The Hershey Conference on Developmental Brain Injury was started in 1997 by Drs. Susan and Robert Vannucci in Hershey, PA., and has been held every other year (even years) since that time. This meeting has become a popular, well attended, yet still small, international conference of physician-scientists and basic scientists, with a high number of trainees. The 2016 10th Hershey Conference will return to Europe (France) and will be primarily sponsored by our European colleagues. Dr. Pierre Gressens of Inserm is the Chair and local host of the 2016 meeting, which will be held outside Paris; we are applying for supplemental support from the NIH primarily to fund attendance for junior investigators/trainees. The overall goal of the proposed meeting is to bring together internationally known clinical and basic scientists involved in research pertaining to brain injury and regeneration in developing animals and humans. The approach remains the same as previously and now has four objectives: 1) identifying clinical paradigms that inform basic science concepts and translating those new basic concepts into more refined clinical application; 2) exploring areas of gaps in our current knowledge; 3) promoting novel collaborations 4) mentoring of junior colleagues. Therefore, the objective of this R13 is to provide the necessary continued support of trainees and junior faculty, primarily from the USA. Extensive participation of trainees, both from US and abroad, has been a hallmark of the Hershey Conference. Trainees, both MD and PhD, constitute 30-50% of all participants. This meeting has been an excellent opportunity for informal interaction between trainees and leaders in the field as well as a mechanism for post-doctoral and visiting scientist recruitment. Thus, a specific aim of this supplemental R13 is to promote trainee and junior faculty participation and to identify trainees/junior faculty from racial/ethnic minorities and underrepresented institutions within the US to attend this conference.
Hypoxic-ischemic and other injury to the neonatal brain continues to be a major cause of mortality and morbidity in infants and children and a tremendous public health problem. Prevention of the cerebral dysfunction in these children is of high importance. The Hershey Conference on Developmental Brain Injury brings together an international group comprised of leaders in this field, esteemed scientists from outside but related fields, as well as a high proportion of young trainees to continue the important discussions and dissemination of information constantly geared towards finding new and better modes of intervention and neuroprotection.
