Mission
To build a network of dedicated team of physiotherapists across the globe by reaching out to member countries of the WPT and encouraging/stimulating interest in palliative care physiotherapy.
Objectives
Hospice and Palliative Care Special Interest Group Leadership:
Special Interest Group Lead
Dr. John Davidson Okwudili (Nigeria), PT, Ph.D.
Dr. Davidson Okwudili is an accomplished physiotherapist, educator, and researcher with over a decade of clinical experience and a steadfast commitment to advancing rehabilitation care for underserved populations. His career spans diverse domains, with a particular focus on integrating physical activity and exercise into the rehabilitation of HIV and cancer survivors in Nigeria.
Dr. John earned his Bachelor of Medical Rehabilitation in Physiotherapy, followed by a Master of Science in Cardiopulmonary Physiotherapy and a PhD in Exercise Physiology. During his tenure at the Alex Ekwueme Federal University Teaching Hospital in Ebonyi State, Nigeria, he served as a key member of the Tumor Board and played a pivotal role in establishing the Oncology and Palliative Care Subunit within the Physiotherapy Department. He served s the team lead of this unit.
Currently, Dr. John is a lecturer at David Umahi Federal University of Health Sciences, Ebonyi State, Nigeria, and a research fellow at INTI International University, Malaysia. His professional responsibilities include teaching, mentoring students, conducting impactful research, and advocating for active living and exercise participation, particularly among HIV and cancer survivors.
As the Chairman of the Nigeria Society of Physiotherapy’s HIV, Hospice, Oncology, and Palliative Care Specialty Group (NSP-HOPE), Dr. John leads initiatives that promote evidence-based rehabilitation practices. His research focuses on the integration of exercise into HIV and cancer care, aiming to improve health outcomes and quality of life for these populations.
Dr. John is a prolific author with numerous publications in high-impact, peer-reviewed journals. His work is widely recognized in the global scientific community, reflecting his dedication to advancing the field of physiotherapy.
Contact Information
Email Dr. John Davidson
Special Interest Group Education Facilitator
Guro Bridgitte Stene (Norway, Europe)
Stene is currently working as an associate professor at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in Trondheim, Norway. In this position, she is a project lead and researcher in clinical research within oncology and palliative rehabilitation, as well as teaching and supervising students in health sciences at bachelor, master’s and PhD levels. She also works as a researcher for the Centre of crisis psychology at University of Bergen, Norway, taking part in the EU Horizon funded project ‘INSPIRE Palliative rehabilitation to improve quality of life for individuals with incurable cancer’ lead by the Cicely Saunders Institute of Palliative Care, Policy and Rehabilitation, King’s College London.
Stene was qualified as a physiotherapist from the University of Salford, UK, in 1999 and has a MSc Physiotherapy from the Manchester Metropolitan University, UK (2004). She has worked within the NHS England for a few years before returning to Norway, working in rehabilitation units and as a specialist in oncological physiotherapy at the cancer clinic, St Olavs Hospital Trondheim, Norway. She graduated from her International PhD in Palliative Care at NTNU in 2014 and has since conducted clinical trials within oncology and palliative care as part of the Cancer and Palliative Care Research Group at NTNU. Her research spans widely, including basic science on cancer cachexia, prevention of sarcopenia and frailty in the elderly, exercise oncology and epidemiological research on work participation after cancer.
Stene currently acts as a Liaison Contact for Norway in the IPT-HOPE WCPT.
Contact Information
Email Guro Bridgitte Stene
Special Interest Group Research Facilitator
Joanne Bayly (Great Britain, Europe)
Jo is currently a post-doctoral Research Fellow and the Scientific Project Manager for the EU Horizon funded project ‘INSPIRE Palliative rehabilitation to improve quality of life for individuals with incurable cancer’ at the Cicely Saunders Institute of Palliative Care, Policy and Rehabilitation, King’s College London (KCL). She is also seconded from KCL to St Barnabas Hospices in Worthing, West Sussex as Research Lead.
She joined the Cicely Saunders Institute, KCL, in June 2016 to conduct her NIHR Clinical Doctoral Research Fellowship, developing and feasibility testing the model of short-term palliative rehabilitation currently being tested for effectiveness in the INSPIRE project.
Jo qualified from the Leeds School of Physiotherapy (1987), has a Master of Research in Health Sciences from the University of Liverpool (2011) and a PhD from KCL (2020). She was a specialist physiotherapist at a Hospice in Liverpool from 1996-2015, and this clinical experience informs her research interests, which include models of care for people living with advanced disease and multi-morbidity with a focus on rehabilitation in palliative care.
Contact Information
Email Joanne Bayly