Michael Iwama, Ph.D., MSc, BScOT, professor in orthopaedic surgery, recently delivered the keynote address at the German OT Congress ("Ergotage 2024"). Dr. Iwama is widely recognized for having developed the “Kawa Model” (‘Kawa’ is Japanese for ‘River’), the first substantial model of practice in the rehabilitation sciences developed outside the English-speaking world. The Kawa Model is now taught in over 600 health professions education programs internationally and used in practice across six continents.
Dr. Iwama draws on his rich experience of acculturating into Eastern and Western social spheres of experience to drive his profound and critical perspectives on culture and its intersections with theory and practice in the rehabilitation sciences.