ADULTS WITH CEREBRAL PALSY WORKSHOP TO
DEFINE THE CHALLENGES OF TREATING AND PREVENTING THE SECONDARY MUSCULOSKELETAL AND NEUROMUSCULAR COMPLICATIONS
ON SEPTEMBER 16-17 IN ATLANTA, GA

Chicago IL (August, 2008) – The Cerebral Palsy International Research Foundation (CPIRF), formerly the United Cerebral Palsy Research and Education Foundation, in partnership with the American Academy of Cerebral Palsy and Developmental Medicine (AACPDM) and Reaching for the Stars, a parent support group for families with a child with cerebral palsy, will hold a workshop focused on adults with cerebral palsy in Atlanta, Georgia on September 16- 17th prior to the American Academy of Cerebral Palsy and Developmental Medicine’s (AACPDM) Annual Conference.  The workshop will bring together leading scientists, physicians, healthcare professionals, families and individuals living with cerebral palsy to review current knowledge and develop a blueprint for future research and collaboration in the area of aging and rehabilitation in cerebral palsy. 

Developed under the shared leadership of Mindy Aisen, MD, Director and Chief Executive of Cerebral Palsy International Research Foundation, Inc (CPIRF) and Laura Tosi, MD (representing AACPDM), a pediatric orthopaedic surgeon whose practice focuses on the care of individuals with disabilities and bone health, the meeting was designed to evaluate current knowledge and technologies to help identify, treat, or at least minimize the effects of accelerated aging in cerebral palsy.

On September 16, Paul Volcker, former Chairman of the Federal Reserve will personally deliver two awards that will be given to two individuals for their outstanding lifetime achievements in scientific fields relevant to cerebral palsy and related developmental disorders. The 2008 Weinstein-Goldenson Medical Science Award will be given to Dr. Murray Goldstein for his contributions in medical research, which enhance the lives of persons with cerebral palsy and their families. The highest honor bestowed by the CPIRF, past recipients of the award include; Dr. Houston Merritt, Dr. Fletcher McDowell and Dr. Robert Mann.

The 2008 Isabelle and Leonard H. Goldenson Technology and Rehabilitation Science Award, which is presented annually to a scientist for outstanding contributions in the development and use of technology and rehabilitation methodologies that enhances the quality of life of persons with cerebral palsy and other disabilities and their families, will be awarded to Dr. Robert Jaegar.  

Registration fee: $125.00 per person (continental breakfast on both days and lunch on 9/16 included)

To register for the Adults with Cerebral Palsy and the AACPDM Annual meeting please follow this link: https://ssl18.pair.com/socbio/aacpdm/meetings/2008/registration/

It is estimated that 1,000,000 children and adults up to age 50 are living with Cerebral Palsy in the US, 75% of whom stopped walking by age 25 and will eventually become chronically immobile. Most individuals with CP are now surviving well into adulthood and are rapidly approaching the longevity of the general population. This heartening advance, however, poses new challenges to the medical community. As they age, these individuals often develop unique musculoskeletal and neurological symptoms, such as severe pain, fatigue, and a premature decline in mobility and function. At present, little is known about how to manage these symptoms and thereby ensure that the aging CP population leads healthy and productive lives.

About CPIRF
The United Cerebral Palsy Research and Educational Foundation, Inc. has recently changed its name to Cerebral Palsy International Research Foundation, Inc. in recognition of the international medical research efforts that are relevant to the cause, cure and evidence-based care for those with cerebral palsy and related developmental disabilities. The foundation will no longer be associated with United Cerebral Palsy, Inc. CPIRF is the nation’s principal non-government agency sponsoring research directly relevant to cerebral palsy. In its 50-year history, CPIRF has provided more than $40 million for research grants to support approximately 500 research projects in the biomedical and clinical sciences and bioengineering. CPIRF’s goal is to revolutionize the treatment and prevention of CP with rigorously proven, cutting- edge therapies.

About AACPDM
With nearly 1,200 members, is a multidisciplinary scientific society devoted to the study of cerebral palsy and other childhood onset disabilities, to promoting professional education for the treatment and management of these conditions, and to improving the quality of life for people with these disabilities. Membership in the Academy includes but is not limited to individuals from developmental pediatrics, neurology, neurosurgery, orthopedic surgery, occupational therapy, physical medicine and rehabilitation, physiatry, physical therapy, psychiatry, speech/language pathology, and health services administration.

About Dr. Murray Goldstein
D.O. M.P.H. FAAN
Dr. Murray Goldstein is the former Director and COO of the Cerebral Palsy International Research Foundation, and medical consultant to the United Cerebral Palsy Associations of the USA.  He was also formerly the Director of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke of the National Institutes of Health, and an Assistant Surgeon General in the United States Public Health Service with the rank of Rear Admiral. Dr. Goldstein is a graduate of New York University (BA) and of the Des Moines University College of Osteopathic Medicine, having received the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) degree in 1950. He completed a rotating internship and then a residency in internal medicine at the Osteopathic College Hospital, post doctoral training in neurology at the Mayo Clinic (Rochester, MN), and received a Master of Public Health degree (Epidemiology) from the University of California at Berkeley. He is Board Certified in Preventive Medicine (Epidemiology) by the AOBPM and serves now as a member of the Board. He has been the recipient of honorary doctoral degrees in medicine (2) and in science (7) from nine universities in the U.S. and abroad and has received three national public service awards. He was designated by the AOA in 2008 as a “Great Pioneer in Osteopathic Medicine”.  Dr. Goldstein is recognized internationally as a leader in research on the cerebrovascular disorders and on disorders of the developing brain.

About Dr. Robert Jaegar
Robert Jaeger received the Ph.D. in Bioengineering from the University of Illinois at Chicago in 1981.  From 1981-1997 he was a professor of medical engineering at the Pritzker Institute of Medical Engineering at the Illinois Institute of Technology.  His research was funded by NIH, NIDRR, VA, and NSF.  He also had an adjunct appointment in Rehabilitation Medicine at Northwestern University Medical School.  His main area of research was engineering applied to persons with disabilities.  He was a Mary E. Switzer Fellow of NIDRR from 1987-1988. From 1996-2002, he had an adjunct appointment as a biomedical engineer in the Research Service of the VA.  In 1997, he chaired the 19th Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society. From 1997-2006 he was a program specialist at the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research, and served as the Executive Secretary of the Interagency Committee on Disability Research from 2002-2006.  From 2002-present, he has had an adjunct research appointment in the Physical Disabilities Branch of the NIH Clinical Center.  From 2003-2005 he served as the editor-in-chief of the IEEE Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering.  He was a Fulbright Scholar at the Jozef Stefan Institute, Ljubljana, Slovenia during 2000-2001.  He is a senior member of the IEEE and a fellow of the AIMBE.  In September of 2006, he became a program director at the National Science Foundation, and was with the Research to Aid Persons with Disabilities Program in the Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental, and Transport Systems Division.  In 2008, he joined the Rehabilitation Research and Development Service at the Department of Veterans Affairs, where he is responsible for the Prosthetics and Rehabilitation Engineering Research portfolio.  One of his recent publications is "Evaluating Interventions to Improve Gait in Cerebral Palsy: A Meta-Analysis of Spatiotemporal Measures.

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