This year’s WIND conference is designed to be a day for people with spinal cord injury (SCI), their families, and professionals working with SCI to learn about research topics impacting spinal cord injury and interact with peers from all over the state.

Research has a vast impact on individuals with spinal cord injury. Current research focuses largely on reversing paralysis, but other implications include improvement to the quality of life, prevention of secondary conditions, and effectiveness of current ADA laws and accessibility in the public sector.

During the conference, speakers will discuss the latest research information on non-invasive and clinically accessible neuromodulation approaches, pressure injuries, social isolation, and healthy aging. There will also be a session on research basics for participants to understand why researchers do the work that they do.

The goal of this year’s WIND Conference is to increase participants’ awareness of research efforts, encourage people with SCI to participate in research opportunities, increase the collaboration among professionals in South Carolina, and understand the benefits of a healthy lifestyle.

This year we will have a range of speakers focusing on research and SCI featuring two break-out sessions with two options and a lunch and learn, with key-note speaker Dr. Jennifer Iddings from the Shepherd Center. Lunch will be provided to participants, and there will be access to networking with other participants and to a wide range of vendors useful to SCI.

Sessions:

Keynote Speaker: Jennifer Iddings, PhD (she/her/hers)

Research Scientist, Spinal Cord Injury Research, Shepherd Center

Social Isolation after Spinal Cord Injury: Indicators from the Longitudinal Aging Study with Susan D. Newman, PhD, RN, CRRN (she, her, hers)

Research 101 with Elizabeth Wherley Regan, PhD, DPT

Pressure Injury and Best Practices with Susan D. Newman, PhD, RN, CRRN (she, her, hers)

Aging Well with SCI with Dr. Michael Priebe, MD