CPN End of Year Report Card

It seems we say this every year, but 2017 was another bumper year for the CPN.

We’ve continued to grow in size, now with over 650 members.  This year alone we’ve added 185 new members from 41 countries, thanks, in part, to the work we did at WCPT in Cape Town.

The Focused Symposium that we ran was a huge success, and it’s fair to say we were all a little surprised by the reception we received.  Our one-day post-conference ‘Salons’ held simultaneously in Cape Town and Cardiff were also great opportunities to grow and support the CPN family.

Perhaps the biggest achievement of the year, however, has been the creation of the first ever published collection of critical physiotherapy writings.  Due for release on 8th January, Manipulating Practices: A critical physiotherapy readeris the collective effort of a five-person editorial team (Barbara Gibson, Dave Nicholls, Jenny Setchell, Karen Synne Groven and Nicky Petty) and 20 CPN members (in published order):

• Barbara Gibson
• Anna Rajala
• Roger Kerry
• Dave Nicholls
• Blaise Doran
• Jenny Setchell
• Ukachukwu Abaraogu
• Fiona Moffatt
• Tobba Sudmann
• Karen Yoshida
• Tone Dahl-Michelsen
• Karen Synne Groven
• Michael Rowe
• Wenche Bjorbaekmo
• James Shaw
• Amy Hiller
• Clare Delaney
• Nicole Glenn
• Birgitte Ahlsen
• Kari Nyheim Solbraekke.

Themes for the 15 chapters range from ethics, education and evidence-based practice, to communication, philosophy and research methods.  Perhaps most excitingly, the book has been produced as a ‘gold model’ open source text (with the generous support of the University of Oslo).  This means that it will be entirely free to anyone to download and use.

Huge thanks go to the many contributors to the book for their dedication and hard work.  We have managed to deliver the book on deadline and met the stringent peer review requirements of Cappelen Damm – Norway’s biggest publisher of scientific literature.  Huge thanks to Ingrid Eitzen at Cappelen Damm for her help in producing the book.

The CPN Executive has grown to nine members now: Wenche Bjorbaekmo, Barbara Gibson, Simon Kirkegaard, Dave Nicholls (co-chair), Gwyn Owen, Michael Rowe, Jenny Setchell (co-chair), Viviana Silva, and Nicky Wilson.

We’ve had a core membership for the entire period of the Networks three-and-a-half year life and we’re constantly looking at our organisation.  2018 will see some small changes in membership with Wenche stepping down and Tobba Sudmann stepping in.  Wenche has brought a huge depth of wisdom and insight to the group, and we’re hugely thankful for the support she’s given to us individually and collectively since the very first days of the Network.

We have a number of interesting new collaborative projects beginning in 2018, including the possibility of a new online course in thinking critically about the future of physiotherapy in conjunction with Physiopedia, and a regular new contribution to the Canadian Physiotherapy Association monthly National Rounds e-blasts.  These will give us some new outlets for critical thinking and professional engagement.

The blog continues to be an important vehicle for ideas, and we published on more than 120 different themes, including our regular 30 Days of September campaign.  We’ve had more than 190,000 separate visits to the site this year, and huge interest in the Network through our connected social media feeds on Facebook and Twitter.

So what promise does 2018 hold for the Critical Physiotherapy Network?

We continue to work hard to create a safe space for radical and critical thinking – a space that’s open to the kinds of ideas that many of our colleagues still, sadly, find challenging or frown upon.  We still strive to grow the Network and reach out to those people looking for a community that helps them to find their voice.  And we continue to strive to be a family and not so grand and fancy that we lose sight of our who we are.

As an Executive, we’ll work hard to try to protect these important ideals and support you in whatever way we can.

All of the work of the CPN is voluntary and people come to it because they value what it’s trying to achieve.  So we are hugely grateful for the hours of work put in by countless people across the world who have offered their time, energy, skill and expertise to the Network over the last 12 months.

Finally, thank you for finding time in your day to read and comment on these posts.  The CPN is, first and foremost, a network, so your ongoing support and critique is what keeps it alive.

Happy holidays, and see you again in 2018.