Larisa
Hoffman,
PT, PhD
Physiopedia
CO,
United States
Dr. Hoffman is an international rehabilitation workforce development specialist and Professor at Regis University. Currently, she supports Physiopedia within the USAID funded activities: Strengthening Rehabilitation Services in Health Systems (SRSHS) and Learning, Acting, and Building for Rehabilitation Systems (ReLAB-HS). In this role, Dr. Hoffman mentors program directors and leaders in rehabilitation professions in Ukraine and Uganda to strengthen the rehabilitation workforce. She has recently presented this work at the First Ukrainian Congress on Physical Therapy and the International Society for Prosthetics and Orthotics World Congress. Her research interests include outcomes from mentoring programs for program directors for academic program improvement.
Presenting at CAB 2025:
The development of local interprofessional teams has created a sustainable model for building rehabilitation capacity and advancing rehabilitation in resource-limited settings. The presentation will provide insights into strategies for building effective interprofessional rehabilitation teams to improve workforce capacity, overcoming cultural barriers, and fostering long-term collaborative practice in diverse global contexts.
This presentation examines the successful development and implementation of international rehabilitation workforce initiatives through interprofessional collaboration. By integrating diverse healthcare providers across seven countries, the project created culturally-responsive tools and established a sustainable framework for global rehabilitation workforce development, demonstrating the power of coordinated cross-cultural partnerships.