Skip to main content

Our Voice

U2FP's Blog > Keeping you current on the movement to cure paralysis

U2FP mentioned in Equitable Partnerships paper

In the latest issue of Current Opinion in Neurology, NASCIC president and long-time friend of U2FP, Kim D. Anderson, writes about the need for increased engagement between the SCI and Scientific Communities. Her article (pay walled), "Equitable partnerships between scientists and persons living with spinal cord injury will strengthen research scope, quality, and outcomes" is worth a read.

Some highlights from the piece include:

  • A review of the Integrated Knowledge Translation (IKT) concept, which values a patient community as full partners in the research process, weighing "their lived experience as equally as any other consultant to a research team."
  • A list of peer-reviewed journals committed to 'patient engagement in research' practices.
  • A preview of NASCIC's new SCI Research Advocacy Course, which is set to launch in 2022. This free online course promises to be a great educational tool for the SCI Community to increase and then activate their knowledge.

The article also acknowledges the work U2FP has been doing to facilitate collaboration between the SCI and Scientific Communities:

"Additionally, Unite 2 Fight Paralysis hosts an annual science and advocacy symposium that creates an environment where people living with SCI and people studying SCI can come together to communicate with each other in an inclusive environment. Unite 2 Fight Paralysis has also begun working with the International Online SCI Research Seminar (IOSCIRS) group to try to make SCI resarch accessible to nonscientists." 

Finally, we're proud to announce that our CAN Manager, Jake Beckstrom, will be serving on NASCIC's Executive Council as a Delegate, starting in 2022 as well!