We’re less than a month away from our 18th Annual Science & Advocacy Symposium, happening in Minneapolis, Minnesota on Friday, October 20 and Saturday October 21 (register here).
For the first time, U2FP will present a poster session, after lunch on Saturday. These will be work-in-progress studies from the University of Minnesota, Health Partners Neuroscience Center, Hennepin Healthcare Research Institute, Minneapolis VA, and Mayo Clinic.
If you’re not familiar with a poster, it’s a 3 ft. by 5 ft. display that uses short narrative, graphs, and illustrations to describe a scientific study. They are a feature of all scientific meetings. The basic format states the hypothesis – what is being looked at and for what purpose – and sets forth an experimental design, data capture, analysis, and results. Each poster author will attend the session – a great chance to speak directly with the scientists about their work.
Register Now!
We have had the good fortune to draw upon a rich population of scientists, clinicians, and advocates from this area. In the past five or ten years, Minneapolis and the surrounding region have become a powerhouse hub of SCI research, medical care, device manufacturing, and community resources.
The Minnesota Regional Spinal Cord Injury Model System, one of just 18 such elite rehab collaborations in the U.S., came into being in 2021. Recent spinal cord stimulation studies at the University of Minnesota and Mayo Clinic have established Minnesota as a world leader in this technology and its application.
The state’s emergent stature in SCI is not by chance: U2FP-led advocates helped get a major SCI funding bill passed in the Minnesota legislature – now supporting $6 million every two years for research. This bill led directly to the ESTAND epidural stim trial and numerous other studies, and it has encouraged alliances among the state’s educational, medical, rehab, SCI community institutions, and most importantly, the voice of SCI community advocates.
Check out our list of confirmed speakers and panelists here, then take a look at our Agenda here.
Our sponsors, listed below, are largely responsible for keeping our registration costs low. Their support is one of the main reasons we can provide SCI individuals, their family members and students a 50% discount, while allowing Personal Care Assistants to receive a free registration (limit 1).
Bringing all of us together in one room toward one shared purpose is a necessary step to navigate our way forward and ultimately realize U2FP’s vision: Every person has equal access to treatments that will restore health and independence after spinal cord injury.
Join us for this gathering that is laser focused on accelerating the pace and quality of functional recovery from spinal cord injury.
Stay curious,
