A short CPN update

‘ A few noteworthy events have happened at CPN Towers over the last few weeks.

CPN Exec calls for more critical scholarship

Firstly, an editorial written by various members of the CPN Exec appeared in Physiotherapy Canada today.  Titled Infusing Rehabilitation with Critical Research and Scholarship: A Call to Action, the paper followed a conversation with Prof Dina Brooks after our last CPN Salon in Cape Town last year.  Dina challenged the CPN to do more to explain criticality to physiotherapists, and this paper was part of that conversation (full pdf here).

Planning for 2019

Secondly, we had our end-of-year strategic planning meeting last week and had the full Executive present: myself and Jenny Setchell chaired, with Jeanette Praestegaard, Michael Rowe, Viviana Silva, Tobba Sudmann and Nicky Wilson representing the current Exec, and Barbara Gibson and Gwyn Owen as Ex Officio participants. We discussed next year’s work for the Network and reported on how 2018 had gone (more on this later).  We also said goodbye to two longstanding members of the committee: Jenny Setchell and Michael Rowe, and welcome two new members: Anna Rajala and Aydee Robayo.

CPN Course

Thirdly, over the last month, we’ve run two dress rehearsals for next year’s Critical Physiotherapy Course.  The two sessions ran very smoothly and you can listen back to them here and here.  The course for next year is now set up with the following presenters:

• 21 Feb – Dave Nicholls
• 21 March – Anna Rajala
• 18 April – Gail Teachman
• 23 May – Patty
• 20 June – Tobba Sudmann
• 25 Jul – Filip Maric
• 22 Aug – Hazel Horobin

We’re going to tackle critical questions like ‘What’s wrong with patient-centredness?’, ‘What does it mean to care?’, and ‘Could physiotherapy be violent and unethical?’.

The course will run on Zoom and will be entirely free.  All you’ll need is a computer, access to the Internet, and the time.

It will also be certificated, so you’ll be able to use the time for your continuing professional development.

2nd critical physiotherapy book

Fourthly, the deadline for submissions for our 2nd critical physiotherapy book, provisionally titled Mobilising knowledge closed a couple of days ago.  And on first glance, it looks as if we’ve received more than 40 separate submissions.  A quick refresher … the 1st book has been downloaded more than 11,000 times now and has been a huge success.  The 2nd book will still focus on offering a wide range of perspectives on thinking critically about physiotherapy, but this time it will also include voices of people outside the profession.  We’ve asked each of the authors to co-author their chapters with someone who isn’t a physio.  We’ll be doing our first review of the submissions over the next few weeks and submitting the full proposal to Routledge in late January, early February.

CPN Salon 2019

And finally, planning for the 2nd CPN Salon in Geneva is moving quickly now.  We’re planning another day-long, low-cost critical get-together the day after the conference finishes, and are currently scoping out likely venues.  If you’d like to be added to the contact list for the Salon, email me at david.nicholls@aut.ac.nz and we’ll keep you updated of our plans.

So another busy few weeks for the Network.  Thanks to everyone who has continued to contribute to the work of the group, especially Jenny and Michael who have been with the Exec since its inception in late 2014.