Global Health Medicine in PM&R: Paradigm Shift in Making a Lasting Impact on International Communities

Friday, February 20, 2026

2:00 PM - 3:00 PM AST

Location: 202 A

Course Director(s)

George Ross R. Malik, MD

Physician
Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital

Speaker(s)

Prakash Jayabalan, MD, PhD

Physician Scientist Director, Strength and Endurance Lab
Shirley Ryan AbilityLab/Northwestern University
Yunna L. Sinskey, MD (she/her/hers)

Physician
Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital
Kaile Eison, DO

Attending Physician
NewYork-Presbyterian

Brief Session Description : There is a growing number of individuals that lack access to medical care across the world. While many medical specialties have become players in global health, especially with graduate medical education, PM&R has been slow to integrate this into its training programs. Organizations such as the International Rehabilitation Forum (IRF)were developed with a focus of providing long-term solutions to the lack of rehabilitation medicine access. The IRF’s 2-year PM&R fellowship for African physicians trains the first cohort of legitimate experts in African countries. and mentors them in creating their own national training programs including research, teaching, and patient care experiences.