NEWS

I hope that everyone is having a productive spring, that the weather is improving, that you are enjoying the extra hours of sunlight, and that your excitement for NNS 2025 in Philadelphia, PA, is growing each and every day!

I feel that it is critically important at this time to remember our mission. The National Neurotrauma Society is committed to the promotion of spinal cord and traumatic brain injury research, with the goal of identifying critical targets for therapeutic intervention and then leveraging that knowledge to develop innovative strategies to improve the quality of life for millions of patients and ease the $400 billion annual burden that neurotrauma inflicts on the global economy. We also strive to train the next generation of neurotrauma researchers, passionate scientists, clinicians, and entrepreneurs to continue fueling progress. This has been and will always be our goal!

Our membership includes not only basic science researchers, but also clinicians, healthcare providers, businesses in the health sciences and technology space, as well as entrepreneurs. Research is conducted not only in the academic setting but also within governmental organizations, not-for-profits, and private industry. Our membership comes from across the United States and includes a highly diverse group of individuals representing a range of career stages, a spectrum of research interests and expertise, members from most states and from around the world, men and women, people of all races, religions, and ethnicities, as well as individuals with disabilities. Our strength in research comes from our variety of experiences and expertise!

There have been many proposed changes to the way we support research in the United States since the start of January 2025, and there continues to be a great deal of uncertainty. Several fundamental changes to the biomedical science business model have been suggested, and the proposed timelines to adjust to the new guidance have been minimal. Many of the planned changes, for example the termination of CDMRP funding for the TBI-PHRP, would have significant and immediate effects on scientists and clinicians in the field of neurotrauma, slowing ongoing research, reducing support for future research and therefore necessarily negatively impacting patients with spinal cord and traumatic brain injury and their families. While change can be beneficial, and we should all be open to new opportunities, it is essential for our community to continue to advocate for patients with TBI and SCI, and for the research that is needed to improve their long-term outcomes. It is critical to these individuals that we do not give up, but instead continue our research with as much energy and rigor as ever. 

The National Neurotrauma Society strongly advocates for a thoughtful discussion about how to improve the field of biomedical sciences in a way that accelerates new discoveries and the translation of exciting new research findings from the bench-to-the-bedside. We also echo many of the other voices from the biomedical science community that many of the proposed changes, and the uncertainty in general, jeopardize our ability to hasten discovery and would be devastating to those patients and their families who are trying their best to manage spinal cord and traumatic brain injury each and every day.

As President of the Society, I want you to know that I am listening to all the comments that I receive from our membership. I want to reassure you that NNS leadership continues to meet and discuss the current challenges facing TBI and SCI research specifically, and biomedical research more broadly. I also want to assure you that the Program at our Annual Meeting has not been compromised. We will continue to present our highly rigorous and exciting work and provide an opportunity for our trainees to grow within the Society. What we are doing with our careers is important. And it is critical that in challenging times we support each other to ensure that the research continues.

Please do not hesitate to reach out to me or any of the NNS Executive Committee or Council with questions and concerns. We were elected to be responsive to the membership, and we take our responsibilities seriously.

I look forward to seeing everyone in Philadelphia in June. The meeting is still on. We are going to be presenting great science. There will be opportunities for new and continued collaboration. And I know that I, for one, will be having an amazing time celebrating Neurotrauma Research with old and new colleagues alike.

Gene G Gurkoff, PhD

President, The National Neurotrauma Society

I hope everyone had a happy holiday season and welcome to 2025!  The National Neurotrauma Society continues to thrive, and we continue to build for the future!

As we transition into 2025, we want you all to put the upcoming 42nd Annual National Neurotrauma Society (NNS) Symposium on your calendar. The meeting will be held in Philadelphia, PA at the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown , on June 15–18, 2025. Co-hosted with the American Association of Neurological Surgeons/CNS Joint Section on Neurotrauma & Critical Care, our theme for 2025 is “Ringing in Collaboration.”

The 2025 Symposium will feature an exciting program that highlights cutting-edge clinical and translational research, showcasing how collaboration fuels innovation in the field of Neurotrauma. From novel technological advancements to groundbreaking therapeutic strategies, the meeting will provide a unique opportunity to share impactful science while fostering partnerships among researchers, clinicians, and trainees. This gathering is not just a platform for great science but also a celebration of the collective efforts that advance the care of patients with traumatic brain and spinal cord injuries.

We wanted to give a big thank you to the Society members who submitted session proposals for this year’s meeting. With ~60 submissions, the program committee was able to assemble an exciting and diverse lineup that promises to inspire, inform, and engage. Thank you for your invaluable contributions to making this meeting a success!  And we are especially grateful for the work of the 2025 planning committee! Co-led by chairs Audrey Lafrenaye and Adam Ferguson, the dedication and expertise demonstrated by this group of individuals has been instrumental in shaping this year’s program.

As we close out another year of progress and collaboration, we want to take this opportunity to express our heartfelt gratitude to all our members, colleagues, and partners. In particular, we want to give a huge round of virtual applause to all of our volunteers, ranging in career stage from graduate student all the way through emeritus faculty.  Your dedication to advancing the field of Neurotrauma and improving outcomes for patients with brain and spinal cord injuries continues to inspire and drive innovation. If you haven’t been involved yet, and want to be, please reach out and let us know. As a growing and thriving society, there is always work to be done!

We look forward to seeing you in Philadelphia in 2025 for what promises to be a dynamic and rewarding event. Until then, wishing you all a joyful holiday season and a healthy, prosperous New Year!

Gene G Gurkoff, PhD

President, National Neurotrauma Society

As we kick off the 2024-2025 academic year, I wanted to start my first newsletter as NNS President thanking the Neurotrauma Society membership for an amazing 2023-2024! Our 2024 Society President, Adam Ferguson, and Program Committee Chair, Kim Byrnes, did an amazing job organizing and hosting the 41^st annual National Neurotrauma Society Symposium in San Francisco this past June. They were supported by members of Society Leadership, many committees and our partners at International Conference Services – too many people to thank by name. Truly, the amount of service performed by our membership is astounding and, for those of you who have donated so much of your time, we cannot thank you enough!! 

Before getting to the 2025 Conference, which I am excited to talk about, I wanted to recognize our 2024 Society Award Winners and Poster Award Winners (see more highlights below). Congratulations and thank you for the contributions you have made, and for those you will continue to make, to the Neurotrauma Society. I also want to use this space to announce a new award that will be offered for the first time in 2025. The Dash Award, generously started by our long-time colleague Dr. Pramod Dash, will recognize any investigator who has made a significant contribution to the field of Neurotrauma. Moreover, for the first time in 2025 we will have a special session where 2025 Society Award winners are asked to present their research to the Society. Please look for nominations for these awards coming this fall!   

Moving on to 2025, our theme for the 42^nd Annual National Neurotrauma Symposium is “Ringing in Collaboration” which will be hosted at the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown June 15-18, 2025. When I think of Philadelphia, I think of our Founders, each with a unique background and expertise, coming together to create the United States Constitution. These individuals needed to work together, listening to one another, compromising, and sharing, to make the achievement possible. In my over 20 years as part of the Neurotrauma Society I have always marveled at our Members willingness to work together to address two of the most challenging neurological disorders: traumatic brain and spinal cord injury. We are a Society who supports each other, and particularly our trainees, as we have a shared goal of improving the quality-of-life for those patients who have experienced Neurotrauma. In 2025, we will continue to highlight all of the exciting research from our membership, the novel technological advancements, advances in our understanding of mechanisms and potential treatment paradigms – but with a nod toward how we have worked together to make these findings possible.  

We have assembled a fantastic group of program committee members and volunteers, representing a wide range of expertise in preclinical and clinical research in brain and spinal cord trauma, as well as a wealth of diversity in career stages and backgrounds. This committee is well suited to provide a fresh and compelling program across a wide spectrum of research areas.The Session Proposal Submission portal will be open October 1 – November 8. We encourage all our members, even the most junior, to submit a session. This conference is designed for you! 

In addition to cutting edge science, we will also offer numerous opportunities for networking, scientific exchange, advocacy, and training of our junior scientists and clinicians. We are continuing to build on programs that were successful in previous years, such as the Mentor:Mentee session, multiple workshops and our exciting local scholars program. We’re excited to have these opportunities available for our attendees, and we hope to see everyone take advantage of the diverse range of programming that the 2025 meeting will bring. We look forward to seeing everyone in Philadelphia!

Gene G Gurkoff, PhD

President, National Neurotrauma Society

It is our distinct pleasure to invite you to attend the 41st annual National Neurotrauma Society (NNS) Symposium, to be held in San Francisco, CA on June 9–12th, 2024, at the San Francisco Hilton Union Square. As in previous years, the NNS will co-host this meeting with the American Association of Neurological Surgeons/CNS Joint Section on Neurotrauma & Critical Care. Our theme this year is “Future Classics of Neurotrauma”. As we move past our first 40 years of neurotrauma research, we hope that you will take this meeting as an opportunity to look at the breakthroughs in technology and science that will become the landmarks of future neurotrauma work.

Holding this meeting in San Francisco, a major hub of technology advancement, NNS will emphasize the great strides that the field has made using novel technologies to better approach diagnosis, treatment,and rehabilitation for brain and spinal cord injury. The planning committee has recruited 4 fantastic keynote speakers covering neurotrauma from both a scientific and lived experience perspective. I'm excited to announce that SCI keynote speakers include Monica Perez (scientific) and Chris Barr (lived experience); and TBI keynote speakers include Kristen Dams-O'Connor (scientific) and Jamie MoCrazy (lived experience). In addition, we have confirmed a number of platforms, workshops, and symposia for the meeting. The full program is available at: https://www.neurotrauma-symposium.org/program-at-a-glance/.

The abstract submission site for posters and data blitz presentations is open now!The deadline for abstracts is March 15, 2024.

I'm excited to report that NNS received an NIH R13 award, as well as commitments from several non-profits, and biotech partners that will help support trainee awards. We encourage trainees to apply for these awards when you submit abstracts.

In addition to cutting edge science, NNS 2024 will offer numerous opportunities for networking, scientific exchange, advocacy, and training of our junior scientists and clinicians. Satellite events are being planned for major neurotrauma initiatives including the federal common data elements efforts (CDEs), the PRECISE-TBI initiative, among others. We are continuing to build on programs that were successful in previous years, such as the Local Scholars Program and multiple mentoring activities. We’re excited to have these opportunities available for our attendees, and we hope to see everyone take advantage of the diverse range of programming that the 2024 meeting will bring. We look forward to seeing everyone in San Francisco!

Adam R. Ferguson, PhD

President, National Neurotrauma Society

It is our distinct pleasure to invite you to attend the 41st annual National Neurotrauma Society (NNS) Symposium, to be held in San Francisco, CA on June 9–12th, 2024, at the San Francisco Hilton Union Square. As in previous years, the NNS will co-host this meeting with the American Association of Neurological Surgeons/CNS Joint Section on Neurotrauma & Critical Care. Our theme this year is “Future Classics of Neurotrauma”. As we move past our first 40 years of neurotrauma research, we hope that you will take this meeting as an opportunity to look at the breakthroughs in technology and science that will become the landmarks of future neurotrauma work.

Holding this meeting in San Francisco, a major hub of technology advancement, NNS will emphasize the great strides that the field has made using novel technologies to better approach diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation for brain and spinal cord injury. The planning committee has received over 50 proposals presentations, workshops, and symposia for the meeting, and the planning committee is working hard to review these and put together a fantastic program. The abstract submissions for posters and data blitz presentations will open in the new year. Please stay tuned for due dates that will be released in the new year!

In addition to cutting edge science, NNS 2024 will offer numerous opportunities for networking, scientific exchange, advocacy, and training of our junior scientists and clinicians. Satellite events are being planned for major neurotrauma initiatives including the federal common data elements efforts (CDEs), the PRECISE-TBI initiative, among others. We are continuing to build on programs that were successful in previous years, such as the Local Scholars Program and multiple mentoring activities. We’re excited to have these opportunities available for our attendees, and we hope to see everyone take advantage of the diverse range of programming that the 2024 meeting will bring. We look forward to seeing everyone in San Francisco!

Adam R. Ferguson, PhD

President, National Neurotrauma Society

It is our distinct pleasure to invite you to attend the 41st annual National Neurotrauma Society Symposium, to be held in San Francisco, CA on June 9–12th, 2024, at the San Francisco Hilton Union Square. As in previous years, the NNS will co-host this meeting with the American Association of Neurological Surgeons/CNS Joint Section on Neurotrauma & Critical Care.

Our theme this year is “Future Classics of Neurotrauma”. As we move past our first 40years of neurotrauma research, we hope that you will take this meeting as an opportunity to look at the breakthroughs in technology and science that will become the landmarks of future neurotrauma work. Holding this meeting in San Francisco, the hubof technology advancements, we believe that this year’s meeting will highlight the great strides that we have made in our field, how we are using novel technology to better approach diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation for brain and spinal cord injury, and demonstrate the strong foundation for future research and clinical application that we are building.

We have assembled a fantastic group of program committee members and volunteers, representing a wide range of expertise in preclinical and clinical research in brain and spinal cord trauma, as well as a wealth of diversity in career stages and backgrounds. This committee is well suited to provide a fresh and compelling program across a wide spectrum of research areas.

In addition to cutting edge science, we will also offer numerous opportunities for networking, scientific exchange, advocacy, and training of our junior scientists and clinicians. We are continuing to build on programs that were successful in previous years, such as the Local Scholars Program and multiple mentoring activities. We’re excited to have these opportunities available for our attendees, and we hope to see everyone take advantage of the diverse range of programming that the 2024 meeting will bring. We look forward to seeing everyone in San Francisco!

Adam R. Ferguson, PhD
President, National Neurotrauma Society

Dear NNS Members,

It’s almost time for NNS 2023!  As my time as president comes to a close and we finalize plans for the meeting, now is a great time reflect on the year that we’ve had and what we have to look forward to.

In case you’ve forgotten, this year has been largely dedicated to getting our new Strategic Plan rolling.  The plan was finished in the summer of 2022, under the direction of our past president, Dr. Courtney Robertson.  The plan was published on our website in our members resources section (https://www.neurotrauma.org/Members-resources) and includes 13 goals in 5 broad categories to help us move forward toward our priorities of training and mentoring the next generation, growing the society, increasing awareness of NNS, increasing clinical and research discipline engagement, and fostering industry collaboration.  I’m happy to report that we have made strong progress on many of our goals:

1.       Training and mentoring the next generation of neurotrauma specialists:
a.       We’ve started the process of applying for a diversity award from NIH to fund a new diversity VISA in 2024. 
b.       Our Publications Committee, under the guidance of Drs. Bridgette Semple and David Wright made impressive moves toward increasing trainee publications in our associated journals (Journal of Neurotrauma and Neurotrauma Reports – look for an announcement at NNS 2023!). 
c.       Our TEAM, Membership, Publication, and Advocacy Committees together with the president’s office held an impressive 6 virtual roundtables since Fall of 2023 on a variety of topics to increase engagement and worth to our members. 


2.       Grow the society
a.       The By-Laws and Policy Committee have written and are vetting a new DEI statement for the society. 
b.       We’ve increased our collaborations with similarly minded organizations, like the North American Spine Society and the North American Clinical Trials Network, who we collaborated with to create the Robert Grossman Symposium on the Current Management of SCI for our 2023 meeting, with the goal to increase our representation in the SCI field. 


3.       Increase awareness of NNS
a.       Our Finance Committee, particularly Drs. David Loane and Audrey Lafrenaye, worked hard to create a store to sell NNS branded items and increase our visibility: https://national-neurotrauma-society.creator-spring.com/. 
b.       Our Advocacy Committee, under the leadership of Dr. Grace Griesbach, has led us onto the steering committee of the Concussion Awareness Now (CAN) Campaign, to bring awareness to rapid diagnosis and care for concussions. 

Now as we look forward to what is next, we’re very excited for our 2023 Symposium, which is right around the corner!  Co-chairs Drs. Courtney Robertson and Linda Noble with the program committee have planned an exceptional event packed full of great science, great speakers, and great opportunities to network and connect at the Marriott Austin Downtown in Austin, TX, from June 25-28^th.  Sessions on the gut microbiome, epigenomics, cell therapy for SCI, and updating the TBI classification system, among many others, are planned for the meeting.  Not to mention a number of workshops, poster receptions, and social events!  The AANS pre-meeting will happen on Sunday, leading up to our Welcome Reception at 6pm on Sunday – I hope you come by to say hello! 

This year, we’ll also have an NNS booth at the meeting, which will serve as a great spot to find out about membership, volunteer opportunities with our various committees, see some of the products available at the online store, and meet our officers and councilors.  If this will be your first meeting, stop by for a first-time meeting gift!

Finally, our gala dinner and award ceremony are scheduled on Tuesday evening – if you haven’t purchased your tickets yet, get them!  This is a wonderful opportunity to recognize our amazing trainees and junior members for their fantastic science, and to socialize with your fellow meeting attendees.  And following in the tradition of 2022, the post-gala party will feature karaoke! 

I would like to close by once again thanking all the NNS members for their ongoing support of the Society. I’ve had a wonderful time working as your society president, and I hope that the processes and activities the officers, councilors and I have put in place will make a lasting positive change in this society.  I deeply appreciate the chance to be involved at this level, and I very much look forward to what NNS can do moving forward.  I’m excited to see what the NNS Councilors and Officers and the ICS team, will have to offer in 2024.

Best wishes

Kimberly Byrnes

Please join us for our next NNS members-only roundtable discussion titled "NNS Member-Only Roundtable: Career Pathways and Professional Efforts to Increase Neurotrauma AdvocacyGrace Griesbach" scheduled for May 24th, 2023 at 4:00 ET. 

Register now at:  https://bit.ly/41engOl

Organizers
Grace Griesbach
Ramesh Raghupathi

Speakers:

Please join us for our next NNS members-only roundtable discussion titled "Getting your Manuscript Published…on the first submission!" scheduled for April 26, 2023 at 5:00 ET. 

Register now at:  https://bit.ly/41engOl

Speakers:

Dr. David W. Wright, (Neurotrauma Society Council and Co-Host) is the tenured Professor & Chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine at Emory University School of Medicine.  He directs the Center for Innovation and Discovery in the Acute and Emergent Sciences (IDEAS) and the Emergency Neurosciences Clinical Laboratory in the Department of Emergency Medicine. He is a board certified emergency medicine physician practicing at Emory affiliated hospitals and Grady Memorial Hospital, Atlanta’s premier Level 1 Trauma Center. He is actively involved in both the preclinical and clinical assessments of traumatic brain injury, stroke and other acute neurological conditions. He holds an adjunct appointments in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology, the Rollins School of Public Health, and the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing.

Dr. Bridgette D. Semple, Ph.D. (Co-Host) is an Associate Professor and Head of the Pediatric Neurotrauma Group in the Department of Neuroscience at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia. Her research program broadly focuses on understanding the biological mechanisms by which traumatic brain injuries lead to chronic outcomes (behavioral deficits, epilepsy, inflammation, neuropathology, etc.), particularly when injury is sustained during early life. She is an active member of the NNS Council, Co-Chair of the Publications Committee (Past-Secretary and Past-Chair of the Membership Committee) and a Council member for the International Neurotrauma Society. 

Dr. Helen Bramlett is a Professor of Neurological Surgery at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and a Research Health Scientist at the Bruce W. Carter Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Dr. Bramlett is an internationally recognized scientist with over 25 years of experience in the field of CNS injury. She is currently funded by NIH, the State of Florida and the VA. Dr. Bramlett is Editor-in-Chief of Neurotrauma Reports and is on the Editorial Boards of Journal of Neurotrauma, Translational Stroke Research, and Therapeutic Hypothermia and Temperature Management.  She is a founding member of InflamaCORE, LLC, a company dedicated to treating and diagnosing inflammatory injury and disease.

Dr. David Loane is an Associate Professor of Neuroscience in the School of Biochemistry and Immunology, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland, and Adjunct Associate Professor at the Shock, Trauma, and Anesthesiology Research (STAR) Center at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM), Baltimore, MD, USA.  Dr. Loane leads a multi-disciplinary research team dedicated to studying brain/systemic inflammation and chronic injury responses following TBI. The mission of his group is to elucidate the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying post-traumatic neuroinflammation, neurodegeneration and loss of neurological function, and to develop novel treatment strategies for neuroprotection and post-traumatic repair that will translate to the clinic for human head injury. 

Dr. W. Dalton Dietrich is Scientific Director at The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis and the Kinetic Concepts Distinguished Chair in Neurosurgery at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.  He received his Ph.D. from the Medical College of Virginia and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Washington University. Dr. Dietrich joined the Department of Neurology in 1981 and in 1997 became the Scientific Director of The Miami Project. Dr. Dietrich also serves as the Senior Associate Dean for Discovery Science, the Co-Director of the Neural Engineering Institute and the Associate Director of the Clinical and Translational Science Institute. Dr. Dietrich’s laboratory is focused on clarifying the pathophysiology of brain and spinal cord injury with the goal of developing and translating new therapies to protect and enhance recovery. Over the last 40 years, Dr. Dietrich and colleagues have studied the molecular injury mechanisms underlying neurological disorders including stroke, traumatic brain and spinal cord injury. He is the Sponsor of a first-in-man FDA approved clinical trial testing the safety and benefits of human Schwann Cell transplants in people with spinal cord and peripheral nerve injury. His research programs are supported by the NIH, Department of Defense, State of Florida and various Foundations. He has published over 400 peer reviewed publications in high impact journals and mentors graduate and postdoctoral fellows. He serves on several study sections and is Editor-In-Chief of the Journal of Therapeutic Hypothermia & Temperature Management and Deputy Editor of the Journal of Neurotrauma. 

David L. Brody, M.D., Ph.D., is the director of the Center for Neuroscience and Regenerative Medicine (CNRM) and a professor of Neurology within the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Maryland. He is a board-certified neurologist with both a research and a clinical specialization in traumatic brain injury (TBI) and neurodegenerative diseases. His research focuses on accelerating better outcomes for U.S. military TBI patients. Dr. Brody is the Editor-in-chief of Journal of Neurotrauma.

Please join us for our next NNS members-only roundtable discussion titled "Neurotrauma Funding Opportunities through the CDMRP" scheduled for April 12, 2023 at 12:00 ET. We are proud to be facilitating a diverse panel of scientists to discuss funding opportunities in the neurotrauma field with CDMRP

Register now at: bit.ly/3UeJ7m8

Featured Participants:

Organizers:
Ramesh Raghupathi PhD
Shaun Carlson PhD
Johannes Dapprich PhD
Eleni Moschonas BA BS

Presenters:

Dr. Melissa R. Miller, Program Manager for the Spinal Cord Injury Research Program (SCIRP) and Epilepsy Research Program (ERP)

 

Dr. Sarah N. Fontaine, Program Manager for the Peer Reviewed Alzheimer’s Research Program (PRARP)

Dr. Dwayne L. Taliaferro, Program Manager for the Traumatic Brain Injury and Psychological Health Research Program (TBIPHRP)