The Order of Physiotherapists has launched its first partnerships for its members, guaranteeing special conditions on different services. The first active partnership offers exclusive advantages in accommodation and wellness services. See the conditions on the page Partnerships.
This is just the start of the Ordem dos Fisioterapeutas' partnership programme. New entities and benefits will join this programme, covering different areas of interest to our members.
The Order of Physiotherapists took part in the 1st National Health and Environment Congress, held at Culturgest in Lisbon on 7 and 8 February 2025. The event was attended by President António Lopes and Board Members Fátima Domingues and Carla Pimenta.
Organised by the Portuguese Council for Health and the Environment (CPSA), of which the Order is a member, the congress was the first forum dedicated to the interrelationship between climate change, environmental degradation and people's health. It aimed to provide a privileged space for reflection, exchange of experiences and networking, and was a milestone in the recent history of the CPSA.
The President of the Portuguese Physiotherapists Order was present at the Opening SessionThe event was attended by the President of the CPSA, Luís Campos, the Minister of Health, Ana Paula Martins and the Secretary of State for the Environment, Emídio Sousa. Also speaking on the panel were "The Professional Bodies in the Face of Environmental Change"He was joined by members of other professional organisations.
Also as part of the 1st National Congress on Health and the Environment, the Board Member.., Carla Pimenta, presented an e-poster entitled "Promoting sustainable physiotherapy: strategies of the Order of Physiotherapists in the face of the Sustainable Development Goals". The work reflects the Order's commitment to promoting the ecological literacy of the population and training physiotherapists in the current environmental challenges. The eposter is available at enquiry.
Physiotherapy was also present through work carried out at the School of Health Technology of the Polytechnic of Coimbra:
"Good environmental sustainability practices in the health sector (Ecology and sustainability in physiotherapy: strategies and impacts)";
"Innovation in actions to adapt to the impact of climate change on health (Action by physiotherapists to mitigate the impact of climate change on health)"
"Urban health (Walking speed and urban space planning: implications for preventing falls in older adults)."
The congress provided a unique opportunity to interact with various stakeholders The event was an opportunity for the Order of Physiotherapists to reinforce its commitment to environmental sustainability and encourage the exchange of knowledge and good practices in this area. On site, it was also possible to dialogue with physiotherapists already aware of these issues, further enriching the sharing of experiences.
The presence of the Order of Physiotherapists at the 1st National Health and Environment Congress reinforces the profession's active role in building a more sustainable future and implementing strategies in line with the Sustainable Development Goals.
Carlos Areia has been a physiotherapist since 2013, and has worked in various hospitals, clinics and clubs in both Portugal and the UK. He began his academic career at Oxford University in 2016, where he led a clinical trial comparing physiotherapy vs surgery in anterior cruciate injuries in 32 hospitals in England. In 2018 she moved to the neurosciences department, where she developed her own studies on remote monitoring of vital signs, which were implemented during the pandemic. Here he discovered his passion for data, and in 2022, he joined Digital Science as a Data Scientist. He completed his PhD earlier this year, and has more than 60 publications in journals such as The Lancet, BMJ, Cochrane, among others. He is also an honorary lecturer at Oxford Brookes University and a consultant in clinical research.
PhD in Physiotherapy from the University of Brighton, UK. Post-Doctorate in Epidemiology from the National School of Public Health at the New University of Lisbon.
Coordinator of the Studies and Planning Office of the Order of Physiotherapists. Coordinating Professor of the Physiotherapy Department of the School of Health of the Polytechnic Institute of Setúbal (ESS-IPS). President of the ESS-IPS Technical-Scientific Council. Coordinator of the Physiotherapy Department at ESS-IPS. Integrated Researcher at the Comprehensive Health Research Centre (CHRC) (a partnership between FCM-UNL, the National School of Public Health, the University of Évora, the Lisbon Institute of Global Mental Health and Santo Espírito Hospital, Terceira Island, Azores).
Sara Souto Miranda has a bachelor's and master's degree in physiotherapy from the University of Aveiro, and a postgraduate qualification in adult respiratory physiotherapy from the same institution. In 2023 she completed her double doctorate in Rehabilitation Sciences/Health, Medicine and Life Sciences at the Universities of Aveiro and Maastricht (Netherlands) and is currently working as a technical-scientific advisor to the Studies and Planning Office (GEP) of the Order of Physiotherapists, and as a guest lecturer at the Piaget Institute in Vila Nova de Gaia. As a member of the Respiratory Research and Rehabilitation Laboratory at the University of Aveiro (Lab3R), she has carried out applied research in which she has assessed and treated patients with respiratory pathology, having taken part in 6 research projects. Throughout her career she has published 19 scientific articles in international peer-reviewed journals with an impact factor, 1 book chapter and more than 50 abstracts in conference proceedings. She was a research volunteer at the Ciro rehabilitation centre (Centre for expertise in chronic organ failure) in the Netherlands, and is currently a member of the Guideline Methodology Network of European Respiratory Society. She was honoured by European Lung Foundation e European Respiratory Society for carrying out patient-centred research, by the Directorate General for Higher Education with a merit grant for his master's degree, and by the Ciro Centre with a grant to support research abroad.
