The International Society for Prosthetics and Orthotics (ISPO) held the first annual Global Educators Meeting (GEM) from June 25 to 27 in the city of Kobe, with the Kobe College of Medical Welfare acting as the official receiving institution for the event. According to the ISPO, the goal of GEM was “to strengthen and deepen the P&O professions globally, through improved P&O education, with increased cooperation between P&O schools.” The primary venue for the 3-day event was the Nichii Gakkan Kobe Port Island Center, and the secondary venue was the Kobe College of Medical Welfare.

 

The conference sought to bring together educators and administrators as well as NGOs, accrediting bodies, and other interested parties to discuss the vital yet often neglected topic of prosthetics and orthotics education and featured speakers such as Dr. Debra Darosa, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine; Brian Malas, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago; and Chapal Khasnabis, World Health Organization. Presentations were also given by other speakers from Mobility India, Tanzania Training Center for Orthopaedic Technologists, and the International Committee of the Red Cross.

 

The meeting moved from the Port Island Center to the Kobe College of Medical Welfare Sanda Campus for the second day. Participants and presenters received a tour of the facilities at the school (which has been designated a Category 1 school by the ISPO) and attended presentations and workshops covering standards and guidelines, student assessments, and also included an overview of the Japanese Education System presented by Dr. Kunihiko Ukifune, Chairperson of the Jikei Group of Colleges. At the end of the day, the participants were treated to dinner by former ISPO President Dr. Seishi Sawamura, at Dai-ichi rou, a traditional Chinese restaurant located in the old-town district of Kobe.

 

The Jikei Group of Colleges is proud to have been so deeply involved in the planning and production of the 2014 ISPO Global Educators Meeting. With the ISPO Japan office currently located in the Kobe College of Medical Welfare Sanda Campus, the Jikei Group will continue to play an important role in prosthetics and orthotics education well into the future.