer and Course Leader at the University of Brighton and is involved with pre-registration and post-graduate education, specializing in sports and exercise medicine.  He is currently undertaking his doctorate where the focus is on exploring the professional learning and professional development of sports physiotherapists.

 

Colin has been a member of the executive committee of the ACPSEM since 2004 and has held many positions including regional representative, newsletter editor, vice chair, chair (2013-16). He is currently a Vice President of the organization and one the ACPSEM soft tissue techniques course tutors. As part of these roles, Colin was responsible for the coordination and further development of the CPD pathway in the UK for a large number of years. He also sits on the IFSPT registration committee and has been involved in registration approvals for a number of years.

 

Colin is an experienced sports physiotherapist, a Registered International Sports Physical Therapist (RISPT) and has been involved with the last 4 Paralympic Games, has worked with Team GB, worked for the English institute of Sport and the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Australia will be his 4th commonwealth games.

 

Email: vicepresident@ifspt.org

Twitter: @physiocolinp

 

 

 

Treasurer - Walter L. Jenkins

Walt Jenkins is the current president of the American Academy of Sports Physical Therapy (AASPT), the largest member organization of the IFSPT.

 

Walt has served in many leadership roles with the AASPT since he joined as a student in 1983.

 

Walt was previously with Eastern Carolina University as a professor and department head, as well as Nazareth College in Rochester, NY, before taking the position as professer and department chair at Georgia Southern University. HIs interests lie in mentorship, education and expanding member benefits.

 

Email: treasurer@ifspt.org

 

 

 

 

Secretary - Luciana De Michelis Mendonça (Brazil)

Luciana has been a SONAFE (Brazilian National Society of Sports Physical Therapy) associate since 2007 and has always engaged to help her profession grow. She took part in Organizing Committees of 3 SONAFE's Conferences since then. Moreover, she now have 6 years of dedication on SONAFE's Executive Board. She is the first female president of SONAFE (2016-2017), in a country with many restrictions to women's participation in sport and politics.

 

Luciana is a teacher in a Federal University in Brazil (Universidade Federal dos Vales do Jequitinhonha e Mucuri - UFVJM) and develops research in Sports Physical Therapy field. She worked in the Brazilian National Male Volleyball Team (under - 19) and in a Female Soccer Team (Clube Atlético Mineiro). She participated in the last 3 editions of IOC World Conference on Injury and Illness in Sport with poster and workshops presentations. She also engaged the organization of the Physical Therapy services of the Rio 2016 Olympics and Paralympics Games. Nowadays she is the coordinator of a Postgraduate Program in Rehabilitation and Functional Performance in UFVJM.

 

Email: secretary@ifspt.org

Twitter: @luludemichelis

 

 

 

Member-at-large - Carlo S. Ramponi (Italy)

Carlo Ramponi started to work in sport rehabilitation a few months after completing his Physiotherapy degree, working with professional athletes and or teams. His principal interests are muscle injuries, ACL and shoulder instability rehabilitation. He works as part of the health team in his private center, in national teams and in sports clubs. He has also been involved in professional association committees for many years.
Carlo is the president of the Group of Italian Sports Physical Therapists (GISPT).
The GISPT is a young group which started in 1999. They achieved IFSPT Membership in 2009. Carlo first joined GISPT 10 years ago while he was completing his Postgraduate Certificate (PGC) in SPORT Rehabilitation at the University of Genoa.

In June 2017 the GISPT SPT Pathway was officially recognized by IFSPT.

 

Email: ramponi.carlo@gmail.com

 

 

 

Member at Large - John Fitzgerald

 

John Fitzgerald is an Adjunct Professor at the University of Queensland, and owns a successful group of physical therapy clinics in Australia. He is the founder and CEO of Active Rehabilitation Physiotherapy.

 

John has been involved with the National Committee of the Sports and Exercise Physiotherapy Group for the past nine years. He served as a physical therapist for the Commonwealth Games in 2018, and is the physical therapist for the Brisbane Firebirds.

 

Email: boardmember2@ifspt.org

 

 

 

Member at Large - Ummukulthoum "KT" Bakare

 

Ummukulthoum "KT" Bakare is a Doctorate Candidate in Physical Therapy at the University of Witwatersrand in South Africa.

 

She is a founding memebr of the NIgerian Sports Physiotherapy Association and has been active in the development of FIFA 11+ training in her native country and across Africa. She received her Bachelor of Physical Therapy and her Masters of Physical Therapy from the College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, NIgeria.

 

KT has worked as a physical therapist since 2001, and has won several awards for her service.

 

Email: boardmember3@ifspt.org