May 14, 2024
Point of View - U2FP’s Annual Symposium
Matthew Rodreick
Where are we? Where have we been? Where are we going? And how do we get there together? These are the questions we’ll be asking at this year’s 19th Annual Science & Advocacy Symposium, happening in Atlanta, Georgia on September 27-28, 2024 (registration opens this Friday, May 17th). But we are going to be asking these questions with the understanding that your point of view is a critical piece of the answer.
Mackenzie Wann (center) talks with Hans Jeong (right), a grad student at the University of Minnesota during his poster presentation at last year’s symposium in Minneapolis.
Maya Angelou said, “You can’t know where you are going until you know where you've been.” But within the collective effort of developing treatments to restore function after spinal cord injury, the ‘you’ is a ‘we’ (scientists, clinicians, biotechs, funders, regulators, SCI folk, etc).
And if we’re on this journey together, then we all need to know a few more details, such as: Who’s driving? What map are we using? Who made the map? Are we all headed to the same destination? And, critically, what defines our trip as a success?
Who you are and where you sit determines how you answer the questions above. Are you looking through a microscope, a patient chart, a ledger, the latest headline or at your own body? All these perspectives are a powerful lens for what you see, what you think is happening and what you believe is most important.
We will raise questions and provoke conversations that bring those points of view into a collective focus. But we need your voice to ensure that this collaborative gathering is as rich and beneficial as possible. All of our perspectives are necessary to define what success is so that we can build effective relationships to get there.
Once again, registration opens this Friday, May 17. Plan to secure your spot so you can join us and add your point of view to the conversation.
Join us!
P.S. We have a growing list of top notch companies, organizations and institutions who are supporting this groundbreaking, collaborative event. Click here to view our sponsor benefits and levels and then consider joining them along with our title sponsor, The Emory Neurotrauma Translational Research Center (ENTiRe).
