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July 31, 2007 --
On June 2nd, more than 40 neurosurgeons, radiologists, engineers and other
professionals gathered at the University of Illinois - Chicago for the first
Conquer Chiari Research Symposium. The event was jointly sponsored by
UIC and Conquer Chiari and made possible by grants from Codman, Confluent
Surgical, and Bioplate.
In my own judgment, and based on the formal feedback from the participants,
the event was a tremendous success. Here are some of the reasons why:
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The caliber of the presenters was very high. There were well known
neurosurgeons and researchers from around the world, including the UK and
Australia.
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The topics were varied and interesting. Many people commented on the
interesting variety of topics and the mix of engineering analyses with
clinical ones was unique.
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There was good interaction among the attendees. After each
presentation and during the breaks it was clear that the participants were
there to do more than just talk about their own work. There was a lot
of discussion and very intelligent, thought-provoking questions.
Those are the keys to a good research event: high-caliber
participants, interesting topics, and good interaction. The Conquer
Chiari Research Symposium had all three and our Board of Directors has
already approved holding another research conference in 2008. So it
appears that this is only the beginning.
If you haven't yet, I encourage you to view some of the presentations in the
webcast archive. The video is very high quality (thanks to Sonic Foundry)
and is a great way to spread information. In fact, individual
presentations have been viewed more than 1500 times (UIC/Conquer
Chiari Research Symposium Webcast).
Over the next few issues - including this one - I will be reporting on the
scientific content of some of the presentations, but I also want to convey
my overall impression of the event.
Both during the event and when it was over, I felt very inspired and
optimistic about the future for the Chiari community. Although we have
a long way to go, there are a lot of really intelligent people working hard
on improving the experiences and outcomes of Chiari patients. And as
Ray D'Alonzo touches on his column this month, there are specific reasons to
hope. Namely, direct progress is being made on two of the major
objectives Conquer Chiari has outlined in our Research Agenda.
But as Ray also points out, it will take money to get us where we want to
go. We know what we have to do, the scientific talent is there to do
it, we just need the funds to get it done.
Now is the time for everyone to stand up and make a difference. I
encourage you to raise money for research, for that is how we will Conquer
Chiari.
With that in mind, we have added a Fundraising section to the Newsletter.
This feature will highlight those people who chose to make a difference by
raising money, and also will provide tips for how to get started with
different types of fundraisers. For example, this month features an
article on How To Organize A Chiari Walk.
The hardest part is getting started, but if you do decide that now is the
time, welcome to the fight.
-- Rick Labuda
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