April 17, 2026 — A German professor specializing in inclusive health care recently visited the Rady Faculty of Health Sciences as a recipient of the Samuel Weiner Distinguished Visitor Award.
In her week-long visit in March, Dr. Birgit Prodinger, gave presentations to faculty and students at the colleges of community and global health, nursing and rehabilitation sciences on the importance of disability-inclusion in equitable health systems.
Prodinger is the inaugural chair of inclusive health care at the University of Augsburg’s Faculty of Medicine and director of the Institute of General Practice and Health Services Research at the University Hospital of Augsburg.
Currently she is developing global competency standards for health workers on disability-inclusion in collaboration with the World Health Organization. These standards are intended for global uptake and implementation to advance equitable, inclusive health systems. At the University of Augsburg, these competencies are incorporated into a disability curriculum that runs throughout the medical curriculum.
“These standards focus on human rights-based principles that facilitate equitable and respectful interactions between health-care professionals and individuals with disabilities,” Prodinger said. “This includes, among other things, recognizing the person rather than the disability, addressing systemic, communication and attitudinal barriers, and supporting informed and autonomous decision-making in the interest of health equity.”
Dr. Christine Kelly, professor at the College of Community and Global Health, nominated Prodinger for the award after visiting her research group in Germany last summer.
“Dr. Prodinger’s work is very relevant to community and global health, where we do a lot of work on health services, equity and access. She has a unique professional background in rehab, so she was a really good fit to speak to that audience, and her current role in medicine is well-suited to the other colleges as well,” she said.
Dr. Madeline Burghardt, an assistant professor of occupational therapy at the College of Rehabilitation Sciences, said Prodinger’s presentations showed many similarities in how people with disabilities have been treated in both Germany’s and Canada’s health-care systems.
“I always find that very fascinating that two countries on two different continents with very different histories can have such similar policies towards people with impairments. The themes of needing to prove you have a disability in order to receive the supports to which all people are entitled are persistent across jurisdictions,” Burghardt said.
To learn more about the Samuel Weiner Distinguished Visitor Award, contact the Office of the Vice-President (Research and International) .