Meet the Standards Committee

Richard is an Associate Professor in the Department of Physiotherapy at Auckland University of Technology (AUT) in New Zealand (https://academics.aut.ac.nz/richard.ellis). He teaches on both the undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in the fields of musculoskeletal physiotherapy, manual and manipulative therapy, biomechanics, ultrasound imaging and research. Richard is also the Director of Active Living and Rehabilitation: Aotearoa New Zealand (https://hrri.aut.ac.nz/research-activities/active-living-and-rehabilitation) research group within the School of Clinical Sciences at AUT. External to AUT, Richard is a an Associate Editor for the New Zealand Journal of Physiotherapy and a member of the Osteoarthritis Aotearoa New Zealand research network.

Beyond my clinical and research interests, I am dedicated to advancing education for healthcare professionals. I supervise undergraduate and graduate students in developing clinical skills, actively participate in the Faculty Development Center, and promote science through a podcast, Instagram, and a YouTube channel.

Shaun O’Leary, BPHTY (Hon), MPHTY (Msk), PhD, is an Associate Professor in Physiotherapy between the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences at the University of Queensland, and the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital Physiotherapy Department, in Brisbane, Australia. He is also a Specialist Musculoskeletal Physiotherapist (as awarded by the Australian College of Physiotherapists (ACP) in 2008). Shaun is a longstanding member of the Australian Physiotherapy Association and Fellow of the ACP. Shaun is across clinical education at all levels of physiotherapy training. He has had a major teaching role in the University of Queensland’s postgraduate specialty Masters of Physiotherapy (Musculoskeletal and Sports Physiotherapy) programs since 2001, and nationally has served the ACP as an examiner, and former council member and Chair of the Fellowships Program Standing Committee. In 2021 Shaun was awarded a Senior Fellowship within the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA)

Shaun has over 120 publications relating to the management of musculoskeletal conditions and has delivered numerous clinical seminars and conference presentations worldwide. He is also the research lead of the Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy Screening Clinics and Multidisciplinary Service (MPSC&MDS) which is an advanced practice musculoskeletal model of care across Queensland Health, Australia.

Carol A. Courtney PT, PhD is Professor at Northwestern University Department of Physical Therapy and Human Movement Science and serves as the Associate Chair for Clinical Post-Professional Studies. She received a Bachelor of Science in Physical Therapy from Washington University in St Louis, Master of Applied Science in Manipulative Physiotherapy from the University of South Australia, Master of Health Science from Louisiana State University, and PhD from the University of Miami.

Dr. Courtney is a licensed physical therapist and athletic trainer, and has been recognized as a Fellow of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Manual Physical Therapists. She was recently named a Catherine Worthingham Fellow of the American Physical Therapy Association, the organization’s highest membership category. Dr. Courtney’s research examines neurophysiological mechanisms associated with joint injury, joint disease, and pain. In addition, her work investigates mechanisms underlying the neuromodulatory effects of manual therapy and exercise. She has authored over 55 peer reviewed journal articles, 10 book chapters, numerous conference abstracts and co-edited a recent textbook. She is a past member of the Standards Committee of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Manual Physical Therapists and the Accreditation Council on Orthopaedic Manual Physical Therapy Education.

Silvia Pérez, PT, PhD, is an Associate Professor at the Physiotherapy Department at Universitat Internacional de Catalunya (UIC) in Barcelona. Since completing her studies, she has been engaged in teaching, research, and clinical practice in manual therapy. She has been involved in the undergraduate and postgraduate education with a focus in manual and musculoskeletal physiotherapy and therapeutic exercise since 2008. 

Silvia has been involved in IFOMPT tasks since 2008, both taking part in the national member organization and collaborating in IFOMPT´s working groups. She has been involved in the national and international accreditation processes and regional and national monitoring of the OMT programs that are currently recognized by IFOMPT in Spain. 

Her areas of research interest are related to the cervical spine and the educational field, designing, and analyzing learning experiences for the correct acquisition of practical skills and clinical reasoning within manual and musculoskeletal physiotherapy.

Anke Langenfeld was born in Germany and has been living in Switzerland for 16 years. She received her OMPT degree from the Danube University Krems, Krems, Austria. She then continued her studies at Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands, where she finished with a PhD in Medical, Life and Health Sciences. She has 19 years of experience as a clinical PT. She is now a research associate at Balgrist University Hospital and University of Zurich at the Department of Chiropractic Medicine. Here she leads research projects focusing on manual therapy applied to the pediatric population, oversees master and doctoral students during their thesis projects, and is the location responsible for organizing the federal exam in Chiropractic Medicine in Zurich, Switzerland. She has been the External Assessor for one OMPT qualifying program in Switzerland since 2019 and the MO for Switzerland since 2024.