From Piazza del Popolo toUniversità Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, passing through the Ministry of Health. On September 8th and 9th, the Order of Physiotherapists of Lazio (OFI Lazio) celebrated World Physiotherapy Day 2026 with a program of events aimed at citizens, institutions, professionals, and students. A dedicated program on the theme "You Can Control Your Heart. Physiotherapy for Cardiovascular Health", which brought the contribution of physiotherapy to prevention, treatment and rehabilitation to the centre of attention.
The final day took place on September 9th at the Aula Magna UCBM, where OFI Lazio met with third-year Physiotherapy degree students from universities in Lazio. The event was dedicated to the new generations of professionals, who are challenged to address the evolution of the profession, the responsibilities of physiotherapists, and the skills needed to address the health needs of an increasingly complex population.
The debate was opened by the prof Federica Bressi, President of Degree Course in Physiotherapy is added UCBM, who underlined the value of the initiative for students and for the world of education. This World Day was an important event because it saw a large turnout of students, especially the youngest, who need guidance to understand who they are, what they will do, and what their path will be. We, teachers and specialists, therefore, have a significant responsibility towards them. We have seen how physiotherapists today play a central role in patient care, in the prevention and management of chronic conditions and their complexities, at all stages of life: from pediatric patients to adults, right up to the elderly.
The discussion highlighted how physiotherapists today play a fundamental role not only in rehabilitation, but also in the prevention and management of chronic conditions, accompanying individuals through all stages of life, from childhood to old age.
"The physiotherapist – Professor Bressi also explained – has the opportunity to take advantage of technology and artificial intelligence, tools that absolutely do not replace their work, but can contribute to improving safety and quality. However, it is always the physiotherapist who decides and takes responsibility for their decisions. I thank OFI Lazio, especially President Annamaria Servadio and the entire leadership of the Order; I thank my University and the Rector, because days like this must continue to happen."
"The celebration of World Physiotherapy Day - he stressed Annamaria Servadio, President of OFI – It couldn't have ended better. Like every year, we're reinforcing the format of this celebration: we started with the citizens, with initiatives dedicated to outreach, orientation, and therapeutic education, precisely to reaffirm the value of proximity. Piazza del Popolo is a symbolic place for us: it's where we started, and it's where we return every year to concretely demonstrate our closeness to the people and the work that physiotherapists do alongside them.. Then came the meeting with the institutions, a fruitful moment of discussion. I thank the Federation again for organizing, together with the institutions of the Ministry of Health, such a rich day of reflection. Finally, we returned to where it all began for each of us: training. Each of us studied at a university; students are our future, and training is the heart of our profession.
The meeting at UCBM thus closed a path that connected territory, institutions and training, reaffirming the role of physiotherapy in health promotion and underlining the importance of preparing tomorrow's professionals to face the new health challenges with competence and vision.
