Patrick Willamo

Patrick Willamo from the Helsinki University Hospital for Children and Adolescence in Hus, Finland is the winner of the 2007 Novartis Best Care Scholarship organized by the International Physiotherapy Group for Cystic Fibrosis (IPG-CF). Since 1999 he has been responsible for the physiotherapy treatment of his CF patients.

Cystic Fibrosis is very rare in Finland. They have about 60 patients and the number of physiotherapists involved in the CF care is rather small and spread all over the country. CF centers or an active professional network are non-existing. CF patients visit the nearest university hospital for follow-up.

Mr. Willamo gathered most of his knowledge about physiotherapy and CF by reading literature. He wishes to further his knowledge in airway clearance techniques, exercise training and mobilization exercises in CF. He plans to disseminate the new knowledge by organizing an CF up-to-date care system in his hospital district and all over the country, improving CF patients' clinical status and lung function and consequently adherence to treatment .

He would also integrate his new knowledge in the lectures for his physiotherapy students and activate the “CF Physiotherapist” network. He will also share his knowledge at workshops and lectures held during the CF summer camp he will participate in. Louise Lannefors at the Lund CF Centre and Henrik Johansson at the Uppsala CF centre in Sweden will be the host physiotherapists who will organize the theoretical and practical instruction that Willamo wishes to gain during his scholarship.