KEYNOTE: "INTERRUPTING THE CASCADE: HOW EARLY NEUROPROTECTION CAN CHANGE THE FUTURE OF CEREBRAL PALSY" 

Dr. Shenandoah Robinson  MD, FAAP, FACS - Johns Hopkins School of Medicine

Dody Robinson is Professor of Neurosurgery, Neurology and Pediatrics at Johns Hopkins University. She cares for patients at the Kennedy Krieger Institute and Mount Washington Pediatric Hospital in multidisciplinary clinics. As a pediatric neurosurgeon she cares for children and adults living with CP and sequela from perinatal brain injury such as epilepsy and hydrocephalus. Her research spans from basic science to clinical trials. She leads an independent, federally funded laboratory and investigates the causes of CP and interventions to improve outcomes, primarily with re-purposed drug cocktails. She currently is the PI of a Phase I clinical trial for babies in the NICU.

KEYNOTE: "THE CONNECTED BRAIN: HOW INTERFACES ARE TRANSFORMING NEURODEVELOPMENTAL CARE" 

Dr. Leigh Hochberg, MD, PhD - Massachusetts General Hospital

Dr. Hochberg is a vascular and critical care neurologist at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), where he also directs the Center for Neurotechnology and Neurorecovery. In addition, he is on the Consulting Staff at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital; Professor of Engineering at Brown University; Senior Lecturer on Neurology at Harvard Medical School; and Director, VA RR&D Center for Neurorestoration and Neurotechnology, Providence RI. His research focuses on the translation of neurophysiology and computational neuroscience discoveries into devices to restore function for patients with neurologic disease or injury. His research has been published in journals such as Nature, the New England Journal of Medicine, Lancet, Science Translational Medicine, and the Journal of Neuroscience. As Principal Investigator and lead Clinical Investigator of the BrainGate Neural Interface System pilot clinical trials, he has earned numerous awards, including a Doris Duke Clinical Scientist Development Award, the Jospeph B. Martin Award in Basic Science, the Herbert Pardes Prize in Clinical Research, and the Derek Denny-Brown Young Neurological Scholars award. He and his BrainGate colleagues also received the Israel Brain Technologies International B.R.A.I.N. Prize, presented by President Shimon Perez. Dr. Hochberg's research has been supported by the Dept. of Veterans Affairs and the NIH, including NIDCD and the BRAIN Initiative/NINDS. Dr. Hochberg received his Sc.B. with Honors in Neural Science from Brown University in 1990. He received his MD and PhD from Emory University, where he was continued an intern in Internal Medicine. He was a resident and Chief Resident in Neurology at MGH/BWH/Harvard Medical School, where he also completed a fellowship in Stroke/Neurocritical Care in 2004.

KEYNOTE: "PLAY AS THE GATEWAY TO EARLY DEVELOPMENT" 

Dr. Stacey Dusing PT, PhD, FAPTA - University of Southern California

Dr. Stacey Dusing is the Sykes Family Chair of Pediatric Physical Therapy, Health and Development, a Professor and the Director of Pediatric Research in the Division of Biokinesiology and Physical Therapy at the University of Southern California, where she also leads the Motor Development Laboratory. She is a board-certified pediatric physical therapy specialist, has led multiple federally funded multi-site clinical trials of interventions for infants born preterm and with cerebral palsy. She has over 25 years of clinical, research, teaching and mentoring experience. She has won multiple research and mentoring awards from professional associations, including the John HP Maley Lectureship and Catherine Worthingham Fellow of the APTA and the AACPDM Mentoring Award. She is a board-certified pediatric physical therapy specialist and has led multiple federally funded multi-site clinical trials of interventions for infants born preterm and with cerebral palsy, and is a trainer for the Hammersmith Infant Neurological Exam. She is also the founder of Play Explore Learn Therapy and Toys, LLC.

Her research is dedicated to the early detection and intervention strategies that promote the development of infants at high risk for developmental disabilities. Dr. Dusing prioritizes equity in policy, health services, and engagement with diverse stakeholders throughout her research, advocacy, and clinical efforts.

In addition to directing clinical trials aimed at improving interventions for infants and their families, she leads several initiatives designed to enhance access to care for children in Los Angeles and throughout California. A key project is the Early Identification and Intervention for Infants Collaborative (EI3), which has established a website and conducted training sessions for over 100 providers in Southern California, aiming to increase awareness and capacity for the early detection of cerebral palsy.