A James Paget senior occupational therapist has delivered a key speech to delegates at an international conference.
Sunday Tayo Eleyinde was invited to present at the World Federation of Occupational Therapists (WFOT) Congress, which was staged earlier this year in Bangkok, Thailand.
Tayo was selected after submitting two ‘abstracts’ - or summaries - on his work to conference organisers, who sifted through more than 3000 submissions from therapists worldwide before deciding on presenters for the Congress.
The organisers were impressed with his work – and requested that he expand the abstracts to full presentations, with one to be delivered as a speech, and the other as a presentational poster.
Tayo’s speech covered his leadership experience at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital in Benin City, Nigeria, where he developed the occupational service.
This included introducing eight specialised services and the establishment of a school of occupational therapy which has so far trained 150 occupational therapy practitioners, as well as 60 occupational therapy interns.
For his poster presentation, displayed before delegates in the main hall, Tayo focussed on his contribution to the development of occupational therapy in Nigeria while serving as a member of the executive of the country’s Occupational Therapists Association between 2013 and 2020.
In addition, Tayo chaired a congress educational session which saw a series of presentations from international participants, followed by discussions and knowledge exchange.
Tayo, who has worked at the James Paget since 2023, said that attending the congress has had an ‘enduring impact’ on his professional journey.
“The experience of attending the congress will continue to resonate in my practice as an occupational therapist, shaping both my current work and future contributions to the professional and rehabilitation services in general,” he added.
Tayo previously attended WFOT Congress in both Cape Town, South Africa, and Paris, France, where he also delivered presentations.
More than 2400 people from 96 countries attended this year’s congress, which took place between 9-12 February.