Upcoming Events

The National Pediatric Rehabilitation Resource Center offers multiple informative presentations, including short courses, symposia, demonstration workshops, and webinars.

Please review these upcoming events hosted by other NIH-funded resource centers in the MR3 Network and the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and others:

Webinar: The Art and Science of Rehabilitation for Children with Medical Complexity

Speakers: Cindy Dodds, PT, PhD, PCS & Tanya Meyers, PT, DPT

August 12, 12 p.m. ET

Cindy Dodds, PT, PhD, PCS is a Professor within the Division of Physical Therapy, College of Health Professions at the Medical University of South Carolina. She is responsible for the pediatric content within the Doctor of Physical Therapy program, which includes pediatric experiential learning opportunities in South Carolina, Africa, and Peru for physical therapy students. She also teaches in the PhD program of the Health Science and Research Department. Cindy is also Director of the MUSC Physical Therapy Pediatric Residency. Her clinical and research interest focuses on children with medical complexity, including examination of heart rate variability and development of the Pediatric Awareness and Sensory Motor Assessment. She is a co-principal investigator for the MUSC site of the I-Acquire study and principal investigator for examining art and physical therapy interventions in children undergoing hemopoietic bone marrow transplant from the National Endowment of the Arts.

Tanya Myers, PT, DPT graduated from Northeastern University and Massachusetts General Hospital’s Institute of Health Professions. She has practiced for over 30 years and has spent most of the time in pediatrics, including working at Perkins School for the Blind. She currently practices as a school-based physical therapist where she collaborates with students, families, teachers, and staff to serve children. She has also worked at a local outpatient facility where she provides services in the home and community primarily for children with SMA or other genetic conditions. She has lectured at several universities on topics including providing physical therapy services for children with low vision and sensory needs. She was a teaching assistant at Northeastern University and at UMass Boston and she also co-taught a course on development and visual impairment at UMass Boston. Tanya is an active member of the Lititz AMBUCS, the APTA-PA, and the APTA as well as serving on the APPT-School-based SIG Subcommittee- Children with Medical Complexity.

Register Here: https://virginiatech.zoom.us/meeting/register/f0wC8vPwScSF4J7G2HEKYw

Webinar: What Works! Evidence-Based Therapy for Cerebral Palsy

Speakers:

  • Valerie Pieraccini, MS, OTR/L
  • Ginny Paleg, PT, MPT, DScPT
  • Diane L. Damiano, PhD, FAPTA
  • Dayna Pool, PhD

August 27, 6 p.m. ET

Valerie Pieraccini, MS OTR/L is the Vice President of Clinical Operations and Innovation at United Cerebral Palsy of Central Arizona, practicing for 30+ years as a pediatric occupational therapist. She is a member of the Arizona Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities-University of Arizona and holds a Family Engagement in Research Certificate-McMaster University. Valerie has focused her current work at UCP of Central Arizona on developing models of care for cerebral palsy and establishing a Motor Disorder Clinic for children with physical disabilities. Her passion is for knowledge mobilization and advocacy for evidence-based cerebral palsy care. Valerie is a founding member of the Arizona Early Surveillance for Cerebral Palsy Task Force and her most prized accomplishment was writing the first proclamation for the 2024 Arizona Cerebral Palsy Awareness Day for the state’s House of Representatives and mobilizing Arizona to light the Executive Building green in honor of cerebral palsy on March 25th.

Valerie is the co-chair of the United Cerebral Palsy National Research Council that leads initiatives designed to support translational research projects that accelerate science into transformative practice for children with cerebral palsy. As the Learning Director of the UCP Early Detection and Intervention for Cerebral Palsy Collaborative, Valerie has mobilized occupational and physical therapists across the UCP national network to implement early detection in their communities. Valerie is the founding member of the national UCP Professional Learning Series committee committed to providing free evidence-based education to clinicians. She is a member of the American Occupational Therapy Association and a fellow of the American Academy for Cerebral Palsy and Developmental Medicine. Valerie is the lead author of Handprints: Home Programs for Hand Skills and has lectured widely on children’s hand skills and early detection and therapies for cerebral palsy.

Ginny Paleg, PT, MPT, DScPT, is a pediatric physiotherapist based in Silver Spring, Maryland, USA. With over 20 years of experience, she specializes in working with infants and young children (0-3 years) in home and childcare settings, focusing on the F-words framework to guide her practice. She is an associate of CanChild at McMaster in Canada and an Honorary Research Fellow in the School of Health Sciences, College of Health Sciences, University of Kwazulu-Natal, Westville Campus, Durban, South Africa.

Dr. Paleg earned her Master’s in Physical Therapy from Emory University and her Doctorate in Physical Therapy from the University of Maryland Baltimore. Her clinical expertise lies in assessing and intervening for children with severe motor impairments, particularly those at GMFCS Levels IV and V. She is certified in the Prechtl General Movement Assessment (GMA) and the Hammersmith Infant Neurological Examination (HINE), and trained in Routines-Based Interventions and coaching methodologies.

Dr. Paleg is a prolific researcher with over 60 peer-reviewed publications focusing on standers, supported stepping devices, and power mobility in children with complex needs. She is the lead author for the American Academy of Cerebral Palsy Hypotonia Care Pathway and has served in various leadership roles within the field, including Chair of the AACPDM Communications Committee, member of the Nominating Committee, and member of the Scientific Committees for both the AACPDM and the European Academy of Child Neurology (EACD) in 2022. Currently, she serves on the AACPDM Care Pathway Council.

Diane L. Damiano, PhD, FAPTA is a tenured Senior Investigator and Chief of the Neurorehabilitation and Biomechanics Research Section at the National Institutes of Health. Her research focuses on the design of device-augmented interventions to promote mobility and neuroplasticity in infants and children with cerebral palsy. She pioneered the use of mobile brain imaging technologies to evaluate cortical activity during functional motor tasks and for neurofeedback training. She has over 150 peer-reviewed publications, is an Associate Editor of Neurorehabilitation and Neural Repair, Past President of the Gait and Clinical Movement Analysis Society and Past President of the American Academy for Cerebral Palsy and Developmental Medicine and the first physical therapist to serve in that role.

Dr. Dayna Pool is a physiotherapist, researcher, and social entrepreneur dedicated to transforming the lives of children with neurological conditions. As the founder and CEO of The Healthy Strides Foundation in Perth, she leads a multidisciplinary team delivering evidence-based intensive therapy programs, including pioneering initiatives like Stride and the Power of One learning health system. Dr. Pool’s research, supported by major grants such as Active Strides CP and CP-Movetime, focuses on improving mobility and participation outcomes for children with cerebral palsy. Her commitment to knowledge translation is exemplified through the globally ranked ResearchWorks podcast, co-hosted with Dr. Ashleigh Thornton. Recognized with numerous accolades—including the 2024 AusACPDM Transformative Practice Award, 2024 Finalist for West Australian of the Year and 2024 Allied Health Professional of the Year, Dr Pool continues to advocate for inclusive, innovative, and community-driven healthcare solutions.

Register Here: https://virginiatech.zoom.us/meeting/register/hHfbXx2ISk2DlRw9mowxrw

Past Events

  • Webinar: Capturing Engagement and Strategy: A Pilot Video Analysis of Autism Therapy Sessions

    June 20, 2025, 12 p.m. ET

    By Jewel Crasta, Ph.D., OTR/L

    This presentation will discuss findings from a video-coding pilot study examining key treatment strategies in routine therapy used by occupational therapists treating children on the autism spectrum in outpatient settings and the associated levels of child engagement. Our results offer guidance for providing more targeted interventions for effective engagement of children on the autism spectrum in clinical therapies.

    Jewel Crasta is an assistant professor in the Occupational Therapy Division in the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences at The Ohio State University. Dr. Crasta’s research focuses on examining the relationship between attention and sensory processing in children and young adults on the autism spectrum using neuroimaging tools along with performance-based measures.

    Watch the video: https://youtu.be/2Jx-IbNLhyw

  • C-PROGRESS Panel Discussion: A ‘Rosie’ Future: Empowering Children with CP through Collaborative, Early, Evidence-based AAC Practice

Jan. 13, 2025, 1 p.m. EST (U.S. and Canada)

Speakers

  • Helen Long, PhD, CCC-SLP is a speech-language pathologist and Assistant Professor at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, OH.
  • Noreen Lucic, LISW is the parent of a radiant 5 year old girl with quadriplegic cerebral palsy in Cleveland, OH. Noreen is a licensed independent social worker with a background in hospice and medical care coordination.
  • BJ Cunningham is an Assistant Professor in the School of Communication Sciences and Disorders at the University of Western Ontario (Canada).
  • Juno ‘June’ Coan-Brill is a dual-degree Speech-Language Pathology Student and Ph.D. Candidate in the School of Communication Sciences and Disorders at the University of Western Ontario (Canada).
  • Aileen Costigan (PhD, OT Reg. (ONT)) is an Assistant Clinical Professor in the School of Rehabilitation Science at McMaster University and Research Associate at Western University.

Watch the video

  • Webinar: The effect of lived experience on a rehabilitation engineering researcher

    April 11, 2024 12 p.m. EST

    By Dr. James Sulzer, Staff Scientist at MetroHealth Medical Center and Associate Professor of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. Dr. Sulzer has been a rehabilitation engineering researcher for the last two decades developing robotic gait exoskeletons, creating new methods of fMRI-based neurofeedback, and using wearable sensing to evaluate therapy. A few years ago, his young daughter sustained a severe traumatic brain injury, leaving her with substantial cognitive and motor impairments, and reconfiguring Dr. Sulzer’s life and career. He will share the insights he has gained through this experience in his talk. Dr. Sulzer is a member of the Board of Directors of RePlay for Kids, a philanthropic adaptive toy organization, and a member of the United Cerebral Palsy National Research Council.

Watch the video

  • Webinar: Cerebral Palsy Awareness Day: How Parents Make a Difference

    March 25, 2024. 12 p.m. EDT

    By Kim Hindery and Mara Yale, Ph.D.

    • How parents make a difference for their own child

    • How parents make a difference for other children like theirs, finding community, advocacy groups, opportunities via volunteering and paid work

    • How parents make a difference through working with other parents, researchers, clinicians

    Kim Hindery serves as the Program Manager at the Child Neurology Foundation, where she leads the Family Support Program and facilitates education for clinicians and families. She also contributes to the FDA’s Patient Engagement Collaborative, advocating for the patient perspective in regulatory processes. As co-chair of the I-ACQUIRE parent council, Kim collaborates with other parents to ensure that clinical trials are accessible and friendly to both parents and patients. Previously, she worked for 16 years as an intervention specialist in public schools, supporting children with diverse needs. Kim currently resides near Cincinnati, Ohio, with her husband, Greg, and their two children, one of whom has cerebral palsy.

    Mara Yale, Ph.D., leads Pediatric Stroke and Brain Injury Education and Outreach at Massachusetts General Hospital, reaching an international audience. She co-chairs the I-ACQUIRE Parent Council. Mara brings scientific inquiry and collaboration to her work based on prior careers in geophysics and software engineering. Mara is a Guild Certified Feldenkrais Practitioner, Somatic Experiencing Practitioner, has trained in Hand-in-Hand Parenting, holds a Ph.D. in geophysics, and played Division I ice hockey. She lives near Boston with her two children, one of whom had a perinatal stroke.

    Watch the video

  • Webinar: From spontaneous exploration to motor control: How self-generated experience drives development of sensorimotor behavior and brain function

By Claudio Ferre, Ph.D, Aug. 3, 2023, 12 p.m. ET

Watch the video

  • Webinar: Learn the Signs. Act Early: Updates and Implications for Pediatric Rehabilitation Professionals

By: Kari Kretch PT, DPT, PhD,

July 7th 12:00-1:00 EST

Watch the video

  • Webinar: Quantifying Health Equity in Clinical Research,

    March 23, 2023, 12 p.m. EST, by Jonathan Jackson, Executive Director of the Community Access, Recruitment, and Engagement (CARE) Research Center at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School. Watch the video.

    • In recent years, it has become clear that clinical research participation is more accessible to some populations relative to others. The proposed lecture will provide the audience with an overview of inequities and barriers for clinical trial recruitment in pediatric rehabilitation research. The presentation will describe current research in recruitment and inclusion science, including a testable framework for future research, as well as what investigators and study teams can do to minimize barriers to research recruitment
    • Relevant questions:
    1. What kinds of challenges have you faced in recruiting representative study populations
    2. What have you tried to do to resolve difficulties, and with what result?
    3. What kind of information, resources, or follow-up would be most immediately helpful during Jonathan’s presentation?
  • Webinar: Dosing for Pediatric Rehabilitation Session 1, by Jill C. Heathcock, MPT, Ph.D., Amy F. Bailes, PT, Ph.D., Mary E. Ganotti, PT, Ph.D., and Noelle G. Moreau, PT, Ph.D.

Clinical Trial and Health Service Approaches, March 9, 12 – 1 p.m. EST. Watch the video.

    • A path for model dosing (Dr. Gonnotti)
    • Dosing in a clinical trial (Dr. Moreau)
    • Dosing using a health services approach (Dr. Bailes)
    • Questions (Dr. Gannotti)
  • Webinar: Dosing for Pediatric Rehabilitation Session 2, by Jill C. Heathcock, MPT, Ph.D., Amy F. Bailes, PT, Ph.D., Mary E. Ganotti, PT, Ph.D., and Noelle G. Moreau, PT, Ph.D.

Stakeholder and Pragmatic Trial Approaches, April 4, 12 – 1 p.m. EST. Watch the video.

    • Using Research Summits with comprehensive stakeholder engagement to promote dosing research (Dr. Gannotti)
    • Dosing in clinical trials from patient perspective (Dr. Moreau)
    • Dosing in a pragmatic trial (Dr. Heathcock)
    • Questions (Dr. Gannotti)
  • National Advisory Board on Medical Rehabilitation Research Meeting – December 2022 Videocast

Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM) Asynchronous Study

Take this self-paced course to become proficient in administering and scoring the GMFM. Research administration of the GMFM and reliability of > 85% with C-PROGRESS is considered sufficient. Participants are eligible to earn 1.2 (12 contact hours) AOTA CEUs.

Learn More

Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development Asynchronous Study

Take this self-paced course to become proficient in administering the Bayley 4th Edition. Participants are eligible to earn 1.2 (12 contact hours) AOTA CEUs. View course details here.

Learn More

C-PROGRESS Book Club

Please join Dr. Jill Heathcock for the first C-PROGRESS Book Club

We will read The Ghost Map, by Steven Johnson

  • Date: April 24, 2023
  • 12 to 1 p.m.

Register in advance for this meeting: After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

https://virginiatech.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUudOyvrzgqGdeR4HZd442SOUqnvjTzViWQ

Previous Book Club Events

We will read Noise by Daniel Kahneman (Nobel Prize winner) and discuss how noise and variability impact pediatric rehabilitation research and decision making.

  • Date: March 27, 2023
  • Time: 12 to 1 p.m.

If you like to read ahead:

  • May: Experiments in Ethics, by Kwame Anthony Appiah
  • June: A Crack in Creation: Gene Editing and the Unthinkable Power to Control Evolution, by Jennifer Doudna (with C-Progress PI Sharon Ramey)

Resources

Here are some supportive reference materials that might help your research:

Didactic Interactions Summary

C-PROGRESS offers a wide mix of didactic activities to assist others in the following areas: developing, rigorously testing, and appropriately measuring outcomes of new pediatric rehabilitation treatments via a variety of research designs; analyzing multivariate and longitudinal data from pediatric clinical trials that face unique challenges, because children are developing at varying rates over the course of rehabilitation treatment and throughout the follow-up period; developing and applying tools to measure Fidelity of Treatment Implementation; and designing and conducting research in the relatively new field of Implementation Science, so that efficacious treatments can be applied in a timely and effective way in real world settings to realize maximum benefits. These Didactic Interactions offerings are designed to be practically useful for scientists and clinicians interested in furthering clinical pediatric rehabilitation research.

For more information about C-PROGRESS Didactic Interactions, please contact Stephanie DeLuca, Ph.D. at stephdeluca@vt.edu.

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