TURKEY
Derya Ozer
It is my pleasure to nominate myself, Derya OZER KAYA, for consideration for the Executive Board position of IFSP. Hereby, I would like to express my outlining reasons for nominating for an EB position, what I may offer to IFSPT, and areas I can contribute to when on the EB.
First of all, I would like to talk about myself. I was graduated from Hacettepe University, Health Sciences Faculty, Department of Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation in 2002. I received my Master's Degree in Sports Physiotherapy in 2004, and Ph.D. degree in 2009 at Hacettepe University, Health Sciences Institute. I got Associate Professorship in October 2013, and Professorship in February 2019. I worked as a research assistant at the Sports Physiotherapy Unit at Hacettepe University between 2002-2011. I have been working at Izmir Katip Celebi University as the founder and the head of the Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation Department since February 2014. Moreover, I have been working as the Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences since June 2019. I have also been a co-founder of the Centre of Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation Research, Application and Performance Lab. So, I have been working and studying in the Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation area, especially specializing in sports physiotherapy for about 20 years of the clinic and academic experience, and leading many positions. I think sports physiotherapy is a growing and wonderful area within the field of physiotherapy. It is worth putting every effort into the development of sports physiotherapy. I may offer any effort that my experience provides.
Secondly, I would like to explain my relationship with the Association of Turkish Sports Physiotherapists. I have been a member (2002-present) and an Association Executive Member of the Association of Turkish Sports Physiotherapists (2003-2019). Turkish
Association of Sports Physiotherapists has become a member of IFSP since the establishment date of IFSP. As a founding member, the Association of Turkish Sports Physiotherapists has a strong relationship and confidence with the mission and vision of the Federation. Therefore, I believe that a member from Turkey may help to strengthen that relationship to empower both the national organization and the Federation. In addition, it may help to influence other organizations. For the last 22 years, The Association of Turkish Sports Physiotherapists has been very active not only in Turkey but also in Europe, America, Middle East, and Far Eastern Countries with the activities like congress, courses, seminars, workshops, clinical fellowships, and travels. During this process, those activities generated very well relations and collaborations. They also provided rapidly growing scientific information, cultural integration, and great networking. In today’s area, I believe, all of those can be contributed as a great value and, the association and I have a great willingness to share them. Therefore, I can offer that we can all add value to the IFSP.
Thirdly, I would like to mention my first personal contribution to the General Meeting of the Federation. My colleagues and I went to Amsterdam in 2011. At that time, we studied the articles of the Federation. The great effort of all contributors to not only the article making but also educational, administrative, membership, marketing, and research issues affected me a lot. I had been a volunteer to work on the research team. We could not actively do a lot in the research group, but I came to know great friends and collaborations. I would like to show more effort on research, cultural exchange, and fellowships. After the first meeting, I joined the meeting in 2015 in Bern, and in 2017 in Belfast. The meetings with the implantation of the World Congress of Sports Physical Therapy had been a great way of development. Afterward, I came across many colleagues in America during the APTA congress in 2017 and getting a JOSPT Clinical Inquiry Award for our research for the Orthopedic Section, and felt their sincere friendships. Therefore, I would like to be a part and an active member of that development and friendship for the coming years.
Fourthly, we are moving to an era where change is increasingly happening across systems/boundaries. As you all know, we have been dealing with coronavirus pandemic all over the world for more than one and a half years. This situation speeds up the change in almost every aspect, especially health issues, education, finance, sport, ecology, and social. More problems are coming up in the concept of long Covid. I think the skills for collaboration, being a team and a member of an organization, creative problem-solving, trusting, and enabling leadership are becoming core concepts for overcoming all the problems. Shifting to this mode of thinking is not without challenges, and is influenced by a range of factors such as cultural, environmental, political –. In these situations, as the key concepts of collaborative and creative problem solving, being adaptable, empathetic, fair, outcome-focused, tenacious, resolute, proactive, imaginative, curious, and reflective, are so important. Therefore, becoming a nominee for the Executive Board may enable me to learn/share those concepts for my personal and overall development. It may provide seeing the system wider, seeking alternatives, learning by doing, initiating change, tolerating uncertainty, building momentum with others across our networks who can support us to find the funding, space and time needed, Co-creating and facilitate connections across sectors and disciplines to share and learn from one another.
Lastly, health promotion, education, active life and sports, injury prevention, and leadership have been the focuses of all times. The services and role of sports physiotherapists in such a popular field are also growing and becoming of utmost importance. I would love to serve and help the IFSP for collaborative work, research, education, and organization for the future of the Sports Physiotherapy profession in any aspect with the accumulation of experience and cooperation.
Member Organization Support Statement