The Third Global Rehabilitation Leadership Institute Expands Community of Rehabilitation Leaders Worldwide

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By Hanaa Ahsan for ReLAB-HS

“Systems thinking in rehabilitation is crucial,” emphasized Dr. Nhan Tran, Head of Safety and Mobility within the Department for the Social Determinants of Health, World Health Organization (WHO), as we kickstarted the in-person component of the Global Rehabilitation Leadership Institute (GRLI) in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. “It enables us to understand the whole situation; and more importantly, the interaction and influence of different elements within the system on one another.”

The third annual GRLI was the first offering to be open to an external global audience. With applicants spanning 35 countries, the final cohort of 52 champions represented seven sectors and 19 countries. The course was organized by the Johns Hopkins International Injury Research Unit (JH-IIRU) with support from the Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS), as part of the Learning, Acting, and Building for Rehabilitation in Health Systems (ReLAB-HS) activity funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

The Leadership Institute was delivered through a blended approach comprised of online modules; webinars; and in-person lectures, skill-building activities, and group work. The offering commenced on June 7 with an orientation webinar, followed by five modules and a series of online webinars between June 10 and July 17, 2024. Following this, the offering culminated in a one-week, in-person leadership training from July 21 to July 26 in Tanzania. The course brought together a diverse group of stakeholders representing government, health care, academia, and the development sector, who serve as leaders in the fields of rehabilitation and health systems strengthening in their countries. The blended training provided participants with the opportunity to build their leadership capacity to address the need for accessible and high-quality rehabilitation and assistive technology (AT) services across the health system within their countries.

Tailored to address global challenges in the rehabilitation sphere, the curriculum, was delivered by professionals with distinguished expertise in rehabilitation and health systems strengthening. The faculty included members from JH-IIRU, the WHO, Tanzania’s Ministry of Health, Momentum Wheels for Humanity, Physiopedia, and Makerere University School of Public Health (MakSPH). Among others, the curriculum included the following sessions:

  • Leadership and change management
  • Systems thinking
  • Policy and rehabilitation integration
  • Strategic communications to amplify rehabilitation on the health systems agenda in low- and middle-income countries
  • Resource mobilization
  • Implementation science

The course equipped participants with the necessary technical know-how and practical leadership skills to trigger impactful rehabilitation work in their countries and facilitated experience-sharing and knowledge exchange between peers from diverse countries, including Nigeria, Tanzania, Nepal, Vietnam, Turkey, Pakistan, Mexico, and the United States. Additionally, the course provided a platform for participants to continue to collaborate and network with peers and teaching faculty.

“Learning from the different countries that were represented, learning how rehabilitation is done, and being able to take some of those learnings and apply them to your own country, along with what we learned in terms of theory and the exceptional content…in class, [the course] very much exceeded my expectations. I would recommend it to anyone that comes next year, and, if you’re looking for repeat students, I’ll be there!” said Nelsha Haji from Results for Development, Tanzania, when asked about her overall GRLI experience during the closing ceremony.

“It was a wonderful experience, we learned lots of things during this training. Rehabilitation will not flourish in silos, so it should be integrated into the health systems. We will implement lots of theories when we go back home and get back to work! Rehabilitation is for all,” added Smriti Suwal from Handicap International, Nepal.

The presence of Tanzania’s Ministry of Health at the Leadership Institute demonstrated the strong political will and commitment, and the significance of rehabilitation and leadership training in the region. Speaking on resource mobilization for rehabilitation, Dr. Ntuli A. Kapologwe, Director of Preventive Services of the Ministry of Health, highlighted the impact of rehabilitation integration on the whole health system: “Integrating rehabilitation services into the Tanzanian health system will lead to more efficient resource allocation and health service utilization, making the health system more effective.”

With this third offering, the GRLI continues to be a beacon of learning innovation in global rehabilitation, fostering a network of leaders and champions dedicated to transforming health systems worldwide. The third offering has expanded the GRLI alumni network, broadening the reach of rehabilitation champions who are motivated and well-equipped to drive organizational change within their sectors. The Leadership Institute highlighted the multi-sectoral and multi-level action needed to prioritize and drive the rehabilitation agenda forward; there is a role for everyone regardless of their level or position. Participants graduated from the Leadership Institute with a renewed sense of ownership and responsibility to address the growing burden of rehabilitation needs. As leaders of change, the cohort of champions is well-equipped and motivated to cultivate inclusive, comprehensive, and innovative health systems with rehabilitation services integrated across all levels.