Editorial Team
Who created this portal?
This open access portal of educational resources was created as an international public good by people who have been working within the WHO Family of International Classifications Network for more than 20 years. The Functioning and Disability Reference Group (FDRG) monitors the website. The website is under the auspices of the WHO-FIC Collaborating Centre in South Africa and IT support is provided by Anzelle.com, Cape Town, South Africa. For more information see our Editorial Team (below).
For more information on the FDRG see the WHO website.
Editorial Team
Our Editorial Team is responsible for the management of the website. Editorial team members are members and collaborators of the WHO-FIC Network. The Editorial Team roles include:
- conducting an initial fast evaluation of educational resources offered to check relevance
- enable publication on the site
- conduct or arrange subsequent reviews to enable rating
- seek to ensure coverage of the main topic areas and contributions from all regions of the world
- monitor the Forum and respond to queries
- moderate discussion on the Forum (remove items that are contrary to the Terms and Conditions)
- moderate registrations on the site and the register of ICF advisors and
- educators
- publish news
- review overall contents from time to time
- analyse feedback, commentary and use patterns
Members of Editorial Team
Olaf Kraus de Camargo
Dr. Olaf Kraus de Camargo holds the position of Associate Professor within the Department of Pediatrics at McMaster University. His educational background includes medical studies and pediatric training in Brazil. Subsequently, he pursued a residency program in Germany, where he specialized in developmental-behavioral pediatrics, social pediatrics, and child neurology.
Stefanus Snyman
Dr. Stef Snyman, a certified Occupational Medicine Practitioner and Health Professions Educationist from South Africa, is actively involved in global health initiatives. He co-founded AfrIPEN, an African Interprofessional Education and Collaborative Practice Network, and a global project to develop a mobile app for assessing human functioning based on the ICF. He also co-founded FIRE for Life, an online program focused on reversing type 2 diabetes rooted in ICF principles.
Catherine Sykes
Catherine Sykes MSc (Rehabilitation Studies) Chartered Physiotherapist (UK) is an honorary Senior Research Fellow in the Sydney School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, where she works on classifications for health information systems. Catherine worked on the development of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health. As a member of the Australian Collaborating Centre she continues to have a role in the WHO Family of International Classifications (WHO-FIC) Network as a member of the Functioning and Disability Reference Group (FDRG). Catherine teaches about the ICF and its implementation through presentations, workshops, and online education including for Ministries of Health, Non-governmental organisations, Organisations of Disabled People and Health Professional Associations.
Liane Simon
Liane Simon is a Professor of Transdisciplinary Early Intervention at MSH Medical School Hamburg, where she also serves as the Dean of the Faculty of Art, Health, and Social Science. She conducts research several projects at the ICF Research Institute (IRIS) on the implementation of the ICF in Germany. She holds a diploma in education, is a special educator and a systemic family therapist. She is currently still actively practicing child and adolescent psychotherapy.
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Thomas Maribo
As a Professor at Aarhus University and Research Director at DEFACTUM, Central Denmark Region, Thomas Maribo combines clinical physiotherapy with a PhD in Medicine. His research focuses on biopsychosocial and cardiac rehabilitation, blending qualitative and quantitative methods. He co-developed the 2022 Danish White Paper on Rehabilitation and co-chairs the WHO’s ‘Functioning and Disability Reference Group’. He has authored over 95 papers and lectures internationally on rehabilitation.