John Hammond – 30 DoS – Day 26

Tell us a little about your current work and study, especially how you think and practice critically

I am an Associate Professor in physiotherapy at St George’s University of London and teach pre-registration physiotherapy and other allied healthcare programmes. My teaching interests relate to communication, self-management approaches, social justice, reflective practice and professionalism/interprofessional working. My research also reflects this, and particularly exploring where inequalities in education and student experience might exist and working out strategies to address these. So, I suppose with this focus on social justice embedded in my teaching and research, I always have a ‘critical’ lens.

What is it about critical physiotherapy that appeals to you?

There are a number of things about critical physiotherapy appeal to me. I never felt I was the typical physiotherapist as I did not fit the ‘sporty heteronormative type’, so I am drawn to critical physiotherapy as this is a community where all shapes, sizes, colours etc are recognised and celebrated for their diversity and uniqueness rather than otherness. In addition, I enjoy collaborations and debates with peers and colleagues; however, I am mindful that I do not fall into the trap of using the network as an echo-chamber. The focus of critical physiotherapy and the disruption of the status quo in physiotherapy is also something that I see as healthy for ongoing sustainability.

What do you bring to the CPN?

Unfortunately, I do not think I bring or contribute enough. This question has made me reflect, and I think I have been sitting in the wings for a while and probably need to lean in to CPN more. I would love to develop some more international collaborations for research, writing and discussion… so this is me offering my support through the network now and in the future.

How would you like to see critical physiotherapy community develop over the next few years?

I am pleased with what the network has done so far to engage different conversations in physiotherapy, such as de-colonising work. The work led by Dave and other key members has been inspiring and refreshing, and I hope it is having an impact in implicit and explicit ways beyond members. As someone who has been in the wings it is probably not right for me to make recommendations but more that it would be good to see CPN more visible at international conferences and in research. Perhaps a small step might be to encourage members to include as part of their affiliations for conferences or use of the logo more visibly in work. But longer-term sustainability is also something to consider.

How would you like to see the broader physiotherapy profession develop?

At present, there is a tension in physiotherapy. On the one hand, the profession is starting to recognize the need to represent and be more inclusive of the global populations we work with. Yet on the other hand our global governing systems are rooted in hegemonic Eurocentric, colonial, whiteness etc. It will take time, but I would like to see the physiotherapy profession (and professionals) willing to take the steps to relinquish some of this power to establish greater social justice in our practices. An example might be redressing the burdensome and costly regulatory requirements of some nations (e.g., UK, USA, Australia) to allow more freedom of travel and work so that we can learn from our global colleagues rather than seeing them as a threat to the quality. Similarly, I would like to see a challenge and disruption of pre-qualifying education entry level (from undergrad to doctoral level) that is creating structural inequities between low and high resource economies.