BSPRM at ISPRM 2026: UK Leadership, Influence and Global Impact

The ISPRM 2026 World Congress in Vancouver marked a defining and historic moment for BSPRM and UK Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine (PRM), with UK members contributing prominently across international leadership, governance, education, research, and global health.

A Proud and Historic Moment for BSPRM

A major highlight of the congress was the election of Professor Manoj Sivan to the ISPRM President’s Cabinet as Treasurer. Standing in an open election, Professor Sivan secured a decisive landslide victory despite not being the preferred candidate recommended by ISPRM’s Leadership, Awards and Nominating (LAN) Committee. This outcome reflected the global membership's confidence in his leadership and vision and represented a landmark achievement for BSPRM and UK PRM. “I was not expecting the ISPRM assembly of delegates to give me such a mandate. I am honoured and humbled. Reminded me of the day I was elected BSPRM President-Elect in elections”, said Manoj after his appointment.

Warm congratulations are also extended to the new ISPRM leadership team: Professor Fary Khan (President), Professor Levent Özçakar (President‑Elect), Professor Vu Nguyen (Vice President), and Professor Farooq Rathore (Secretary) — all valued friends of BSPRM, whom we look forward to welcoming to the UK in the future.

Assembly of Delegates: UK Leadership in Governance

The ISPRM Assembly of Delegates (AoD) was widely regarded as a landmark session. The UK presence was strong and influential. Dr Javvad Haider, Treasurer of BSPRM, requested by Malta and Georgia to represent them, while Dr Julian Harriss served as the UK national delegate, ensuring active engagement across multiple delegations.

During the AoD, Julian Harriss delivered a probing, eloquent, and impactful intervention, raising concerns about the LAN Committee’s approach to interviewing candidates and presenting preferred nominees in elections rather than presenting all eligible candidates equally. All candidates were highly qualified professionals and served in leadership roles in their countries. The AoD unanimously backed this argument and decided to proceed to open and fair elections. These contributions resulted in a formal commitment from ISPRM to review its nomination and election policies ahead of future elections, demonstrating a tangible UK impact on ISPRM governance.

Further strengthening UK involvement in ISPRM operations, Dr Javvad Haider was appointed to the ISPRM Statutes Committee, while Fahim Anwar (UK) joined the ISPRM Education Committee, reinforcing UK influence within the Society’s core governance and educational structures.

UK Excellence in Education, Research and Global Health

UK expertise was highly visible within the scientific programme. Dr Fahim Anwar led a well‑received hands‑on workshop on ultrasound identification of neck muscles for dystonia injections, showcasing UK leadership in procedural rehabilitation education.

Dr Mohammed Sakel led the multinational workshop ‘Bridging the Gap: Rehabilitation for an Ageing World’, addressing global inequities in rehabilitation for ageing populations through evidence‑based discussion and interactive consensus‑building.

Humanitarian rehabilitation featured prominently through an international workshop led by Dr Anas Hassan, focusing on rehabilitation responses to disasters, conflict, and climate change across multiple regions.

UK research excellence was highlighted by Dr Kathryn Radford, who presented findings from a large multicentre UK randomised controlled trial examining return‑to‑work outcomes after major trauma, providing important policy‑relevant evidence to inform future service design. Professor Manoj Sivan also contributed to scientific sessions on autonomic dysfunction and Long COVID, reinforcing UK leadership in emerging rehabilitation challenges.

BSPRM members additionally delivered over 15 poster presentations, reflecting the breadth of UK research, service innovation, and education.

Looking Ahead