Training Activities
Conferences & State-of-the Science Conference
The RERC will hold a State-of-the-Science Conference in Year 3 or 4 of the grant in conjunction (and partnership) with a major related organization. The conference will run parallel tracks of interest. One track will be intended to attract associated researchers in the field and will solicit presentations by invitation. A second track will be designed as a more consumer instructional vehicle to bring consumers and family members up-to-speed on the work of the RERC. These two tracks will merge with a Participatory Action Research orientation in the latter part of the conference with a set of focus groups to assess the current state-of-the-science and help articulate and refine needs for future work both in the development and research areas.
Gait and Clinical Movement Analysis Society Workshop on Myelomeningocele
The objectives of this workshop were to review current status of motion analysis techniques for pre-treatment and assessment of children with Myelomeningocele (MM); understand the relative value determination of motion analysis kinematic and kinetics in the assessment of children with MM; and review of the current method used for upper extremity assessment during crutch use during reciprocal and swing-through gait in children with MM. There was a lack of appreciation and understanding of the quantitative motion analysis techniques that have been showed to be effective for pre-treatment assessment and post treatment follow-up. More importantly we learned and were able to communicate the value of an upper extremity motion assessment system for crutch assisted gait in children with MM. Finally it was discovered because of this workshop that there is a serious clinical concern that pediatric crutch users are at a high risk for early unset shoulder and wrist pathology.
