Forty-five clinicians from 28 academic medical centers came together on Zoom last month for the Cerebral Palsy Research Network’s fourth annual investigator conference.

The two-day online gathering featured keynote speaker Marc Randolph, the co-founder and first CEO of Netflix, who shared pearls of wisdom on decision-making and growth to our diverse audience of research leaders.

Participants, including clinicians from the National Institutes of Health, discussed a range of network studies, including the relevance of genetics in cerebral palsy diagnosis, and brainstormed potential new areas in dystonia research and building capacity to care for adults with CP. 

The meeting also enabled the CPRN team to define goals for an updated 2021-2025 strategic plan, including expanding leadership systems, ensuring financial sustainability, engaging community members, and strengthening research and quality improvement projects. 

“This year, we were able to make extensive use of breakout rooms for discussions and collaborations among smaller groups of investigators,” says CPRN President and Chief Executive Officer Paul Gross. “We were fortunate to have support from the Weinberg Family Center for Cerebral Palsy, making for smooth logistics.”  

Moving to a virtual format proved to be a successful venture with the format and progress of CPRN’s 2021 conference receiving praise from the attendees.

“It was great,” wrote Dr. Ed Hurvitz, chair of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the University of Michigan. “The best Zoom meeting of the year for content, for career development, and being able to connect a bit with friends old and new.”

Paralympian, advocate, and community advisor Duncan Wyeth, also in attendance, remarked: “I have acquired more knowledge and insight over two half-days about my disability and potential system mechanisms to address that disability than at any other time in my life. This meeting gives me great hope and expectations for the countless individuals who will know an enhanced quality of life because of this learning network.” 

Thank you to everyone who gave their time for this important conference. It has set us on an excellent trajectory for 2021 and beyond. We greatly appreciate the commitment of our dedicated investigator team and all their hard work advancing the care of people with CP.