{"id":121679,"date":"2026-07-08T18:15:12","date_gmt":"2026-07-08T18:15:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/121679\/"},"modified":"2026-07-08T18:15:12","modified_gmt":"2026-07-08T18:15:12","slug":"leading-change-a-trailblazer-behind-canadian-armed-forces-physiotherapy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/121679\/","title":{"rendered":"Leading change: a trailblazer behind Canadian Armed Forces physiotherapy"},"content":{"rendered":"

Untitled Document<\/p>\n

July 8, 2026 \u2013 Defence Stories<\/p>\n

Estimated read time: 1:57<\/p>\n

\"A
\nCaption<\/p>\n

LCol Dan Trudel (right) was the Medical Director for the CAF delegation at the 2019 World Military Games in Wuhan, China.<\/p>\n

Photo supplied by LCol Dan Trudel.<\/p>\n

When he joined the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) more than two decades ago, Lieutenant-Colonel (LCol) Dan Trudel was one of just eight Physiotherapy Officers. His occupation lacked the critical staff and programs needed to support military members.<\/p>\n

\u201cHealth services are the backbone of the CAF,\u201d he said. \u201cWhen members are injured or unwell, getting them the right care quickly is critical to keeping the force ready and resilient.\u201d<\/p>\n

LCol Trudel helped changed that.<\/p>\n

Thanks to the mentorship he received, he first focused on standardizing physiotherapy practices to improve the profession\u2019s visibility and continuity of care. He helped establish the CAF Athletic Trainer Program<\/a> in 2006. This initiative provides standardized medical coverage for military sports. The program now has more than 250 athletic trainers and provides support to regional, national, and international competitions.<\/p>\n

In Afghanistan, LCol Trudel was part of a trial as the first two-person physiotherapy team and their success led to the creation of a second permanent position. He later supported the creation of a clinic in Latvia, which remains part of the CAF\u2019s capacity today.<\/p>\n

Finally, he led the development of the Medical Return to Duty Access Process. This national initiative, started in 2017, now facilitates the reintegration of injured CAF members.<\/p>\n

LCol Trudel has received multiple recognitions. Most recently, in March 2025, he was honoured with the Order of Military Merit, which recognizes distinctive merit and exceptional service by CAF members. The award was especially important to him: his father was also a recipient.<\/p>\n

\"Three
\nCaption<\/p>\n

The Chief of the Defence Staff (left), LCol Trudel (centre), and the former Governor General of Canada (right) at the Order of Military Merit Ceremony, held at Rideau Hall, Ottawa, in March 2025.<\/p>\n

Photo supplied by LCol Dan Trudel.<\/p>\n

\u201cI remember when my father was inducted, I was extremely proud of him. Especially once I understood what the award represented. Learning that I had been selected was an incredible honour,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

However, LCol Trudel emphasizes that his occupation\u2019s evolution was, above all, the result of a shared journey.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve always seen myself as continuing the work others started,\u201d he said. \u201cThis recognition isn\u2019t just for me. It\u2019s for everyone who mentored, supported, and worked alongside me throughout my career.\u201d<\/p>\n

Physiotherapy is crucial to CAF readiness. It keeps members functional. Now with 42 Physiotherapy Officer positions, the occupation continues to expand.<\/p>\n

\u201cPhysiotherapy is a force multiplier,\u201d LCol Trudel said. \u201cWhen you help one person return to function, it strengthens their team, their unit, and ultimately the entire force. That\u2019s something we\u2019ve all contributed to.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now serving outside of the occupation in a leadership role as Senior Staff Officer for the Health Services Secretariat, LCol Trudel is proud of his roots.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am no longer directly involved in leading the occupation, but it is in great hands,\u201d he said. \u201cThe next generation of physiotherapists is already driving innovation in care, education, and operations. I\u2019m grateful to have been part of the foundation they\u2019re building on.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Untitled Document July 8, 2026 \u2013 Defence Stories Estimated read time: 1:57 Caption LCol Dan Trudel (right) was…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":121680,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[17,14608,4537],"class_list":["post-121679","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-canada","tag-canada","tag-military-health-and-wellness","tag-milperscom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/121679","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=121679"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/121679\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/121680"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=121679"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=121679"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=121679"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}