Prof. Suh-Fang Jeng Elected as First Asia Vice President of World Physiotherapy

Prof. Suh-Fang Jeng (鄭素芳), from the NTU School and Graduate Institute of Physical Therapy, was elected as the Vice President of World Physiotherapy with an overwhelming 99% of the votes at the 20th General Meeting of Member Countries held on May 31, 2023. This makes her the first Asian physical therapist to hold such a high-level leadership position in a global professional organization. Her election represents global recognition and importance placed on Taiwan’s education and professional development in the field of physical therapy. The entire physical therapy community in Taiwan is proud and honored by this achievement.

Professor Jeng has dedicated the past 15 years to international professional service, with a focus on early childhood intervention and international collaboration. Through her analysis and identification of health care issues and educational research development, she has established an international network of contacts and partnerships. She actively seeks domestic and international resources to assist in the development of low- and middle-income countries and advocates for and promotes professional services on an ongoing basis.

World Physiotherapy was established in 1951 as an international nonprofit professional organization. It has formal relations with the World Health Organization (WHO) and is also a member of the World Health Professions Alliance and the World Rehabilitation Alliance. It currently has 129 member countries across five regions: Europe, Asia-Pacific, North America, South America, and Africa. World Physiotherapy represents 650,000 physiotherapists worldwide and is dedicated to providing high-quality physiotherapy services globally to maintain public health.

Professor Jeng was jointly recommended by the Taiwan Physical Therapy Association and the American Physical Therapy Association for this election. The former aims to promote international exchanges and organized a “Taiwan Night” event in Dubai on June 1 after the member countries’ conference, which was attended by over 80 international dignitaries. Vice President of Taiwan Ching-te Lai (賴清德) also recorded a video message for the event, expressing gratitude for the support Taiwan has received from various countries over the years and encouraging Taiwan to continue contributing to the world with talents like Professor Jeng, embodying the spirit of “Taiwan Can Help.”