Dear All,
I am working as a Biomechanist in ELEPAP Athens (Rehabilitation Center for children with cerebral palsy) and I am responsible for the Gait & Motion Analysis Lab. Beside this position I am the Programme Leader in BSc (Hons) Podiatry in Metropolitan College Athens (collaboration with Queen Margaret University of Edinburgh).
In my daily routine at the Gait Lab our team assesses the gait parameters in CP children before and shortly after the surgery, with the responsibility to deliver an extended gait report to assist the orthopaedic surgeons in order to decide the most appropriate treatment plan. At the College I have the management responsibility of the Bachelor Programme.
Additionally, I am continuously being invited in Greek Conferences (Physiotherapy, Biomechanics, Physician Rehabilitation & Medicine, Podiatry, etc) to present some difficult case studies from the Gait Lab. Furthermore, many researchers (mostly PhD students) come to the Lab in order to collect some gait data from their projects, so I am participating in some published articles as the biomechanist and in many cases because I am doing the statistical analysis.
I recently acquired the experience to organize scientific conferences in physiotherapy. That gave me the position of 2nd Vice President in Physiotherapy Scientific Community and in two years from now I will become the President. Through this community and because of my jobs my team and I organize seminars for healthcare professionals about Normal & Pathological Gait characteristics, 3D gait analysis & gait reports, etc with a very good success.
I have been taught from my Supervisor Dr Gabor Barton in Liverpool John Moores University and also from my mentor Mr Nikos Darras (former Head of the Lab) about the ESMAC meetings and the Gait Course. The management team in ELEPAP believed that in order to keep updated the Gait Lab we have to attend the ESMAC meetings. So our Lab has a continual participation from 2002 until today. I first attend the Gait Course and the meeting in 2016 in Seville and I realized how important is for me to belong to this society.
Therefore, I will be happy to support and provide my knowledge to the ESMAC community. As a junior member, I believe I could help in science committee, mostly in organizing some seminars. I could suggest and organize some new seminars that they have not been taught previously. For example, I have realized in the Gait Course seminars that many participants asking for practice in clinical examination. Making a good clinical examination before the gait analysis is a very essential procedure. However, there are many clinical tools and tests in this area. It will be a great idea to introduce the critical thinking of the right decision to the examiners, especially to those who they do not coming from a healthcare education.
Also, it will be fun to be part in the communication section, since my generation get involved a lot with the social networks. I believe that ESMAC could be more involved to those platforms.
As I wrote above, I feel more secure and confident in my job as a member of ESMAC because I follow the latest guidelines and also the technological advancement of my field. I really would be glad to help in any position that I can fit.
I look forward to hearing your answer and to meeting you in Amsterdam.
Sincerely yours,
Georgios Gkrimas