Consultant Physiotherapy . IFOMPT vice president

Laura is a highly skilled and professional physiotherapist with excellent clinical and managerial skills, who is responsible for the training and educational needs for Extended Scope Practitioners and whose clinical expertise allows the assessment and management of patients with highly complex needs, whilst providing efficient and effective patient services by facilitating evidence based practice through research and continuing professional development. As a member of the executive committee of the International federation of Musculoskeletal Physical Therapists (IFOMPT) influences the aim to promote excellence in clinical and academic practice worldwide.

Senior lecturer, university of Applied Science, Hogeschool Utrecht in the Netherlands

After working in a physical therapy clinical practice Jan started a manual therapy practice in 1983 and moved on into part-time education in 1984. In 1989 he was appointed as a member of the board of the Dutch Association of Manual Therapy (NVMT). His mean interest was education and scientific development of manual therapy. In 1994 he was involved in a randomized clinical trial on neck pain at the VU University medical center in Amsterdam. In that time he finished a MSc in epidemiology. As a result he started a new RCT and wrote a PhD thesis regarding Neck Pain and completed his PhD in 2007 at the VU University.
Jan is currently program coordinator Master Manual Therapy at the University of Applied Science, Hogeschool Utrecht in the Netherlands. This programme is an approved route leading to membership of the Dutch Member Organisation of IFOMT, the Dutch Association of Manual Therapy (NVMT). Furthermore he is working part-time in a clinical practice, Medical Centre IMPACT, in Zoetermeer the Netherlands.

Professor in the Physical Therapy Program at the University of Colorado School of Medicine

Dr. Mintken is a Professor in the Physical Therapy Program at the University of Colorado School of Medicine.  He completed his fellowship training in orthopedic manual therapy at Regis University.  He is a board-certified Orthopedic Clinical Specialist and a Fellow in the American Academy of Orthopaedic and Manual Physical Therapists. He maintains an active research agenda investigating conservative care for musculoskeletal disorders as well as spinal and extremity manipulation.  He has received research grants from the APTA and AAOMPT. He has multiple publications in 15 different peer-reviewed journals and has co-authored 3 eBooks and 7 book chapters.  His awards include the Dorothy Baethke-Eleanor J. Carlin Award for Excellence in Academic Teaching, the Rose Excellence in Research Award, the JOSPT Excellence in Research Award and the Chattanooga Research Award.  Dr. Mintken is also a lead clinician at Wardenburg Health Center at the University of Colorado, Boulder.

University of Southern Denmark and University College Lillebaelt. Member of IFOMPT Standards Committee

Per Kjaer holds the position of professor of musculoskeletal research with a focus on back and neck pain at the University of Southern Denmark and the University College Lillabaelt, Denmark.  Professor Kjaer’s main focus has been on musculoskeletal physiotherapy as a clinician, a teacher and a researcher. His extensive clinical experience over a period of more than 25 years, combined with three decades of teaching, generated a strong desire to base his work on scientific evidence. As a result, over the last 20 years, Professor Kjaer has become more involved in epidemiological and clinical research to address some of the gaps in scientific evidence, while maintaining an active role in undergraduate and post-graduate education.

Bridging the gap between science and clinical practice is one of professor Kjaers passions. Therefore, he has been the leader of several groups tasked with the responsibility of developing clinical guidelines: one for safety in the treatment of neck pain initiated by the Danish Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy Association, another for the examination of people with neck pain initiated by the Danish Physiotherapy Association, one for non-surgical treatment of cervical radiculopathy and one similar for lumbar radiculopathy initiated by the Danish Health Authority. The latter have recently been published in the European Spine Journal.

Associate Professor of Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Wendy Scholten-Peeters is Associate Professor of Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, The Netherlands. She also holds a position as senior researcher/ lecturer at the SOMT University of Physiotherapy, department of Manual Therapy, Amersfoort, The Netherlands. Wendy has a background in physiotherapy and received her Master degree in Manual Therapy (cum laude) at the free University of Brussels, Belgium in 1996. She did her PhD in 2004 on ‘Whiplash and its management’ at the Centre for Quality of Care Research, University Medical Centre, Catholic University of Nijmegen. From 1996 till 2008, she was lecturer  ‘Theory and Practice Manual Therapy’ at the Free University of Brussels, and guest lecturer at the University of Genua, Italy. In that time, she also worked as a manual physiotherapist at the ‘Spine and Rehabilitation Centre’ Uden, The Netherlands. From 2009 till 2014, she worked as senior researcher at the University of Applied Sciences, research group diagnostics, Breda, and the Erasmus MC-University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Since 2014 she is studying patients with musculoskeletal pain, mainly focusing on underlying mechanisms of manual therapy, effectiveness studies, and safety of manual therapy interventions at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. Her teaching focuses mainly on research methodology and physiotherapeutic diagnostics and management for Master and PhD students. Wendy has been involved in the development of various evidence-based guidelines in the field of back and neck pain, is chair of the educational committee of the Dutch Association for Manual Therapy and (co)authored about 40 scientific publications in international peer reviewed journals.

MSc.MACP.MDT.MCSP.FHEA/ OMTA Chariman/ associate senior lectures SHU

Mahmoud is an academic and manual therapist based in Sheffield UK.  He started his academic role at Sheffield Hallam University in 2004 as a senior physiotherapy lecturer. He is a fellow of the higher education academy UK.He has a master in MSK physiotherapy from Sheffield Hallam University , Diploma in manual therapy (leading to MACP recognition) and currently persuading a PHD degree in MSK Physiotherapy at Sheffield Hallam University. He lead the musculoskeletal module within the advanced master program and supervised many master dissertations in the field of MSK Physiotherapy. Mahmoud is the chairman of Orthopaedic Manual Therapy Academy OMTA and international OMT tutor.

Beate is a clinic director and consultant physiotherapist in a central London clinic. She believes passionately that movement combined with the skills of a well-trained physio, can keep individuals of all backgrounds injury free, recurrence free and in good Movement Health.  Through extensive clinical experience she can see that a systemised movement focussed assessment can achieve these aims.

This belief in the power of movement extends both personally and professionally, and as a passionate and experienced sportsperson, Beate enjoys ultra-challenges, especially trail running. 

Beate will focus on the interrelationship of the neck and shoulder and how assessment of one area is incomplete without assessment of the other.

Peter Goossens works as a Manual Therapist in his private practices in The Netherlands and Belgium and is a lecturer for over 25 years at the SOMT University, department of Manual Therapy, Amersfoort The Netherlands, specialized in spinal disorders.
He is lecturer for over 20 years in Germany (Münster and Kerpen), and Switzerland (Derendingen).

He is also connected as Scientific Cooperator with the VUB, Free University of Brussels, department of Experimental Anatomy and he is guest lecturer at the UA, University of Antwerp.

Peter Goossens has a background in Physiotherapy and graduated in Manual Therapy at the SOMT  (1990) and received his Master degree in Manual Therapy, Cum Laude, at the VUB, Free University of Brussels. 
Since 2015 he is PhD student at the VUB, on the subject of cervical artrokinematics

Sean Gibbons graduated from Manchester University in 1995. He has been rehabilitating movement patterns for over 20 years. He researched and developed numerous advances to the  cognitive control of movement including which postural and primitive reflexes influence movement and key aspects neurodevelopment. His PhD was on the development of a prescriptive clinical prediction rule for specific motor control exercises in low back pain. Key new sub-classifications were identified: Neurological Factors, which are related to poor movement and the ability to learn coordination exercises and respond to education; Midline as a sensory system which is critical to Body Image Pain; and Neuro-Immune dysregulation, which is critical for Central Sensitization and Psychosocial Factors. These sub-classifications led to the development of new rehab strategies to improve general coordination and the neurological deficits and address the underlying mechanisms as to why people present in each of the each sub-classification categories. His current work involves the predictive validity of the sub-classification model he developed and the Individual Factors influencing treatment. His earlier dissection and research into psoas major, gluteus maximus and other muscles has led to the development of new rehabilitation options which have been used in clinical trials with favorable results. He has presented his research at national and international conferences and has several journal publications and book chapters on related topics. He is an Assistant Clinical Professor (Adjunct) at McMaster's Advanced Orthopaedic Musculoskeletal / Manipulative Physiotherapy specialization.