IVO-Congress 2024: Interdisciplinarity and Innovation
On October 24 and 25, the Swiss Association for Prosthetics and Orthotics and the Swiss Foot and Shoe Association will host the congress of the International Pedorthic Association. The congress at the Forum Fribourg will also celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Swiss Foot and Shoe Association.
Olav Toornend, President of the IVO, is delighted that with the APO and the Swiss Foot & Shoe Association, two organizations are hosting the congress that have been cultivating interdisciplinary cooperation in the field for a very long time and also have extensive experience in planning and hosting congresses.
“I am sure that we will experience a high-quality and exciting congress,” says Toornend. “I am already looking forward to meeting many colleagues from all over the world at the congress again. I invite all orthopaedic shoemakers to come to the congress to learn about the latest findings for better care of their patients and, of course, to meet their colleagues and get to know new ones.” The venue on the border between German-speaking and French-speaking Switzerland was a good choice, as the IVO congresses are characterized by their multilingualism.
Interdisciplinarity and innovation in focus
Under the presidency of PD Dr. med. Martin Berli, the congress will focus on interdisciplinarity and innovation. The first day of the congress on Thursday will be dedicated to the topic of innovation in the industry, while Friday will focus on interdisciplinary collaboration. Among these main topics, there will be exciting blocks such as assistive devices in developing countries and the care of war victims, as well as the children’s foot. The presentations at the congress will be simultaneously translated into German, English and French. The Foot & Shoe Association has been the non-profit organization for the shoemaking and orthopaedic shoemaking industry in Switzerland for 150 years. It is committed to the training of young professionals and protects the economic and professional interests of its members. It promotes cooperation with doctors, state and private insurance providers and other professional organizations and associations in Switzerland and abroad.
With around 40,000 inhabitants, Fribourg is one of the larger cities in French-speaking Switzerland and is an important economic, administrative and educational center with a bilingual university on the cultural border between German- and French-speaking Switzerland.
Fribourg is also one of the largest medieval towns in Switzerland. More than 200 unique Gothic façades from the 15th century give the old town its incomparable medieval charm. The most impressive of these is Fribourg Cathedral with its beautiful stained glass windows. It was built in stages from 1283 and has a 74 meter high tower from which you have an incomparable panoramic view.
On the congress website you will find all the information you need about attending the congress, submitting papers, hotels and places of interest in and around Fribourg.
