The UAB Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) spinal cord injury (SCI) clinical and research team had strong representation at the 53rd Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) held in Scottsdale, Arizona.
PM&R’s participation at this year’s conference included SCI physicians Cassandra Renfro, D.O., Elizabeth Twist, M.D., and Radhika Sharma, M.D. as well as National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center (NSCISC) Director Yuying Chen, M.D., Ph.D., NSCISC Co-Director Jenn Coker, Ph.D., MPH, FASIA, and NSCISC Director Emeritus Michael J. DeVivo, Dr.PH., FASIA
UAB Medicine’s ongoing effort to provide the highest standard in care for SCI patients at UAB Spain Rehabilitation Center is reflected in ongoing research through the Spinal Cord Injury Model System, National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center, and leadership within the greater SCI community.
Drs. Chen and Coker play key roles within the American Spinal Injury Association. Both serve on ASIA’s Board of Directors and led two course presentations at the conference focused on women’s health and aging. Dr. Coker also chaired the conference’s Program Committee and moderated a general session on psychosocial health.
Course Presenters:
Unveiling Strength: Progress and Perspectives in Research on Women with Spinal Cord Injury
• Moderator: Jennifer Coker, Ph.D., MPH, FASIA
• Presenters: Chloe Slocum, M.D., MPH; Heather Taylor, Ph.D.; Yuying Chen, M.D., Ph.D.
Aging and Spinal Cord Injury: From Mechanisms to Quality of Life
• Moderator: Monica Perez, PT, Ph.D.
• Presenters: Cedric Geoffroy, PhD; Reena Kumari, Ph.D.; Jennifer Coker, PhD, MPH, FASIA; Yue Cao, Ph.D., MSPH; Monica Perez, PT, Ph.D.
Panel Moderators/Oral Presentations:
Navigating the SCI Landscape: The Interplay of Health, Technology, and Social Factors
• Moderator: Jennifer Coker, Ph.D., MPH, FASIA
• Co-Moderator: David McMillan, Ph.D.
• Presenters: Yue Cao, Ph.D., MSPH; Maria Nicole D. DiPiro, Ph.D.; Anne Bryden, Ph.D., OTR/L; Muna Bhattarai, Ph.D., RN, CRC; B. Catharine Craven, BA, M.D., MSc, FRCPC, FASIA, FCAHS
Poster presentations led by Drs. Chen, DeVivo, Coker, and Sharma covered topics such as non-traumatic SCI, COVID-19 mortality, women’s health, and pressure injuries.
Poster Presentations:
Inclusion of Non-Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury in National Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury Registries: Preliminary Findings and Lessons Learned from the United States and Canada, presented by Yuying Chen, M.D., Ph.D.
Mortality due to COVID-19 Among Persons with Spinal Cord Injury in the United States: 2020-2022, presented by Michael J. DeVivo, Dr.PH., FASIA
Developing a Continuum of Women’s Health to Identify Gaps In Research and Areas to Intervene, presented by Jennifer Coker, Ph.D., MPH, FASIA
Long Term Follow-Up of Wounds after Discharge from Acute Inpatient Rehabilitation, presented by Radhika Sharma, M.D.
The conference was a success for the PM&R team. The time spent teaching and learning from colleagues around the country will benefit the care and research we provide to improve the lives of persons affected by spinal cord injury.