Arnauj Saj
A word from the President
SOFPEL, the Francophone Society for Posture, Balance, and Gait (Société Francophone Posture Equilibre et Locomotion), is a leading learned society in the field of clinical gait analysis. Previously known as the French Association for Posture (Association Française de Posturologie) and then the Posture & Balance Association (Association Posture Equilibre), it has broadened its disciplinary field to the study of locomotion in healthy and pathological subjects.
Thanks to the diversity of its members (medical and paramedical professionals, scientists, etc.) and its research themes, it contributes to the dissemination of fundamental knowledge and therapeutic innovations in fields as varied as neurology, rehabilitation, and podiatry.
Founded by Pierre-Marie Gagey, it was subsequently chaired by Michel Lacour, Dominique Perennou and Luc Defebvre. The vote of the General Assembly of December 8, 2018 tasked me with the responsibility for the 2018-22 presidency, and I sincerely thank the members for the trust they have kindly placed in me.
The project that will be implemented is in line with the work accomplished under the presidency of Luc Defebvre. It will be federative, respectful of the plurality of our society, and faithful to the spirit of conviviality of our exchanges.
- Strengthening the appeal of SOFPEL in the field of health, in particular with the support of the future CNU (French National University Council) section of “Rehabilitation Sciences” and opening to the field of gerontology.
- Promoting scientific publishing among independent health professionals. The first step being the publication of a guide for writing a SOFPEL abstract.
- Strengthening the attraction of the annual conference in its scientific, organizational, and social components.
- Broadening the participation of SOFPEL in the French-speaking and international scientific community.
- Enriching the SOFPEL website with the creation of new sections (member area, news…), and the translation of part of its content into English.
The progress of our project will be presented at the general assembly of each annual congress, as well as through the newsletter that now paces the life of our society.