SPECIAL SYMPOSIUM: Neurorehabilitation Needs in Africa: The 9th Women in Rehabilitation Science Symposium SS8

Tuesday, October 28, 2025

2:45 PM - 3:45 PM

Location: ROOM: Continental Ballroom B DIRECTIONS: Lobby Level: From the Main Elevator Bank, proceed right toward the FedEx Office. At the Fed Ex Office, turn right and proceed past the ACRM Registration Desk and into the Continental Foyer. Continental B Lobby is directly adjacent to the center section of the Continental Ballroom.

Presenter(s)

Esra Abdalla, MD

Medical graduate, Research Fellow
University of Khartoum
Jeddah, Makkah, Saudi Arabia

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Sodiq O. Fakorede, B.Tech (he/him/his)

Graduate Assistant/PhD Candidate
University of Kansas Medical Center
Kansas, Nigeria

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Moderator(s)

Mark A. Hirsch, PhD, FACRM, FPRD

Senior Scientist
Atrium Health
Charlotte, North Carolina, United States

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This symposium features research and scholarship by two ACRM scholars with lived experience of Africa, Dr. Esra Abdalla, a Sudanese physician pursuing training in internal medicine and Sodiq Fakorede, a PhD candidate in the Department of Rehabilitation Science at the University of Kansas Medical Center who earned a bachelor degree in Prosthetics and Orthotics from the Federal University of Technology, Owerri, Nigeria.

Learning Objectives:

Identify key barriers to accessing neurorehabilitation services in sub-Saharan Africa.
Summarize the current state of neurorehabilitation research and service provision in sub-Saharan Africa.
Discuss potential strategies for reorganizing neurorehabilitation services to optimize the use of limited resources and personnel.
Highlight ACRM resources, community groups and task forces to collaborate with on