Prof. Isabel de Camargo Neves Sacco, Associate Professor at the Department of Physiotherapy, Speech Therapy and Occupational Therapy of the Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo (FMUSP) is the first woman to hold the position of President of the International Foot & Ankle Biomechanics Meeting (i-FAB), congress on ankle and foot biomechanics, to be held from 11 to 14 April 2021. This edition of the event is also special, because for the first time it is organized by a country in South America and due to the circumstances of the pandemic, it has been modified to the virtual format.

The platform chosen for the congresso broadcast will enable interaction with participants from all around the world, who will be able to use chat, meeting rooms for two or more people to make video-calls, with posters sessions permanently available in PDF file and with the possibility of having complementary contents in audio and/or video, in addition to holding lectures and oral presentations live. "The objective is to provide a dynamic format to the participants, to give them a more lively, welcoming characteristic and to make people feel as if they were in the presence of others," says Profa. Isabel Sacco.

In i-FAB 2021, the highlight is the Chair Woman, which will be women mediators and coordinators in all sessions of lectures and oral work, mediating questions and answers after the presentations of the works. The local organizing committee is composed of doctoral students from the Graduation Program in Rehabilitation Sciences at FMUSP. In addition to offering two special sessions on hot topics, with specialists of great international prestige, to discuss two emerging topics in science: computed tomography with weight discharge (Weight Bearing CT) and biomechanics of the diabetic foot.

Prof. Isabel Sacco says: "it was an honor to have received the invitation and to have considered passing the presidency of the congress to a woman from Brazil, besides having trusted in my work, in my group and in the Laboratory of Biomechanics of the Movement and Human Posture of the Department of Physiotherapy, Speech Therapy and Occupational Therapy of FMSUP". The professor also adds: "it is a happiness for me and, of course, a great challenge, but we are going to show that we can hold this congress in the best possible way and that Brazil knows how to do high quality science in this area".

The event will feature speakers from world-renowned universities such as Harvard Medical School, Yale University, and others in Canada, France, the Netherlands, Italy and Sweden, over 200 papers already submitted and with most of the entries made by foreigners. 

Learn more about the international congress at https://www.i-fab2021.com/