Physiopedia Plus instructor Dr Patricia Welch Saleeby recently delivered a powerful TEDx talk that challenges healthcare professionals worldwide to rethink how we approach patient care. Her message that “a diagnosis is not the end of your story, but rather a powerful beginning” perfectly encapsulates the mission behind her comprehensive ICF education programme available through Physiopedia Plus.
Dr Saleeby’s recently presented a TEDx Bradley University presentation, titled “What if Your Diagnosis Was Just the Beginning?”. The presentation draws from her remarkable personal journey and professional expertise to advocate for a fundamental shift in healthcare thinking. As a Full Professor and Social Work Program Director at Bradley University, she has dedicated over 25 years to promoting the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) across multiple disciplines.
In her talk, Dr Saleeby shares a compelling personal story about how medical advice based solely on her cardiac diagnosis nearly derailed her career aspirations. Despite being advised against pursuing medicine due to her supraventricular tachycardia, she thrived in equally demanding social work roles, demonstrating that functioning capacity extends far beyond diagnostic labels. This experience became the foundation for her lifelong advocacy of function-based healthcare approaches.
“We need to start listening to people. We need to stop telling people what they can’t do and start telling people and understanding what they can”
Through her engaging TEDx presentation, Dr Saleeby illustrates why the traditional ICD system, whilst essential for diagnosis, provides an incomplete picture. Using relatable examples of two patients with identical asthma diagnoses but vastly different functional profiles, she demonstrates how the ICF framework captures the wealth of information that truly defines a person’s health experience.
Dr Saleeby’s expertise stems from her unique position as one of the first social work professionals worldwide involved in the World Health Organization’s (WHO) ICIDH revision process that led to the ICF in 2001. Her recent appointment as Co-Chair of the Functioning and Disability Reference Group for WHO further solidifies her standing as an internationally recognised authority on functioning-based healthcare approaches.
This expertise is translated directly into practical education through her comprehensive International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) Programme, available on Physiopedia Plus. The five-course series equips healthcare professionals with the essential knowledge and practical tools necessary for implementing ICF principles in clinical practice, education, and research settings.
“If we truly want to advance societal priorities, we must transform healthcare away from a system that just reacts to illness, to one that proactively nurtures and cultivates human functioning and flourishing”
Her work through Physiopedia Plus ensures that rehabilitation professionals worldwide can access this critical knowledge, supporting the global shift towards more holistic, person-centred care that recognises each individual’s unique functional profile and potential.
Healthcare professionals seeking to enhance their understanding of functioning-based approaches can explore Dr Saleeby’s comprehensive ICF programme, where her decades of expertise and passion for transformative healthcare education continue to impact practice standards across disciplines and continents.
This article was written by one of our course instructors...
Tarina van der Stockt
PT (BphysT), DPT
Education Director Physiopedia Plus