32nd Annual National Neurotrauma Symposium

University Of California, San Francisco, San Francisco CA

Investigators

Abstract

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Neurotrauma is a major public health problem for which there are currently no effective therapies. Neurotrauma is the largest cause of death and disability, for persons under age 45 in the world, and the societal costs of the resulting disabilities exceeds $50 billion per year. The National Neurotrauma Symposium, now in its 32nd year, has been the primary forum for exchanging information on research in the fields of both traumatic brain injury (TBI) and spinal cord injury (SCI) for many years. The meeting focuses on integrating basic, translational, and clinical scientific information on neurotrauma. The 2014 meeting, co-hosted by the National Neurotrauma Society (NNS), and the AANS/CNS Joint Section on Neurotrauma and Critical Care (AANS/CNS JSNCC), will be held in downtown San Francisco, CA at the Marriott Marquis Hotel on June 29-July 3. This application requests support for 20 pre-and post-doctoral trainees to attend the meeting and partial support for travel for the 57 speakers. An exciting collation of state of the art clinical, translational and basic science sessions on the consequences of damage to the nervous system, and treatment strategies for repair after injury is planned. Highlights of the meeting include sessions on chroni traumatic encephalopathy and sports concussions, pediatric TBI, cell transplantation for SCI (both clinical trials and recent exciting lab results showing enhanced recovery), synaptogenesis after neurotrauma, rehabilitation strategies in both the lab and clinic for SCI and TBI, a roundtable discussion of model selection, pain after neurotrauma, and novel approaches for future basic and clinical research. There will be mentoring and networking sessions organized by the Women in Neurotrauma Research (WiNTR) for students and young investigators, and a special symposium day devoted to Neurotrauma Allied Health Professionals. A public lecture with Bob Woodruff will be held on the first day of the meeting, and an airing of The Crash Reel, a documentary about Kevin Pearce an Olympic snow-boarding contender who suffered a head injury, is planned to provide important patient and family perspectives.