75 noteworthy physiotherapists
The 75 noteworthy physiotherapists being recognised are being announced via World Physiotherapy's social media platforms, with one announced each day through September - November 2026. As they are announced they are being added to this page.
Ulrich BetzGermany
Ulrich Betz
CloseGermany
Ulrich Betz is a German physiotherapist who has spent his career working at university hospitals in Würzburg, Ulm and, since 1991, Mainz. His clinical focus is the treatment of pain and functional disorders of the musculoskeletal system, supported by extensive postgraduate training. Following his three-year vocational training, he studied physiotherapy when university-level education in the field became available in Germany. He subsequently completed a Doctor rerum Physiologicarum (Doctor of Physiological Sciences) at Mainz University Medical Centre.
Since 2009, Ulrich has been founding director of the Institute of Physical Therapy, Prevention and Rehabilitation at the University Medical Centre of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz. The Institute supports the academic development of physiotherapy, occupational therapy, and speech and language therapy, combining patient care, research, and teaching, and treating approximately 650 patients each day.
His work as head of the institute inspired a major research interest in healthcare service analysis, particularly the interprofessional optimisation of care processes and increasing patient activity during illness. Through his work on process optimisation in hip and knee arthroplasty – the PROMISE project – Ulrich obtained his habilitation, a postdoctoral academic qualification enabling independent university teaching and research. This represented a pioneering development for physiotherapy in Germany.
The PROMISE project demonstrated the positive effects of process optimisation, including shorter hospital stays and lower costs alongside improvements in patients’ functional ability and independence. Ulrich subsequently applied this knowledge to other patient groups, developing the ‘medizin aktiv’ approach to promote physical activity during treatment and maximise the established benefits of exercise.
His second area of research focuses on the spine and evaluation of physical therapy models. His doctoral research included quantitative analysis of trunk geometry and electromyographic recording of back muscle activity in different sitting and standing positions. His investigations now include quantitative gait analysis using rasterstereography.
Ulrich has authored numerous articles in specialist books and scientific journals, and has presented his research internationally. He serves on the Scientific Advisory Board of Physio Deutschland and the PT, a specialist journal for physiotherapists, and regularly contributes to media discussions about health topics including back pain and foot health. His work has been recognised with the Science Award of the German Central Association of Physiotherapists (ZVK) and the ‘Stein der Weisen’ Award from Physio Deutschland.
Throughout his career, Ulrich has worked to develop academic structures for physiotherapy research and collaboration with other disciplines. Since 2020, the institute has operated the Interprofessional Study Centre for Movement Research in collaboration with the Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology. From 2023-2026, four physiotherapists obtained doctoral degrees there. Ulrich aims to establish a clinically-oriented physiotherapy degree programme at Mainz University Medical Centre, providing clinically focused academic education in line with World Physiotherapy requirements and global best practice.
Ann MooreUnited Kingdom
Ann Moore
CloseUnited Kingdom
Ann Moore qualified as a physiotherapist in 1973. After working clinically in the National Health Service (NHS), she trained as a physiotherapy teacher and became a lecturer in Coventry, where she was awarded a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in 1990, one of the first awarded to a physiotherapist in the UK.
In 1991, she joined Brighton Polytechnic, later the University of Brighton, as a principal lecturer. She was awarded a personal Chair in Physiotherapy in 1998 and led its Clinical Research Centre for Health Professions from 1998 to 2013, which became the Centre for Health Research in 2013. She retired from the university in 2015 and is professor emerita of physiotherapy.
Ann has specialised in musculoskeletal physiotherapy throughout her career. Her teaching and research have focused largely on non-specific low back pain, using clinical trials, laboratory-based studies, qualitative research, and, more recently, art and health research approaches. She has been particularly interested in patient experience, the impact of low back pain, and developing approaches to patient care, education, and self-management.
Ann has published seven books, 10 book chapters, 11 research reports, 94 peer-reviewed articles, 14 occasional papers, and 81 editorials. She has delivered more than 200 keynote and invited addresses and presentations nationally and internationally and supervised 30 doctoral students to completion. She also served as an expert panel member for the UK’s Research Excellence Framework from 2011 to 2014, assessing the quality of university research in allied health professions and related disciplines.
In 2004, in partnership with three other professors, and with funding from the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, Ann developed the National Physiotherapy Research Network. This became the Allied Health Professions Research Network in 2012 and, in 2014, the Council for Allied Health Professions Research (CAHPR), funded by the UK allied health professional bodies. These initiatives focused on increasing research capacity and developing the research profile of allied health professions across the UK. Ann led the networks and subsequently served as director of CAHPR until 2019. She was also a founder member and chair of the National Council for Osteopathic Research from 2006 to 2012.
From 1995 to 2025, Ann was editor-in-chief of Musculoskeletal Science and Practice, previously Manual Therapy, an international journal of musculoskeletal physiotherapy.
Her contributions to the physiotherapy profession have been recognised internationally. She received the World Confederation for Physical Therapy International Service Award in 2007, honorary fellowships from the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy in 1999 and the Musculoskeletal Association of Chartered Physiotherapists in 2003, an honorary Doctor of Science degree from Bedford University in 2011, and lifetime membership of the International Federation of Orthopaedic Manipulative Physical Therapists in 2020.
In 2016, Ann was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in Queen Elizabeth II’s Birthday Honours for her services and contributions to physiotherapy and other allied health professions.
Thompson Abayomi OshinNigeria
Thompson Abayomi Oshin
CloseNigeria
Thompson Abayomi Oshin was born on 30 July 1926 into the Oshin family of Mobalufon, Ijebu-Ode, Nigeria. Raised partly in Sabon Gari, Kano, he became fluent in Yoruba and Hausa and developed lifelong interests in music, scouting, education, faith, and community service. A gifted musician, he continued to play the organ, piano, flute, and harmonica into his nineties. In 1999, he translated the Scout Promise and Scout Law from English into Yoruba.
Thompson became one of Africa’s physiotherapy pioneers. In January 1954, he was the first African physiotherapist to qualify in London, where he also became the first African to take sole charge of the evening physiotherapy clinic at St Nicholas Hospital, Plumstead. That year, he became the first African physiotherapist to broadcast on BBC London, discussing the value of physiotherapy to West Africa.
From 1958 to 1959, Thompson was the first African exchange physiotherapist to the United States and, from 1963 to 1965, the first African to teach physiotherapy at King’s College Hospital, London, where, in 1971, the Nigeria Society of Physiotherapy named him “Father of Physiotherapy” in Nigeria.
Returning to Nigeria, Thompson helped establish physiotherapy as an academic and professional discipline. He was a founding member of the Nigeria Society of Physiotherapy, the country’s first university lecturer in the field, and a driving force behind Nigeria’s first BSc Physiotherapy programme at the University of Ibadan, which started in 1966. In 1973, he became the first head and consultant physiotherapist at University College Hospital, Ibadan.
His continental leadership included election as the first secretary-general of the African Physiotherapist Organization in 1980. He also served as a member of the World Confederation for Physical Therapy, National Secretary in Nigeria of the International Society for the Welfare of Cripples (Physically Challenged), chairman of the Medical Rehabilitation Therapists (Registration) Board of Nigeria, and a member of the National Universities Commission Accreditation Panel.
Thompson’s clinical and scholarly contributions included the discovery and documentation of “Oja Palsy”, later published in Davidson’s Principles and Practice of Medicine. He designed corrective splints for Oja Palsy and Erb’s Palsy, as well as folding wooden crutches, demonstrating his commitment to practical and affordable rehabilitation solutions.
He also authored A thousand year perpetual calendar 1583–3100 A.D. and served as personal physiotherapist to Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Premier of the Western Region of Nigeria, from 1956 to 1959.
At 100 years old, Thompson’s legacy rests on his pioneering contribution to physiotherapy in Nigeria and Africa. He has supported hospitals, homes for people with disabilities, and educational institutions through donations of physiotherapy equipment and crutches, wheelchairs, land, teaching materials and sports equipment. He endowed prizes for physiotherapy graduates at the Universities of Ibadan and Lagos and for nursing at University College Hospital, Ibadan. His service has also extended to his Christian faith and community. Through a century of service, he has educated generations of professionals, advanced rehabilitation, supported people with disabilities, and made a lasting contribution to the profession and the communities he has served.
Marco PangHong Kong
Marco Pang
CloseHong Kong
Marco Pang graduated from the University of Alberta with a BSc in Physical Therapy. His early clinical work in neurorehabilitation at a major hospital in Winnipeg inspired him to pursue further study, and he returned to the University of Alberta to complete a PhD in Neuroscience. Following postdoctoral training at the University of British Columbia, he returned to his birthplace, Hong Kong, to pursue an academic career.
Marco has since established himself as a leader in physiotherapy education, research, and professional development. In 2011, he designed and launched the Master in Physiotherapy programme at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU), the first entry-level postgraduate physiotherapy programme in Southeast Asia. His contributions to education have been recognised with awards from PolyU and the University of Alberta, as well as a QS Reimagine Education Silver Award. He has mentored numerous PhD trainees and delivered more than 200 invited lectures and workshops across over 20 countries. Since 2024, he has served as head of the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences at PolyU. He also founded and was the inaugural chair of the Hong Kong Physiotherapy Association’s physiotherapy education specialty group.
As a neurorehabilitation scientist, Marco’s research has advanced understanding and practice in areas including bone health, dual-task function, and fall prevention following stroke. He is a chair professor at PolyU and one of seven endowed professors within its Faculty of Health and Social Sciences. Since 2022, he has been included in Stanford University’s ranking of the world’s top 1% most-cited scientists in rehabilitation. In 2023, he received the World Physiotherapy International Service Award for Research.
Marco has also played a significant role in professional governance and advocacy. He served the Hong Kong Physiotherapy Association as vice president for research and publication from 2011 to 2017 and as president from 2017 to 2024. Since 2012, he has been editor-in-chief of the Hong Kong Physiotherapy Journal, overseeing its development from an annual, non-indexed publication to a biannual, indexed international journal. His advocacy contributed to policy reform in Hong Kong, including legislation passed in 2025 allowing provisional direct access to physiotherapy services. He has also been appointed to the Primary Healthcare Committee and the Expert Panel Executive Board of the Primary Healthcare Commission as a representative of the rehabilitation sector.
Marco’s contribution extends to the international physiotherapy community. He served on the World Physiotherapy executive committee from 2017 to 2019 and, in 2023, became chair of the Asia Western Pacific region executive committee, where he continues to support regional collaboration and the development of the physiotherapy profession.
Aimée StewartSouth Africa
Aimée Stewart
CloseSouth Africa
Aimée Stewart graduated from the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) as a physiotherapist in 1968 and worked clinically at Johannesburg Hospital until 1973, when she began her long association with the Wits Physiotherapy Department. She taught there from 1973 to 1986, completing a Diploma in Physiotherapy Education in 1975, before joining the Johannesburg City Health Department’s Cardiac Rehabilitation Unit to run its rehabilitation programme. She returned to Wits in 1991 and has remained involved with the department since, including after her formal retirement in 2012.
At Wits, Aimée played a foundational role in developing the undergraduate curriculum, laying the groundwork for its transition to a structured, outcomes-based approach. After completing her MSc in 1992, she became increasingly involved in postgraduate supervision and was appointed postgraduate and research coordinator in 2003. That year, she was also awarded her PhD for research into the management of hypertension.
In 2007, Aimée secured a National Research Foundation (NRF) niche grant on chronic disease and disability, supporting the development of physiotherapy research and infrastructure at Wits, including a Movement Laboratory. She became an NRF-rated scientist in 2008. Over two decades, she helped establish a strong research culture within the department and has supervised 25 PhD and 41 MSc candidates across several disciplines. Many of her mentees have progressed to leadership roles in academia, clinical practice, and management across Africa. She has authored more than 150 peer-reviewed publications.
From 2004 to 2010, Aimée was a consultant to the Kigali Health Institute in Rwanda, contributing to the development of an undergraduate programme for what is now the University of Rwanda Physiotherapy Department. In 2012, she received the World Physiotherapy Africa region Service Award, recognising her service to the profession and mentorship of physiotherapists in Africa. She had previously received South Africa’s Distinguished Women in Science – Social Science and Humanities award in 2011.
Aimée chaired the committee responsible for the scientific programme of the 2015 World Physiotherapy Congress in Singapore, introducing new approaches to knowledge exchange. She has also served on the World Physiotherapy accreditation committee and, since 2019, has participated in the accreditation of physiotherapy programmes internationally.
From 2017 to 2023, Aimée was editor-in-chief of the South African Journal of Physiotherapy, during which it achieved indexing in Web of Science and Scopus. She is currently editor-in-chief of the African Journal of Disability. In 2022, Wits awarded her its University Gold Medal for distinguished service to society or the university.
Through her editorial work and continued involvement with the Wits Physiotherapy Department, Aimée remains committed to mentoring emerging researchers and supporting the development of physiotherapy scholarship.
