Physiopedia Plus (Plus) instructor Stacy Schiurring has been recognised by APTA’s Academy of Leadership and Innovation for research demonstrating how AI-enhanced education can address global workforce shortages in neurorehabilitation. Her award-winning poster, presented at this week’s Combined Sections Meeting in Anaheim, USA, shows that accessible online learning can reach thousands of professionals across 51 countries whilst achieving completion rates that exceed typical benchmarks.
This week at the American Physical Therapy Association’s Combined Sections Meeting (CSM) in Anaheim, California, USA, Plus instructor Stacy Schiurring presented research completed with Tarina van der Stockt, that earned an award from APTA’s Academy of Leadership and Innovation for social responsibility. The poster, “Breaking Barriers: AI-Enhanced Tutoring for Equitable Neurorehabilitation Online Learning,” examines how artificial intelligence can address critical workforce shortages whilst making specialised education accessible worldwide.
Just months ago, presenting at a national conference was a long-held aspiration for Stacy, and she turned that dream into reality by working through two Plus courses: Amanda Ager’s Developing a Conference Abstract and Developing and Delivering a Conference Poster. The structured guidance transformed what initially felt overwhelming into an achievable goal, resulting in her first conference presentation and an award recognising her work in social responsibility.
The research tackles a critical problem: global neurorehabilitation faces a severe workforce shortage, with 2.4 billion people requiring rehabilitation services but having severely limited access. Traditional neurorehabilitation education concentrates in high-income institutional programmes, creating geographic and financial barriers that leave low- and middle-income countries underserved. The research presents preliminary implementation results from an AI-enhanced 9-course neurorehabilitation programme designed to democratise access to neuroscience education globally.
This study examined a comprehensive neuroscience curriculum delivered through Plus, with all courses AI-enhanced using the Physiopedia AI Assistant (PAI). The nine online courses cover essential topics from neuronal networks to rehabilitation treatment considerations, all utilising PAI for intelligent tutoring with adaptive questioning, virtual patient simulations and personalised feedback.
The programme reached 51 countries across all World Bank income classifications, with 1,853 total course enrolments. The geographic distribution showed 48% from high-income countries, 23% from upper-middle income countries, 26% from lower-middle income countries and 3% from low-income countries. Individual course completion rates ranged from 45–74% with a mean of 62%, whilst 46 professionals from 15 countries completed the full 9-course programme. These completion rates exceed the typical 30% benchmark for online professional learning.
The research also documented active engagement with AI features: 542 PAI clinical case activity completions, 234 PAI knowledge check completions, and 776 total voluntary AI interactions across the programme. This demonstrates substantial learner uptake in supplementary AI-enhanced learning tools beyond the required course content, suggesting that learners actively engage with tools that support applied clinical reasoning practice within complex neurorehabilitation content. Learner satisfaction was reflected in a mean rating of 4.3/5.0 from participants who represent primarily physical therapists, along with physicians, occupational therapists, nurses and rehabilitation assistants.
The research provides evidence that AI-enhanced online neuroscience education is feasible at global scale and can achieve completion rates exceeding typical benchmarks for online professional learning. The high utilisation of optional AI-supported clinical case activities (48% of completers) suggests that when given the right tools, learners actively engage with resources that bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and clinical application.
Stacy presented the poster on Friday 13 February, from 12 pm to 2 pm in Exhibit Hall C (Level One, Anaheim Convention Center, Main Building). For those who couldn’t attend CSM, you can view the full abstract and download the complete poster presentation below.
The research represents early implementation data collected over 3.5 months (30 September 2025 through 13 January 2026), with PAI feature use being voluntary and no controlled comparison or direct clinical practice outcome measures included. However, the preliminary findings offer evidence for the potential of AI-enhanced education to address global healthcare workforce challenges.
Stacy’s journey from uncertain first-time presenter to award-winning researcher shows what’s possible when professionals have access to structured support and practical guidance. Her experience demonstrates that contributing to the research conversation and advancing our profession is achievable for any physiotherapy professional willing to develop the skills needed to effectively communicate their knowledge and insights.
Congratulations to Stacy Schiurring and Tarina van der Stockt on this recognition from APTA’s Academy of Leadership and Innovation. This research advances the important conversation about equitable access to quality healthcare education worldwide. Interested in developing your own conference presentation skills? Explore Amanda Ager’s Developing a Conference Abstract and Developing and Delivering a Conference Poster courses on Physiopedia Plus. Want to learn more about how AI can enhance your professional development? Discover Physiopedia AI (PAI) and explore our growing library of specialised courses.
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