GP066: Palestine Series Part 3 with Sandra Ballantyne and Amira Dirie

In this final Part 3, we speak with 2 guests. Amira Dirie is a registered psychotherapist, currently based on the East Coast of Canada. Sandra Ballantyne is a Canadian physiotherapist who has lived and worked in urban and remote areas of Canada, in Europe and in the Middle East. Early clinical experience in Lebanon and research in Palestine led her to graduate work in Community-Based Rehabilitation under conditions of political violence, completing a Palestinian case study. She subsequently practiced within CBR in Palestine, then returned to Canada, continuing to focus on community care. Sandra is married to a Palestinian public health professional, and they and their children are strongly linked with family in the West Bank, Jerusalem, Nazareth, and in the Palestinian diaspora. In the last two years, Sandra has been increasingly active for Palestine solidarity within health care and faith- based communities. She has recently retired from clinical practice. In our workplaces and beyond, Sandra is encouraged by our shared commitment to pursue universal human rights. More about this series: This Palestine Series, we sit down with three physiotherapists from Canada, the UK, and Australia, and a psychotherapist from Canada to explore their experiences with anti-Palestinian racism in healthcare systems. Together, we reflect on our personal and professional connections to Palestine, how the ongoing occupation across Palestine and ongoing genocide against Palestinians living in Gaza shape not only lives on the ground but also clinical and rehab spaces globally. In this series, we speak openly about discrimination, advocacy, and responsibility. We examine how politics enters healthcare spaces and institutions, how it impacts providers and patients, and what role rehabilitation professionals can and should play in advancing health justice and equity globally.