Meet the IOPTP Executive Committee
I am a paediatric physiotherapist, health services manager, clinical researcher and post-doctoral fellow at the CanChild Centre for Childhood Disability Research, McMaster University, Canada. I have over 30-years of experience as a paediatric clinician. I have worked across the childhood lifespan, from premature infants in the NICU, to transitioning young people into adult services and the community. My work has focused on children and youth with chronic conditions, including those with neurodiversity (cerebral palsy, autism spectrum disorder), young people with pain-related disability and those with childhood cancer. I have also worked in many settings including highly specialised paediatric healthcare facilities, child development and paediatric rehabilitation centers, and community-based services (e.g., pre-school, schools).
As a manager, I oversaw the operations of a large paediatric medical diagnostic and rehabilitation intervention portfolio in a regional paediatric healthcare facility. In this role, I led numerous quality improvement and re-design initiatives targeting multiple paediatric rehabilitation services and diagnostic clinics with the aim of improving timely access to care for children and their families. Furthermore, I had the privilege of co-authoring a business case proposal to expand rehabilitation services and, thanks to a large philanthropic donation, had the opportunity to lead the implementation and evaluation of some of the approved services (e.g., an integrated paediatric chronic pain clinic and intensive interdisciplinary pain treatment program, a transition clinic for youth with chronic conditions to adult services, a life skills community summer program). ​
My research has built on these experiences. Moreover, my interests have focused on the development, implementation and evaluation of health and rehabilitation services. My research aims to better understand the experiences of children, young people, and caregivers with services in the healthcare setting, and engaging them, and other partners (e.g., teachers) in health service (re)design and improvement. To do so, I have experimented with a variety of innovative participatory, qualitative, and mixed-method research approaches. As a result of this work, I have become interested in exploring the role, use (and non-use), drivers, implementation, and outcomes of novel service delivery models (e.g., digital care) and co-designing services with partners and those with lived experience to improve access to services for children and families to meet their needs in a timely fashion.I have been involved in the development and delivery of rehabilitation curricula (e.g., paediatrics, program development, quality improvement, and program evaluation) for multiple graduate programs across Canada and have negotiated, designed, implemented and evaluated emerging role rehabilitation (e.g., physiotherapy, occupational therapy) student placements (e.g., primary care medical clinics, community organisations).I served 8 years on the Executive Committee and Board of the IOPTP, fulfilling the role of secretary and vice-president prior to being elected President in 2023. In addition, I am a long-serving member of the Child Healthcare Canada Scientific Committee, belong to the Canadian Physiotherapy Association Past-President’s Council, and recently served on the Board and chaired the Programming Committee of a local not-for-profit therapeutic riding and equine-wellness program for children and young people with physical, cognitive, emotional, and social challenges.In my spare time, I enjoy running and hiking, cooking, travelling with my husband, Karl, and spending time with our 4.5-year-old grandson, who teaches me everyday valuable lessons on how to see, perceive and interact with the world differently.
Dale Scalise-Smith, PT, DPT, PhD, is an experienced academic leader with a demonstrated history of working in the higher education industry for more than 30 years. She holds emeritus status as Professor, Dean and Vice President for the School of Online and Extended Studies at Utica University (Utica, NY).
Dr. Scalise-Smith earned her PhD at the University of North Carolina in Interdisciplinary Infant Studies with a cognate in developmental motor control. Her research is focused on early intervention for children with disabilities, as well as family adaptation and community engagement.
Dr. Scalise-Smith serves as the Vice President for the International Organisation of Physiotherapists in Paediatrics (IOPTP), a subgroup of World Physiotherapy. Dr. Scalise-Smith led faculty, clinicians and students on five humanitarian trips to Albania and Romania. Providing therapeutic services to children and adults, educating ministry level officials about physical therapy services for citizens with neuromuscular impairments, dysfunction and disabilities.
Dr. Scalise-Smith was invited as academic consultant to institutions Trinidad-Tobago and Egypt. She conducted feasibility studies focused on developing entry-level physical therapy programs (DPT) at the respective institutions, with recommendations to university leadership on the internal and external regulatory requirements necessary.
Dr Nikki Milne (PhD) is a paediatric physiotherapist and Associate Professor at Bond University, Australia. Nikki is the newly appointed Secretary of the International Organisation of Physiotherapists in Paediatrics (IOPTP) after completing a four year term as the IOPTP Member at Large. As the international paediatric representative to the Paediatric Spinal Taskforce, Nikki has recently published an informative scoping review exploring the effectiveness of spinal manipulation and mobilisation with paediatric populations which can be found at:
https://bmcpediatr.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12887-022-03781-6.
Her research demonstrates the lack of evidence for utilising spinal manipulation and mobilisation in paediatric populations. Associate Professor Milne is also leading an international research project on Paediatric Physiotherapy Curriculum in Entry-Level Physiotherapy Programs. She is currently analysing the 4th Round of the Delphi Survey and is aiming to have the project report published for use by the profession in 2025. Nikki has also been highly engaged with the IOPTP webinar series offered in 2022/23 and looks forward to supporting the IOPTP members during her term as Secretary.
IOPTP Treasurer
Barbara Connolly
As the founding president of the IOPTP, I am happy now to serve our organisation in a different role, that of Treasurer for the next 4 years. It is thrilling to see how we have grown since the IOPTP was approved as a subgroup in 2007. I was President of the IOPTP from it’s inception in 2007 until 2015 and most recently was the IOPTP secretary. I have been a physical therapist for over 50 years and have had the opportunity to serve at the national and international level in many different ways. I love our profession and embrace the challenge that each of these opportunities have presented!
I received my BS degree in physical therapy from the University of Florida; a DPT degree from the University of Tennessee; a M,Ed. degree in special education with a minor in speech pathology and an EdD in curriculum and instruction from the University of Memphis. I am a Professor Emeritus at the University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center where I served as Chair of the Physical Therapy Department for 24 years and Dean of the College of Allied Health Sciences for the 2 years before I retired. Altogether, I was a faculty member for 37 years and had the dream job which entailed teaching, research and clinical practice.
I was a Trustee for the Foundation for Physical Therapy , a foundation dedicated to funding physical therapy research for 9 years and served as President of the Foundation from January 2015 – December 2016. In the American Physical Therapy Association, I was on the APTA Board of Directors, on the initial APTA Pediatric Speciality Council , and the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialists.
Additionally, I was President of the Section on Paediatrics of the APTA from 2002 - 2006. In my role as an educator and researcher, I have authored more than 32 publications in peer reviewed journals, have written 21 book chapters and have co-authored or edited eight textbooks for physiotherapists. The 4th Edition of my textbook, Therapeutic Exercise in the Development Disabilities was published in January 2020.Clinically, I am certified in NDT and in SI. Even in my retirement from academic, I continue to provide professional development courses both nationally and internationally. Personally, I love to walk on the beach, see new places and meet new friends. I enjoy travel and in particular to visit my two grandchildren (ages 9-months and 3-years) . What I am now learning about paediatrics is amazing! I look forward to the next 4 years of serving the IOPTP and meeting many of you through our webinars and at WPT meetings.
My name is Li-Chiou Chen and I am a faculty member in the Department of Physical Therapy at Fooyin University in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. I teach paediatric physiotherapy courses and undertake research on physical activity and motor development in children with and without special needs. Before working in academics, I had worked in hospitals as a paediatric physiotherapist for more than 10 years. As a clinician and researcher, I am passionate about how to maximise health and well-being of children with special needs. As a teacher, I am enthusiastic in ensuring that entry-level PT graduates have the knowledge, skills and passion to work with children and families.
I am grateful to serve as the member at large for the IOPTP. With the new role, I look forward to reaching out to member organisations and to making connections among paediatric physiotherapists around the world.
OPTP Member at Large
Li-Chiou Chen