The Haiti Earthquake Remembered
Ten years after the devastating earthquake, HVO's Executive Director shares the story of our work in Haiti and our hopes for the future.
physical therapy
Volunteer Spotlight: HVO Golden Apple Award Recipient Janna Beling, PhD, PT
"My international volunteer experiences have been life changing and have caused me to recognize that our physical therapy profession has a major contribution to make in furthering global health." - Dr. Janna Beling
Positioning for Life
I’ve shared with you how small changes in behavior can have a significant impact. Another of those behavior changes was related to me by Kathy Clark, a pediatric physical therapist. Kathy was volunteering in Bhutan’s National Referral Hospital, where 3,500…
Small Changes, Large Impact
Sometimes, when we think of making a difference in health care, we think of major changes – introducing new technology or surgical skills. What we often forget are the small elements of day-to-day work that we take for granted but…
Making a Sustainable Impact on Physical Therapy in Rwanda
From March 2013 to May 2015, HVO volunteers delivered a series of continuing education courses, a leadership institute, and more than 300 clinical mentoring sessions to Rwandan physiotherapists, as part of a USAID-funded project. In total, 168 physiotherapists participated in…
Stories of Impact – Judith Canfield-Henry, PT, MSEd, EdD
As we celebrated HVO’s 30th anniversary, I heard a number of stories, and recalled many more. Over the next year, I’d like to share some of my favorites with you. This first one was from a well-traveled and much loved…
From the Field: Empowering Physical Therapists and Wheelchair Users in Bhutan
Editor’s note: This post was adapted from a trip report written by HVO volunteer and leader Linda Wolff, MPT, summarizing her experience working as part of a team to deliver wheelchair service provision training to physical therapy providers in Thimphu, Bhutan.…
Editor’s Picks: Top HVO Blog Posts of 2017
For HVO staff, leadership, volunteers and supporters this past year was a time for both reflection and forward planning. In April, we were joined by many members of our global health community for a one-day symposium in Washington, DC. The…
Using the Web to Connect Rwandan Health Professionals with Continuing Education
The seed for the website Top Upgrade was planted during a month-long leadership training course for physical therapy professionals, which took place in Kigali, Rwanda in 2015 with support from HVO. During the course, participants were divided into groups of…
New Opportunity for Physical Therapy Volunteers in Vietnam
In a recent post for our “Trends in Global Health” blog series, HVO leader Jennifer Audette, PT, PhD, discussed the evolution and growth of HVO’s physical therapy program. “I feel confident in saying that the future is very bright –…
Trends in Global Health: Improving Health Equity Through Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation
Jennifer Audette, PT, PhD writes this installment of Trends in Global Health highlighting equity as one of the Guiding Principles of the American Physical Therapy Association’s Vision – a principle that fits within both the global health agenda and the HVO mission. September 8th…
Specialize in Wound Care? Transform Lives by Volunteering with HVO
According to the World Health Organization, injuries account for an estimated 5 million deaths each year, nearly twice as many as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria combined. On top of this staggering death toll, tens of millions of people each year…