Meet Our Team

Julia To Dutka, EdD, is a global executive with more than 40 years of experience leading academia, organizations, partnerships, policy initiatives, research, and product development to advance human potential and the global health workforce. Her work focuses on credentialing and assessment, mobility and cross-border articulation, global health, health innovation, health workforce development, rehabilitation care, and global certification to maximize infrastructure building in a fast-evolving global multi-stakeholder environment where co-designing holds the key to a collaborative future.    

Her lasting legacy includes the integration of multicultural and interdisciplinary inquiry into mainstream academia, the implementation of the roadmap for TOEFL iBT to set the global standard for English language proficiency assessment, the engineering of global certifications to upskill the global health workforce, and the founding of the Global Health Workforce Development Institute to support new directions in research, assessment, and knowledge management in multidisciplinary and interprofessional contexts.  

Born and raised in Hong Kong, Julia has lived the life of a PLD – person living with disability due to a childhood illness that compromised her musculoskeletal integrity and left her visibly disabled. She has devoted her life and her work to giving back to the global community of health workers and to bringing the message of hope and empowerment to others who may find strength in her story. 

Dr. Rich Oliver is Dean Emeritus of the School of Health Professions at the University of Missouri where he led this school to national prominence. He is also the Past-President of the Association of Schools Advancing Health Professions (ASAHP) a professional organization comprised of 120 health professions schools and colleges across the country. He is a nationally known expert in health professions and higher education with over 40 years’ experience as a clinician, researcher, educator, and administrator. Rich has a proven track record in planning and launching a new school, departments, and programs within a public AAU institution of higher education.  Rich has spent considerable time working with colleague at the University of the Western Cape in Cape Town, South Africa.  This experience has given him insight into global rehabilitation issues and has helped foster partnerships that support the mission of GPFR.

Bruce M. Gans, MD is Secretary and co-founder of Global Partners for Rehabilitation (GPFR), where he is leading efforts to expand access to rehabilitation services by building partnerships among professional organizations, health systems, governments, universities, nongovernmental organizations, and philanthropic enterprises worldwide.

A physician specializing in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R), Dr. Gans is Professor of PM&R at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School and Senior Health Policy Advisor to Powers Pyles Sutter & Verville. During a career spanning more than five decades, he has served as chairman of academic departments, chief medical officer of nationally recognized rehabilitation health systems, president of leading professional organizations, and advisor on rehabilitation policy to Congress and federal agencies. His work has combined clinical care, research, education, health policy, and organizational leadership to advance rehabilitation services and improve health systems.  

Dr. Gans believes that addressing the global unmet need for rehabilitation requires collaboration across disciplines, sectors, and nations. Through GPFR, he is working to convene organizations that have not traditionally partnered with the rehabilitation community, fostering innovative models that strengthen local rehabilitation capacity and improve access to care in low- and middle-income countries. His experience bringing diverse stakeholders together to achieve shared goals provides the foundation for GPFR’s mission to create sustainable, scalable solutions that improve the lives of people with disabilities worldwide.

Robin Hedeman is Executive Director of Global Partners for Rehabilitation and Founder and CEO of CareRelations LLC. She brings clinical credibility, strategic leadership, and a deep belief in rehabilitation to the organization’s mission of improving access to rehabilitation in low- and middle-income countries. In her Global Partners role, Robin focuses on convening partners, building collaboration, and advancing practical solutions that expand access for communities with limited rehabilitation resources.

Robin began her career as an occupational therapist at Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation, caring for patients with complex needs, including brain injury and stroke. She later moved into operational leadership and business development, helping build rehabilitation programs and services across the continuum of care.

Robin also served as a business development executive for Select Medical, developing startups, joint ventures, and strategic partnerships with healthcare providers nationwide. Through CareRelations LLC, she continues to help health care systems improve access to rehabilitation and make transitions across care settings easier for patients, families, and providers.

Her experience bridging clinical care, operations, and business development positions her to bring partners together and support sustainable approaches to rehabilitation access.

Dr. Oh-Park is a physiatrist with 30 years of experience in clinical medicine, research, education, and healthcare management. She is the Chief Physician of Research and Innovation at Burke Rehabilitation Hospital, a member of Montefiore Health System in White Plains, NY, USA, where she previously served as Chief Medical Officer and Senior Vice President.

She served as the inaugural Chair of the Global Academic Physiatry Subcommittee of the Association of Academic Physiatrists (AAP) and as a member of Education Committee of International Society of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine (ISPRM).

Dr. Oh-Park is a professor in the Departments of Rehabilitation Medicine and Neurology at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. She earned her medical degree from Seoul National University College of Medicine and a master’s degree in health care management from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

Kathleen is a value-based senior executive with a unique background of medical expertise and business financial acumen. She is a recognized healthcare leader and has developed niche expertise in the delivery of post-acute care health services. Having led the National post-acute trade Association, AMRPA, she has participated in impactful discussions with congressional leaders, which have produced policies supporting access and patient services.

Her clinical background as a licensed RN, clinical specialist and Nursing Home Administrator has served as an integral resource in the financial turnaround of two Chicago area hospitals, where she previously served as President and CEO. She is an innovative strategist and skilled in collaborating and executing business ventures and management contracts between hospitals and health systems. Kathleen consultation skills include interim leadership, strategic planning, project management, fundraising strategies, and implementing turnaround strategies to reduce overhead and promote revenue growth.

Kathleen has an MS from the University of Pittsburgh and an MBA from Keller/DeVry School of Business. She also has earned a PhD in human behavior from I.A.S.H. She is a member of the boards of DuPage Health Coalition, College of DuPage, Morton Arboretum Advisory, and the American Medical Rehabilitation Providers Association. Her memberships include the Chicago Network, the Economics Club of Chicago, the International Woman Foundation, the National Association of Corporate Directors, the Chicago Private Director’s Association, and the American College of Corporate Executives.

Margaret A. Turk, MD is State University of New York (SUNY) Distinguished Service Professor of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation (PMR), Pediatrics, and Public Health & Preventive Medicine at SUNY Upstate Medical University and Vice Chairman of SUNY Upstate Medical University Department of PMR.

Among her clinical contributions are establishing the PMR Pediatric Rehabilitation Medicine clinical program, the spasticity and tone management program, and the brain injury rehabilitation program spanning the continuum from concussion to severe brain injury. As a medical educator, she has promoted integrating disability education within medical school curricula, locally and nationally. The Disability Integration Toolkit is a product of these efforts (https://www.upstate.edu/pmr/education/toolkit/index.php). Educational contributions globally include over twenty years of visiting professorships and invited participation in promoting rehabilitation in China through educational meetings nationally, regionally, and locally. SUNY Upstate Department of PMR also has hosted over 70 Chinese PMR physicians as visiting scholars.

Dr. Turk’s research is focused on life-long disability, health care accessibility issues, and differences and disparities in health/health care for people with disability including peer-reviewed articles and book chapters on the topics. She has been federally funded to explore disability and health concepts and has provided expertise as a member of a National Institutes of Health (NIH) funded project’s Data and Safety Monitoring Board, an NIH working group determining Rehabilitation Common Data Elements for funded research, and as a consultant for the National Council on Disability. Other professional service contributions include leadership in the field on professional organization committees and specifically on the American Board of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, also serving as Chair. She has also contributed to national/international reports on disability, rehabilitation services, health promotion, and disability research.

Dr. Turk is a founding and present Co-Editor-in-Chief of Disability and Health Journal. Within New York State (NYS), she co-chairs the advisory group for the NYS Department of Health Disability and Health Program, serves on AccessCNY’s Board (a community board that supports person-centered services for people with disability), and is a member of the newly formed NYS Office for People with Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD) Medical Taskforce to enhance quality services and patient safety for people served through NYS OPWDD programs. She has received numerous awards over the years for her contributions

John Ferraro serves as Chief Operating Officer for the American Medical Rehabilitation Providers Association (AMRPA), which is a national trade association representing 800+ medical rehabilitation hospital organizations and 6,500+ individual member representatives.

Previously served as chief staff executive or in similar leadership roles with numerous health and medical associations, including the Fund for Access to Inpatient Rehabilitation (FAIR Fund), Global Partners for Rehabilitation (GPFR), and Society for Adolescent Health & Medicine (SAHM). John holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and international affairs and a master’s degree in public policy, both from Florida State University.

Peter Thomas is Managing Partner at Powers Pyles Sutter & Verville, PC, a Washington, DC-based law and lobbying firm that focuses on healthcare, education and the law of tribal nations. He has a federal law and legislative practice in the areas of healthcare and disability policy; Medicare coverage and reimbursement policy; access to medical rehabilitation services; coverage, coding and payment of orthotics, prosthetics, and assistive devices and technologies; and appropriations and policy advocacy involving rehabilitation and disability research and development.

Peter has served on the President’s Advisory Commission on Consumer Protection and Quality in the Health Care Industry, the National Advisory Board for the National Center for Medical Rehabilitation Research (NCMRR) at NIH, the National Advisory Council of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), and the Institute of Medicine’s Committee on Improving the Disability Decision Process. He also serves as a Co-Principal Investigator for a PCORI-funded research project on peer support for trauma survivors. Peter has also served on a number of non-profit boards including the Foundation for Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, the American Trauma Society, the Viscardi Center, the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF), and the Center for International Rehabilitation/Physicians Against Land Mines. Peter recently joined the board of a new international rehabilitation organization known as Global Partners for Rehabilitation.

He speaks nationally and internationally on rehabilitation and disability issues, routinely presents at national association meetings, and authors multiple articles in various publications annually. Peter served as Co-Chair of the Health Task Force of the Consortium for Constituents with Disabilities (CCD) for over 30 years and is general counsel to the National Association for the Advancement of Orthotics and Prosthetics (NAAOP) as well as counsel to the Orthotic and Prosthetic Alliance. Peter has used two prosthetic legs since age 10 and is a co-author of The Americans with Disabilities Act: A Guidebook for Management and People with Disabilities. He graduated from Georgetown University Law Center in 1989, Boston College in 1986, and is licensed to practice law in New York State and the District of Columbia.

Dr. Tim Vidale is the CEO of Momentous Sports Medicine. He currently serves as a Physical Therapist for the Baltimore Ravens and was formerly the Physical Therapist and Assistant Rehab Coordinator for the Minnesota Twins. He was featured in Forbes magazine as one of the top 1000 Entrepreneurs of 2021.

Dr. Vidale is a graduate of Florida A&M University where he was a hurdler and decathlete on the track and field team. Dr. Vidale went on to attain his Doctorate of Physical Therapy from Rutgers University. Following graduation, Dr. Vidale relocated to Washington, D.C. where he earned his MBA from George Washington University. He completed his Sports Physical Therapy fellowship (FAAOMPT) at the Institute for Athlete Regeneration. Prior to that he served as an Assistant Professor in the Doctor of Physical Therapy program at Howard University. He was the Head Physical Therapist for the DC Slayers and DC Furies Rugby clubs from 2012-2016 and served Team USA as a Physical Therapist at the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto, Canada with the United States Olympic Committee. He also served as the Physical Therapist for USA Softball National team.

Dr. Vidale is a published author, with publications in internationally distributed textbooks and scholarly journals and is also a content reviewer for the International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy. Dr. Vidale specializes in treating sports and orthopedic injuries. He sits on the State Board of Physical Therapy for Washington, DC, and currently serves as on the Nominating Committee for the American Academy of Sports Physical Therapy(AASPT). Dr. Vidale is also the chairman of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee and serves on the Practice Committee in the AASPT, and is also involved in the American Physical Therapy Association, American College of Sports Medicine and the Private Practice Section. He resides in Washington, DC.