Just recently I returned from World Physical Therapy 2007, June 2-6, 2007, in Vancouver, Canada, the International Congress of the World Confederation of Physical Therapy (WCPT, http://www.wcpt.org/index.php). This was a wonderful opportunity to network with colleagues from around the world, meet the authors of many publications that I had read, and, most importantly, gain a perspective on the international physical therapy community. The Neurology Section was well represented by over 30 section members who presented in international scientific panels, research platforms, and poster sessions. In addition, Section members were active as volunteers frequently seen moderating the various congress events.

There were five core program tracks that included topics related to global health, professional issues, professional practice, education, and research and development. Many aspects of the program reminded me of the Combined Sections Meeting in that there was cutting edge research presented in many specialty areas distributed over the beautiful vantage point of the Vancouver Convention Center. However, it was a revealing experience to observe the much broader global perspectives of our international colleagues compared to many of us from the United States.

The disparity in our American perspective compared to a more global one was particularly evident to me since I had just recently returned from the APTA House of Delegates in May where I served as the Section delegate. There the prevailing discussion among components was related to reimbursement, practice infringement, and direct access. In contrast, issues seldom addressed by us are global healthcare disparities, the severe lack of physical therapists in regions like central Asia, Africa, and parts of South America, and the great need to not only expand physical therapy education throughout the world but to investigate other methods of healthcare delivery such as community-based rehabilitation.1 Some of our international colleagues are dealing with how to provide services in the rural and remote areas of African countries where their country may have fewer than 3000 physical therapists for a population of several million. Several times I was made aware of our international colleagues who are providing services to patients who are victims of torture or the innocent bystanders of regional violence. Often, they are putting their own safety at risk to provide services in these areas of the world.

In addition to a greater sensitivity to global healthcare disparity, our international colleagues are making significant progress in other domains. For example, widespread adoption of the World Health Organization's International Classification of Function (ICF)2 (http://www.who.int/classifications/en/) was evident with application in the areas of practice, education, and research. Many countries such as Australia and Canada have extensive strategies to incorporate and advance physical therapy evidence-based practice (EBP). The Canadian Stroke Network (http://www.canadianstrokenetwork.ca/) and the Australian Physiotherapy Evidence database (PEDro) (http://www.pedro.fhs.usyd.edu.au/index.html) are excellent examples that can be accessed at the provided links.

Another lesson I learned is how often our international colleagues come to the United States to broaden their perspectives and how seldom we visit them to broaden ours. I highly encourage all of us to take the opportunity to participate in an international conference. There is the excitement and novelty of traveling to another place, but even more meaningful are the added insights one gains from learning and sharing with others who all have a common bond, the advancement of physical therapy and the provision of rehabilitation care to our patients. The next World Physical Therapy Congress will be in June 2011 in Amsterdam. Be sure to put it on your calendar; it is an inspiring event worth your effort to attend.

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