Two experts in falls prevention with backgrounds in physiotherapy have been invited to give keynote addresses at the prestigious 3rd World Falls Congress 2026, which will be held at the University of Manchester from 24-26 June 2026.
The two physiotherapists – professors Devinder Kaur Ajit Singh and Cathie Sherrington – are based at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia and the University of Sydney, respectively. They are two of the 12 invited speakers spotlighted in the 3rd World Falls Congress 2026 online programme.
Speakers will address key issues in successful falls prevention and treatment activities, influenced by the 10 Year Health Plan in England. This has three shifts: hospital to community, analogue to digital and treatment to prevention.
The Congress – which follows earlier falls events in Malaysia and Australia – will include presentations on community and acute hospital settings, looking at policy and planning through to implementation, as well as focusing on the latest research and evidence relating to practice.
The organisers – the British Geriatrics Society, the World Falls Prevention Society and the European Falls Festival – anticipate that the event will attract more than 800 delegates.
‘Professsor Singh “brings a rare blend of practical and scholarly expertise” and has “become a leading voice in geriatric physiotherapy in the Asian region”‘ [Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia]
Physiotherapists and other allied health professionals who have been British Geriatrics Society members for at least one year can apply for fully funded places at the Congress (other terms apply). The funding will cover the registration cost, either virtually or in person. Places are limited and early applications are recommended.
In her presentation, Professor Singh, a professor of geriatric physiotherapy who studied at two UK universities, will focus on falls prevention in low and middle income countries. Professor Sherrington is based at the Sydney School of Public Health and will discuss healthy ageing e-health interventions.
Professor Singh: a ‘distinguished researcher’
Prior to joining Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia in 2005, Professor Singh was a practising physiotherapist with the Ministry of Health in Malaysia for 16 years. She completed a primary diploma in physiotherapy in Malaysia before obtaining a degree in Applied Rehabilitation (Physiotherapy) at Teesside University. She graduated from the University of Brighton with a PhD in 2009.
The Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia’s website describes Professor Singh as a ‘distinguished researcher’ who combines her work at the Centre for Healthy Ageing and Wellness with being a lecturer in the university’s physiotherapy programme.
It notes that Professor Singh ‘brings a rare blend of practical and scholarly expertise’ and that she has ‘become a leading voice in geriatric physiotherapy in the Asian region’.
It adds: ‘Her innovations in falls prevention include FallSA©, a mobile self-assessment falls risk tool, and community-based exercise programs such as WE-RISE™ and WE-SURF™. An active contributor to the World Guidelines for Falls Prevention for low- and middle-income countries, she currently serves on the executive boards of the World Falls Society and the ASEAN Falls Network.’
Professor Sherrington: a team leader
Professor Sherrington leads the 40-person strong Physical Activity, Ageing and Disability Research Stream at the Institute for Musculoskeletal Health (based at the Sydney Local Health District) and is deputy director of the Institute. Her research focuses on the promotion of physical activity and the prevention of falls in older people and people with chronic disabling conditions.
Professor Sherrington has written more than 385 refereed journal articles, including reports of 50 clinical trials and 32 systematic reviews, according to details published in the 3rd World Falls Congress 2026 programme.
Her work has informed global and national policies, contributing to World Health Organization physical activity guidelines, NHS toolkits in the UK, evaluations in Canada, and New South Wales (NSW) health strategies. She holds an NHMRC Investigator Grant (Leadership Level 3), is a Fellow of both the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences and the Australian College of Physiotherapists, and received the 2023 NSW Premier’s Prize for Science (Biomedical).
Glasgow-based Dawn Skelton
Another of the invited speakers will be familiar to many UK-based physiotherapists working with older people. She is Dawn Skelton, Professor of Ageing and Health at Glasgow Caledonian University. Her topic is ‘Falls prevention exercise as medicine: Fidelity and dose matter!’
Key deadlines
Abstracts should be submitted by 1 January 2026. The deadline for submissions for symposia is 1 December 2025. Submissions should propose a set of three to four related papers on a particular topic that is relevant to one of the conference sub-themes.
The programme themes are
• analogue to digital
• bone health
• hospital to community
• falls prevention
• prehabilitation and rehabilitation
• research to reality
• falls in low and middle income countries
To find out more about the 3rd World Falls Congress 2026, see: https://www.bgs.org.uk/sites/default/files/content/events/files/2026_WFC_Prog_3.pdf
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