Scientific Committee
Dr. samir H. Qasim
Dr. Samir H. Qasim is an Associate Professor of Adapted Physical Activity at the Department of Sport Sciences at Yarmouk University. He completed his PhD in Education/Adapted Physical Activity from the University of Edinburgh in 2015. Dr. Qasim teaches Adapted Physical Education course at the undergraduate level and Coaching Individuals with Disability course at the postgraduate level. Eight master students completed their theses in Adapted Physical Activity under Dr. Qasim’s supervision. Furthermore, he published several original articles in the international journals and participated as an oral presenter in international conferences in the field of Adapted Physical Activity. Currently, Dr. Qasim is a General Secretary & Webmaster of the Middle East Federation of Adapted Physical Activity.
Dr. Jooyeon Jim
Dr. Jooyeon Jin is a Full Professor in Dept. of Sport Science at University of Seoul (UOS), Korea where he serves as a director of Adapted Physical Activity and Health Laboratory. He completed his Ph.D. in 2012 at Oregon State University and worked as an assistant professor at University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, USA before joining UOS in 2016. His overarching goal is to guide individuals with disabilities to obtain health benefits and live best life through healthy 24 hours being physically active, minimizing sedentary behavior, and achieving sufficient sleep. Dr. Jin currently serves on six editorial boards of academic journals.
Prof. Dr. Peter Bukhala
Prof. Dr. Melanie Perreanlt
Dr. Perreault is a Professor of Motor Behavior in the Department of Kinesiology, Sport Studies, and Physical Education and Interim Associate Director of the Honors College at SUNY Brockport. She also co-directs the Institute of Movement Studies for Individuals with Visual Impairments or Deafblindness. Dr. Perreault’s main area of research focuses on motor development in children with sensory impairments. She has published over 40 peer-reviewed articles, contributed to eight book chapters, co-authored a leading motor development textbook, and frequently presents at national and international conferences. Dr. Perreault and her research team received the Corinne Kirchner Research Award from the American Federation for the Blind and the Special Recognition Award from the CHARGE Syndrome Foundation for their contributes to the field.
Prof. Dr. Selina Khoo
Prof. Dr. Selina Khoo is a Professor at the Faculty of Sports and Exercise Science, Universiti Malaya. Her research is related to participation of sports and physical activity for various populations, including older adults, persons with disabilities, women, and cancer survivors. This includes determining prevalence of physical activity, motives for participation, and interventions to increase physical activity. She has led and participated in numerous multi-disciplinary and multi-country research with collaborators in Asia, Africa, Australia, Europe, and South America. She has served on international committees including the Commonwealth Advisory Body on Sport (CABOS) and the Development Committee of the Far East and South Pacific Games for the Disabled (FESPIC) Federation. Selina is currently the country contact for Malaysia on the Global Observatory for Physical Activity as well as the Global Observatory for Physical Education, and a director of the Asian Society for Adapted Physical Education and Exercise (ASAPE).
Dr. Maria Luiza
Dr. Maria Luiza Tanure Alves is an Associate Professor at the School of Physical Education at the Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), Brazil. She is the Coordinator of the Center for Research and Innovation in Equity, Inclusive Physical Education and Paralympic Sport. Her main research interest is physical education and sport for disabled children and youth from the perspective of Critical Disability Studies.
Dr. Tania Bastos
Dr. Tânia Bastos is an Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Sport and member of the Centre of Research, Education, Innovation and Intervention in Sport (CIFI2D), University of Porto, Portugal. She completed her PhD in cotutelle between the University of Porto and the Catholic University of Leuven (Belgium) in 2012. Tânia teaching and research interests focus on the cross-disciplinary field of APA with emphasis on the psychosocial aspects. Over the past decade, she has promoted several community programs offering physical activity and sport for persons with disabilities and severe mmental disorders. Since 2022, she is part of the Editorial Board for Adapted Physical Activity Quarterly (APAQ) and serves as Section Editor for Advances in Rehabilitation journal. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9974-408X
Dr. Boro Štrumbelj
Dr. Boro Štrumbelj, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Sport, University of Ljubljana. From 2015 to 2018, he served as Director General for Sport at the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport.u003cbru003eHe is currently a member of the Council of Experts for Sport of the Government of Slovenia as a representative of the Paralympic Committee of Slovenia, where he also previously served as President of the Council. He is also President of the Council of Experts of the Paralympic Committee. In addition, he served as President of the Swimming Federation of Slovenia.
Dr. Emma Beckman
Dr. Emma Beckman is a Teaching and Research academic at the University of Queensland. Emma is passionate about engaging in research to improve the lives of people with a disability through sports, physical activity, and exercise. Following a master’s degree in Adapted physical activity, Emma completed her PhD in strength assessment for classification in Para Sport. She is currently a co-investigator in the UQ IPC Classification Research Partnership, and an internationally accredited classifier in Para Athletics. She currently acts in a conjoint position between UQ and the Queensland Academy of Sport and Paralympics Australia where she is appointed as the Para Sport High Performance Manager. Emma’s research spans grassoots physical activity and high performance para sport and she has a particular interest in athletes with high support needs.
Dr. Ali Yaaribi
Dr. Ali Al-Yaaribi is the Head of the Department of Physical Education and Sport Sciences at Sultan Qaboos University and an Associate Professor in Sport and Exercise Psychology. He holds a BSc from Sultan Qaboos University (Oman), an MSc from the University of Western Australia (Perth), and a PhD from the University of Birmingham (UK).u003cbru003eAli currently serves as the President of the Oman University Sports Committee (OUSC) and previously served as the Vice Chairman of the Omani Basketball Association (OBA) from 2020 to 2024. He is also a former member of the Omani national basketball team.