Have You Heard?...
The CRUDEM Foundation is seeking medical professionals to volunteer at their permanent hospital in Milot, Haiti. Milot is in northern Haiti, and the Hopital Sacre Coeur has been receiving patients from the local area as well as Port au Prince. Many of you may be familiar with CRUDEM through Dr. Hank Chambers' recent posts about his volunteer time in Milot in early February 2010.
CRUDEM is especially looking for nurses, physical therapists, occupational therapists, medical doctors and physician's assistants to volunteer their time and expertise. If you are interested and able to assist, please consider doing so.
As the news from Haiti comes in we are all aware of our need to provide support and assistance to others. The links below are a small start and focus on children and disability. Many of our members will be involved directly with service through other organizations and we welcome information about those as well. The International Affairs Committee will be compiling a more exhaustive list.
Healing Hands for Haiti: http://www.healinghandsforhaiti.org
Cure International: http://www.cureinternational.org
Center for International Research: http://www.cirnetwork.org
Project HOPE: http://www.projecthope.org
Updated 2/4:
AACPDM's immediate Past President Hank Chambers, MD, is currently volunteering in Haiti. On February 2, he provided this report:
I'm in Haiti right now working with the CRUDEM Foundation in the north of the country. It's the largest most complete hospital in Haiti. We are getting 30 to 50 air evacs from the US Navy every day. We now have over 350 patients and their families in a hospital built for 50. Our current and long term needs are going to be physiatrists and therapists. We had five therapists arrive on January 31, and they are key to getting people up off of their straw mats. I would say that we have over 200 amputees in our hospital right now. I just got out of the OR doing a below-knee amputation in an 8 year old. We are also the only hospital in Haiti accepting para and quadriplegics. The Navy ships are even sending them to us, and we have 12 right now.
A new guideline from the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) and the Child Neurology Society finds botulinum toxin type A to be an effective treatment for spasticity, muscle tightness that interferes with movement, in children and adolescents with cerebral palsy, but poses some risk. Please click here to read the full announcement from AAN.
The March of Dimes has applications open for three awards. Please click on the name of the award for more information.
2011 Basil O’Connor Starter Scholar Research Award
2011 Prematurity Research Initiative
The focus of Child Health Day 2009 was "Every Child Deserves a Medical Home." To recognize Child Health Day, the National Center for Medical Home Implementation produced a video compilation featuring children, families, and providers across the country who illustrate the value and importance of medical home for all children and youth. You can view the video and other resources from Child Health Day, including coloring sheets and flyers, on the National Center's Web site at http://www.medicalhomeinfo.org/about/ChildHealthDay2009.html.
Gregg Mozgala reduced symptoms of his cerebral palsy through dance. Please click here to view a video clip from Good Morning America sharing this story, and including AACPDM member Citlali Lopez-Ortiz, PhD.
The Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr. Foundation is seeking exemplary professionals and/or family members of persons with intellectual or developmental disabilities who are currently working or volunteering in the field of inclusive services and supports for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities for an intensive one-year Public Policy Fellowship in Washington, D.C.
The purpose of the Fellowship is to prepare both early career and veteran leaders to assume leadership in the public policy arena in their home state and/or nationally. During this one year Fellowship, the successful applicant will learn how federal legislation is initiated, developed, and passed by the Congress, as well as how programs are administered and regulations promulgated by federal agencies.
Please click here for further details.
Please read this important message from the American Academy of Pediatrics regarding health care reform legislation.
The AACPDM 64th Annual Meeting will be 3 weeks earlier than originally scheduled. The new dates are: September 22 – September 25, 2010. Click here for more information.
On December 3, 2009, the Today Show featured a segment on cerebral palsy and robotic therapy. The segment showed footage from CPIRF’s project at Blythedale Children’s Hospital in Valhalla, NY featuring upper extremity robotic therapy and from the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago where a joint workshop was held on ‘Transformational Technologies’, to get the research community interested in using technologies shown to be effective in stroke rehabilitation for use in cerebral palsy therapy. Additionally, Meredith Vieira interviewed Dr. Nancy Synderman about the increasing prevalence of CP, the reasons why, and new therapies on the horizon.
Please click here to see the segment on the Today Show's website.
The DMCN supplement concentrating on Adults with Cerebral Palsy is now available. This supplement summarizes the information from the Adults with Cerebral Palsy workshop, which was developed to define the challenges of treating and preventing the secondary musculoskeletal and neuromuscular complications in this rapidly growing population.
An increasing number of individuals with cerebral palsy are living to adulthood. Although the neurological injury associated with cerebral palsy is non-progressive, these adults often develop musculoskeletal and neurological symptoms, such as severe pain, chronic fatigue, and premature decline of mobility and function. There is limited information on the prevention and management of these problems. Studies have reported significant pain which interferes with daily function in 67% to 82% of adults with cerebral palsy, with the back, hip, and lower extremities as the most common locations. However, these individuals face significant challenges find care providers who are comfortable seeing them because of their diagnosis.
In the fall of 2008, a conference was held on adults with cerebral palsy in Atlanta, GA as a pre-meeting to the Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Cerebral Palsy and Developmental Medicine. This conference was chaired by Laura Tosi, M.D. (Orthopedic surgery, Children’s National Medical Center, Washington, DC) and Mindy Aisen, M.D. (former director of Cerebral Palsy International Research Foundation, now from Ranchos Los Amigos, Downey, Ca.). Proceedings from the conference have been published in a supplemental issue of the journal, Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology, and contains articles on musculoskeletal problems, pain issues, osteoporosis, neurologic interventions, and orthopedic care in adults with cerebral palsy, among other topics. All health care professionals are encouraged to become familiar with this information so that they can provide treatment to adults with cerebral palsy.
Click here for the most up-to-date information.
AACPDM would like to invite our members to participate in important research regarding the World Health Organization (WHO)’s International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) as it relates to children and youth with motor impairments, specifically cerebral palsy (CP).
The WHO developed the ICF in 2001 and went on to publish the child and youth version (ICFCY) in 2007. The goal of the ICF-CY is to create a framework to define and classify the health and function of children and youth around the world and to provide a comprehensive classification system of childhood disability that could be used across service systems.
For more information, please click here.
The AACDPM Advocacy Committee is hosting two very special instructional courses at this year's Annual Meeting. Instructional Course 16: Preparing for Federal Advocacy - Midterm Elections and Advocating on Capitol Hill will be held on Friday, September 25th at 3:30pm and Instructional Course 37: Crafting Your Advocacy Message for the Media will be held on Saturday, September 26th at 3:30pm. These two courses are intended to prepare attendees for the AACPDM 2010 Annual Meeting in Washington DC where we will be engaging in advocacy activities on the Hill - and also to teach members how to work with the media to share ideas and promote awareness. Meeting attendees interested in advocacy are encouraged to take both exciting courses.
Breakfast with the Experts Sessions at the 63rd Annual Meeting are filling up quickly! Ten Breakfast Sessions are already full, and AACPDM encourages you to submit your registration early to ensure that your remaining choice is still available. The sessions with space available are: BRK2, BRK5, BRK8, BRK14 and BRK15. Breakfast Sessions are hour-long courses, and true to their name include a plated breakfast. Registration for each Breakfast Session is limited to 50 and is on a first come, first served basis. You can click here to view descriptions of the Breakfast Sessions that will be offered in Scottsdale.
The March of Dimes has an informative advocacy web page and newsletter that will help you keep up to date on issues affecting children and healthcare in the United States today. Please take a look at this helpful resource.
Elaine Bragg, PT
Monica Carmona, OT
Laura Deon, MD
Christine Egan, PT
Heidi Haapala, MD
Natalie Maitre, MD PhD
Carrie Mallett, OT
Terrie Millard, PT
Seungguk Moon, MD
Traci Morse, PT
Scott Schultz, MD
Roslyn Ward, MS
The White House has released a statement on the 19th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, in which President Obama announces that the United States will be signing on to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in New York on December 13, 2006.
Rishi Agrawal, MD
Micah Baird, MD
Hsiu-Ching Chiu, MS PT
Claire Davies, PhD
Helen Enns, PT
Miriam Hwang, MD
Lynn Jeffries, PhD PT
Marion McAlpine, MD
Dong-wook Rha, MD PhD
Sarah Rogers, MPH
Mariann Sasvari, BSc
Beverley Tann, RN
Shannon Weir, BSc
The International Society for Prosthetics and Orthotics has published their 2009 Cerebral Palsy Consensus Report. Please note that the PDF is 312 pages and may take a few moments to fully load.
International Scholarship Winners:
- Shabnam Rangwala, BSc (India)
- Mintaze Kerem Gunel, MD (Turkey)
- Snahel Ganesh Deshpande, BPT (India)
- Gadi Bialik, MD (Israel)
- Faustyna Manikowska, PhD (Poland)
Student Scholarship Winners:
- Kelly Clanchy (University of Queensland)
- Jenny Kennedy (Upstate Medical University)
- Sandy Saavedra (University of Oregon)
- Marie Brossard Racine (McGill University)
- Arta Lahiji (Mt. Sinai School of Medicine)
- Kimberly Sackheim (Mt. Sinai School of Medicine)
- Bernadette Gillick (University of Minnesota)
All scholarship winners receive complimentary Annual Meeting Registration as well as a stipend to assist with travel and housing costs at the Annual Meeting. Congratulations to all winners!
The AACPDM Research Committee is pleased to announce that the 2009 Research Planning Grant has been awarded to "FIT-ACTIVE-HABITS: Measurement of Fitness and Habitual Physical Activity in Persons with Cerebral Palsy". This project is being led by Dr. Margaret O'Neil, PT PhD MPH of Drexel University.
The Research Planning Grant is an award of up to $25,000 (USD) that is given annually. The purpose of this research grant is to provide support to bring together investigators from geographically disparate locations, obtain statistical consultation and develop a multi-center research study plan.
Congratulations to Dr. O'Neil and her team of researchers!
We are pleased to announce that registration for the 63rd Annual Meeting is now open! This year's meeting is being held in sunny Scottsdale, Arizona, on September 23-26, 2009 at the Westin Kierland Resort & Spa.
To view a PDF copy of the Preliminary Program, please click here. Please note that as part of our effort to hold a "Green" meeting this year, we did not print our Preliminary Program. This year's Preliminary Program will only be available online. This reduced the amount of paper used by 800,000 pages! It also meant less packaging and no gas spent shipping the programs.
To register online for the Annual Meeting, please click here. We hope that you will join us for this meeting in the beautiful city of Scottsdale, Arizona. For more information on Scottsdale please visit http://www.scottsdalecvb.com/.
Mindy L. Aisen, MD
Sandra Bertana, MD
Annet J. Dallmeijer, PhD
Bernadette Gillick, PT
Janice Justiz, PT
G. Elizabeth Macklin, MD, MA, FRCP
Sari Stoler
Karen Voogt, PT
Pamela Wilson, MD
Dr. Peterson was the lucky winner of an iPod Nano, congratulations!
Thank you to all the members that participated in the 2009 Membership Survey. We had a record response of 33%! The Board of Directors used the data collected to complete their Strategic Plan. This plan will be shared with the entire membership in the upcoming months.
We want to personally thank Dr. Bob Christopher for his years of service as the historian and de facto parliamentarian of our organization. As many of you know, Bob has been a tireless worker in this organization beginning long before he was president in 1987. Bob first served on the Board of Directors as the Scientific Program Chairman for Dr. Leonard Bender in 1980. He previously had served 3 years as Chair of the Research and Awards Committee having been appointed to that position by Dr. Leon Greenspan when he was President in 1977. That service spanned from 1977 to 1980. In 1981, Bob was elected to a 2-year, Director at Large position on the Board and then was elected Secretary in 1983. He has served on the Board continuously from 1981 through 2008. When you see him, please thank him for all that he has done for the Academy.
Dr. Al Scherzer has graciously accepted the job as historian and now he will be attending the meetings, giving his years of experience and wisdom. Al was president in 1986, and has continued to be very active and vocal in the organization as a past president. Please join me in welcoming him to the board.
The Nominating Committee, for the 2009 Election, is seeking names from the membership before we start deliberations. The following offices will be filled at the Annual Membership Meeting in September 2009.
2nd Vice President (1 position needs to be filled)
Treasurer-Elect (1 position needs to be filled)
Secretary-Elect (1 position needs to be filled)
Director-At-Large (2 positions need to be filled)
Nominating Committee for the 2010 elections (3 positions need to be filled)
Please send your nomination recommendations to damianod@cc.nih.gov by May 15, 2009.
The committee is scheduled to complete the final slate by July 2009.
Thank you,
Diane Damiano, PhD, PT
AACPDM 2009 Nominating Committee Chair / Past President
The following abstracts were accepted to this year’s program:
- 72 Free Papers
- 38 Instructional Courses
- Over 120 Posters
- 15 Breakfast Courses
The program will also consist of the crowd-pleasing Point Counter-Point debates, Specialty Day Sessions and the State of the Science Sessions. There will be many notable guest speakers and award recipients. The details on these speakers will be announced in the preliminary program, due out in May 2009.
If you want to have an announcement posted on the Have You Heard webpage, send all requests to the webmaster at info@aacpdm.org. Members in good standing receive priority.