Goodbye 2023 and Welcome 2024
HAPPY NEW YEAR
As we start our journey on a fresh year full of promise and potential, we at ESP are thrilled to share with you a special blog post that highlights our most remarkable achievements and moments from the past year. 2023 was a year of innovation, collaboration, and connections, and we’re excited to take you on a reflection journey through these milestones!
INNOVATION
Biomechanics Redefined
In the past year, ESP has truly stepped up its game in weaving cutting-edge technology into our curriculum. We’ve taken some giant leaps forward, especially with the introduction of robotics and Virtual Reality (VR) into our learning spaces. These cool innovations are giving our students some really hands-on experience and a way more interactive way to grasp those tricky physiotherapy concepts. Imagine learning about robotics in physiotherapy—it’s like getting a sneak peek into the future of rehabilitation, where all this tech goodness meets our human expertise to give patients the best care possible. And hey, let’s not forget about our latest star player—the markerless motion capture system. Our Instagram posts have been buzzing about it! This piece of tech is changing the game in how we teach biomechanics at ESP. It blends 3D motion analysis with artificial intelligence, and the result? Our students get this all-around understanding of human movement, which is super key for planning out effective treatments.
Keeping It Human
But here’s the thing—even with all these techie upgrades, we at ESP haven’t lost sight of what truly matters in physiotherapy: the human connection. We believe that the real magic in physiotherapy is all about that empathetic and intuitive bond a physiotherapist forms with their patients. This philosophy is baked right into our curriculum and teaching methods, where we balance out tech skills with a big emphasis on personal touch and care.
Rap op Stap
This past year has been a remarkable one for the ESP community, marked by notable achievements and recognitions that underscore the excellence and dedication of our students, alumni, and faculty. One shining example of this success is the award-winning project ‘Rap op Stap,’ developed by – at the time – ESP students (now alumni), Charlotte and Anthony. This innovative mobile app brilliantly enhances physical and cognitive activities for older adults, exemplifying how ESP bridges the gap between innovation and healthcare in physiotherapy
COLLABORATION
ESP and LIVING LABS
2023 was also about the creation of “living labs” as an authentic learning environment. Such cooperation not only enhanced the curriculum but also provided students with valuable insights into sports and dance-related physiotherapy and injury prevention, as highlighted in our social media posts.
LEARNING FROM ALUMNI
In 2023, we had the pleasure of welcoming back Edward, an ESP alumnus who’s now a successful physiotherapy practitioner in Ghana, on campus for a coffee and a small reunion. Also Nefeli, Zineb and Dan came over for a true Orange Heart coffee and chat. Online, we connected to alumna Ricarda and her amazing work in Cerebral Palsy. Finally, some innovative alumni entrepreneurs shared their experiences and vision towards the future of physiotherapy in our online webinar. Alumni are a great source of inspiration and makes reflection on our curriculum full circle!
Did you know?
ESP has launched a creative campaign called ‘Reconnecting ESP Alumni – One Chocolate Bar at a Time,’ where they cycled through Amsterdam to deliver chocolate bars to their alumni. This initiative is set to continue running in 2024, spreading joy and strengthening connections among ESP alumni.
CONNECTIONS
ESPADEL
Another highlight of the year was the inaugural ESPadel event, a perfect blend of education and recreation. This event brought together students and lecturers in a dynamic environment, fostering a sense of community and connections outside the traditional classroom setting.
COLORFUL CULTURES
During the AUAS diversity week, we hosted a special “Meet and Greet” event about colorful cultures in which our students from China, France, Italy, Poland and USA prepared some traditional food and shared their cultural experiences to everyone. On top of being great physios in the making, we discovered some excellent chefs amongst them! It was a very tasty and very nice event that allowed to better connect and understand everyone in the program!
Chocolate Bar Campaign
Last year at ESP, our community spirit really shone through with some memorable activities. A highlight was our unique “Reconnecting ESP Alumni – One Chocolate Bar at a Time” campaign. This initiative involved our students cycling around Amsterdam, delivering chocolate bars to our alumni, symbolizing the enduring connection within the ESP family. The first two chocolate bars were delivered in 2023. We’re excited to continue this creative tradition and deliver many more in 2024!
BRINGING IN THE NEXT ESP GENERATION
Also this year, via open days and through class visits led by our ambassadors like Hana, Kelsey, and Diana, prospective students get a real feel of what it’s like to be part of ESP. These visits, both in-person and virtual, are tailored to show our dedication to inclusive and forward-thinking education
CLASS VISITS
Book your own session for 2024 now! You can book a campus visit or choose an online class visit. The latter will give you all the experiences, from the comfort of your own home!
2024
LOOKING FORWARD
2023 started with a huge blow to the ESP family with the loss of one of our students. It reminded us that we cannot take anything for granted in life. We are therefore dedicated to enjoy every aspect of 2024 and keep working on personal contact as greatest value of the ESP philosophy. We aim to continue to innovate and connect… More alumni contact and webinars for specific countries and specific topics… We will work on our curriculum and further improve the quality of feedback and the exam process, in based on alumni and student feedback! In the meanwhile, a Happy New Year from our Blog editors Bas & Aviv.
