The Society for Pelvic Research (SPR), founded on May 12, 2015 by and for career basic and translational scientists interested in normal function and benign disease states of the pelvic viscera and pelvic floor, is dedicated to cross-disciplinary basic and translational scientific interaction and trainee development. The society?s mission is to promote the highest standards of basic and translational science research directed toward understanding benign pelvic visceral and musculoskeletal function and dysfunction through education, interaction, and advocacy. This includes such conditions as urinary and fecal incontinence, male and female sexual dysfunction, overactive and underactive bladder syndromes, colonic motility disorders, urologic chronic pelvic pain syndrome (UCPPS), and pelvic organ prolapse. These disorders are highly prevalent, especially in our aging populace, and have significant negative impacts on the health, quality of life and financial well-being of a very large portion of the population. The SPR envisions being the premier professional organization for career basic and translational scientists and bioengineers interested in benign urogenital, distal gut and pelvic floor research. It promotes multidisciplinary interaction, intellectual cross-fertilization, networking for collaboration, and career development through the regular dissemination of information via online resources, future published guidelines and standards for basic and translational science research, and, most importantly, through the SPR annual meetings.
The Specific Aim of this R13 application is to partially support the 5th annual meeting of the SPR to be held in Charlotte, NC, December 11-13, 2020. While there are other forums to present research findings, the SPR is the only society whose stated primary focus is to support the careers of basic and translational scientists that form the backbone for the discoveries that will eventually be implemented into clinical practice. At this year?s meeting, each of the sessions, covering a broad range of topics of interest to current and potential future members of the SPR, will be unified by the underlying theme of aging. For example, keynote speaker Phillip P. Smith is principal investigator (PI) of several NIA funded research projects (R01AG058814, K76AG054777 and R21AG06352) and his presentation will be significant to many attendees who are working on the function and dysfunction of the lower urinary tract including urinary incontinence, underactive and overactive bladder and the exciting development of novel agents to reduce the accumulation of senescent cells (senolytics). The SPR is committed to diversity and inclusion, as evidenced by more than 50% of positions on its Board of Directors (BOD) that are held by women. Our intention for this meeting, as with previous meetings, is to ensure the participation by underrepresented basic and translational scientists as invited speakers and attendees using targeted advertising and travel grants.
The Society for Pelvic Research (SPR), founded on May 12, 2015 by and for career basic and translational scientists interested in normal function and benign disease states of the pelvic viscera and pelvic floor, is dedicated to cross-disciplinary basic and translational scientific interaction and trainee development. The Specific Aim of this R13 application is to partially support the 5th annual meeting of the SPR to be held in Charlotte, NC, December 11-13, 2020. While there are other forums to present research findings, the SPR is the only society whose stated primary focus is to support the careers of basic and translational scientists that form the backbone for the discoveries that will eventually be implemented into clinical practice.
