Our 10 month post-professional program for rehabilitation clinicians in Armenia and Artsakh hosted two of our very own TFA members as instructors, Jen Thompson and Lusine Karapetyan. 

Jen Thompson is an occupational therapist at the Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital Cape Cod who specializes in limb loss rehabilitation. Jen led a riveting discussion on prosthetic training and provided explanations on parts of a prosthetic, safety and well-being, and interdisciplinary collaboration. Jen is also the Advocacy and Marketing Coordinator at Therapists for Armenia and is very passionate about supporting Armenian rehab development! 

Our TFA board member and Fundraising Coordinator, Lusine Karapetyan, introduced the IRF’s Orthopedic module. Lusine is a physical therapist and professor at Concorde Career College.  She presented on topics including arthritis, fractures, and World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines for physical activity. 

Thank you, Jen and Lusine, for your educational support and contribution to the fellowship program! 

On October 10, 2022, Therapists for Armenia welcomed the first cohort of the IRF Interdisciplinary Rehabilitation Fellowship for Armenia & Artsakh, co-developed by Therapists for Armenia and Armenian American Sports Medicine Coalition (AASMC), with support from partners National Institute of Health Armenia, Polaris EduCorp, and Health Network for Armenia (HENAR). Our fellows come from various regions of Armenia and Artsakh, representing medicine, physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech language pathology. Of the 92 applicants, 30 were selected as representatives of Armenian rehabilitation leadership to participate in the first ever post-professional interdisciplinary rehab program for post-conflict needs. This is a 10-month hybrid program that focuses on rehab from emergencies through the continuum of care to community reintegration.

After two years of planning, developing, and collaborating we finally reached the launch in Yerevan! At the Opening Ceremony, co-founders Armineh Babikian and Nick Tavoukjian discussed their vision of the sustainable program that can:

• Build workforce capacity
• Address post-conflict and adult care needs
• Improve research, leadership and teaching skills, and
• Enhance interdisciplinary coordination of care.

Special thank you to the partners and fellows. We are so excited to learn together and embark on this journey to improve the quality and access of rehabilitation services, ultimately improving quality of life for Armenians. Congratulations to everyone involved!

Another special thank you to our sponsors Armenian American Medical Society, Glendale Memorial Health Foundation, Dignity Health – Glendale Memorial Hospital (Glendale, CA).

On Tuesday, August 30th, TFA founder and executive director, Armineh Babikian, and TFA Advocacy and Marketing Coordinator, Jennifer Thompson, presented at the World Federation of Occupational Therapists 2022 Congress in Paris, France. Over 2,500 participants from more than 100 countries joined the Congress, either virtually or in-person. The Congress provided a range of content spanning the occupational therapy profession. 

Babikian and Thompson’s presentation was titled “Innovation from America to Armenia: Providing Remote Education for Rehabilitation Clinicians in Armenia Treating Acquired Amputation During Post-Armed Conflict.” They described their post-conflict webinar series, outcomes, challenges, and future plans to support development of rehabilitation services in Armenia and Artsakh. The presentation was well received, and they have since been approached by colleagues from Ukraine interested in utilizing TFA resources. We congratulate Armineh and Jennifer on their success, and thank them for representing TFA and Armenian rehab at this large platform.

Watch their presentation here.