Howard H. Steel Conference Program

The Howard H. Steel Conference provides a unique opportunity for the exchange of knowledge and dissemination of research throughout the international community that is focused on Pediatric Spinal Cord Injuries and Dysfunction. The three-day conference will include a variety of educational opportunities such as paper presentations, debates, lectures, symposia and instructional course lectures. View the Course agenda.

Program Highlights

Howard H. Steel Lecture

Active Listening as a Therapeutic Modality: Lessons Learned from Lived Experiences
Joel Feldman, Esq. Read Bio
Thursday, November 29, 2012            6:00 – 7:15 pm (preceding the Welcome Reception)

Dr. Howard H. Steel was the chief surgeon at the Philadelphia Shriners Hospital from 1968 till 1986. During his tenure, he developed the concept of a dedicated pediatric spinal cord injury program within the Philadelphia hospital to serve the needs of these children, whom he felt were underserved. It was through his leadership and continuing mentorship of the SCI program that the Howard Steel Conference: Pediatric Spinal Cord Injuries and Dysfunction was developed. This lectureship honors his contributions in clinical care, education and research for the child with spinal cord injury.

Newton C. McCollough Lecture

Management of Children with Traumatic SCI from the Accident Scene to Discharge from ICU
Nigel Price, MD Read Bio
Friday, November 30, 2012        8:05 – 8:25 am

The Newton C. McCollough Lecture honors an outstanding orthopaedic surgeon and contributor in the field of clinical care, education, and research into spinal cord injury. Dr. McCollough served as professor and chair of the Departments of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation at the University of Miami until 1986. He then served as Director of Medical Affairs for Shriners Hospitals for Children from 1986 to 2001. During his tenure as Director of Medical Affairs, he was instrumental in expanding Shriners Hospitals’ spinal cord injury program, and this lectureship honors those efforts.

Inaugural Stephen M. Haley Memorial Lecture

Challenges in Measurement of Outcomes in Children with SCI
Alan Jette, PT, PhD Read Bio
Friday, November 30, 2012        10:35 – 11:05 am

Dr. Haley was a phenomenal teacher and mentor to many doctoral, postdoctoral, and junior researchers. He was a gifted speaker and proliferate writer who generously shared his knowledge with colleagues and students. His passion for improving the lives of children with disabilities and their families by improving the quality of rehabilitation research was inspirational. His seminal work related to the development and validation of computer adaptive testing of activity performance and participation for children with spinal cord injury (SCI) has catalyzed a transformation in methods to monitor patient-reported outcomes after pediatric SCI. Dr. Haley was the 2006 Howard H. Steel Lecturer and 2009 Keynote Speaker at the Howard H. Steel Conference on Pediatric Spinal Cord Dysfunction. In honor of Dr. Haley and his significant contributions to the field of pediatric spinal cord injury research, a key-note lecture, “The Stephen M. Haley Memorial Lecture” has been established and will be awarded at each of the Howard H. Steel Conferences on Pediatric Spinal Cord Dysfunction to an individual who has made significant contribution to the field of rehabilitation research.

Instructional Course

Assessment, Splinting and Restorative Management of the Upper Limb in Children with SCI
Chair: Scott Kozin, MD
Faculty: Sarah Ashworth, OT
Friday, December 1, 2012        7:30 – 9:00 am

This course features current intervention in upper extremity positioning and splinting for persons with tetraplegia. The focus will be on tendon transfer evaluation and preparation, joint preservation, and maximizing hand function. Additionally, the course includes review of splinting principles, case presentation of splinting with an individual with tetraplegia, and fabrication of 2 hand splints by each participant.

Instructional Course

Training on the International Standards for Neurological Classification of Spinal Cord Injury - Current Methods and Considerations when Applied to Children
Chair: MJ Mulcahey, PhD, OTR/L
Faculty: Steven Kirshblum, MD; Christina Calhoun, PT, MS; Larry Vogel, MD
Thursday, November 29, 2012        2:30 – 5:00 pm

The International Standards for Neurological Classification of Spinal Cord Injury is used world-wide for evaluating and classifying the neurological consequence of spinal cord injury. In this instructional course, the recent revisions to the neurological standards will be described and the rationale behind the revisions will be discussed. Evidence based guidelines for use and interpretation of the neurological standards will be presented. Difficult pediatric cases will be reviewed and discussed as a way to provide clarity on evaluation and classification and to solidify concepts discussed in the course.

Instructional Course

Medical and Surgical Management of Neurogenic Bladder in Children with Spina Bifida
Chair: David Joseph, MD
Thursday, November 29, 2012      2:30 – 5:00 pm

This instructional course is designed for physicians and Nurses and will address the medical and surgical management of the neurogenic bladder in children with Spina Bifida, In addition, urodynamic testing will be discussed with best practice defined for testing methodology, frequency of testing and interpretation

Instructional Course

Continence Management and Best Practice for Bowel Management in Children with Spina Bifida
Chair: Jean Brown, RN
Friday, December 1, 2012        7:30 – 9:00 am

This instructional course is designed for physicians and Nurses and will provide Evidence based guidelines for continence management and bowel management in children with Spina Bifida.

Special Disney Course: New for 2012!

Excellence in Pediatric SCI the Disney Way
Friday, November 30, 2012        1:00 – 4:00 pm

The Disney Institute is a professional development company that provides leadership training for businesses and health care organizations. As part of this Disney Institute-sponsored instructional course, you will step into Disney’s "living laboratory" and learn how core principles of leadership, excellence, service and commitment translate into magical successes. This field experience instructional course will take participants behind-the-scenes of the Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom where they will see firsthand how business theory drives operational excellence. Participants will learn about technologies and strategies that result in outcomes that exceed expectations of persons who visit Disney Parks, regardless of differences in abilities.

An additional registration fee of $50 is required. Please note, registrants for this course are required to provide government-issued photo identification (driver’s license) upon arrival at the Park. Closed toed shoes are necessary. Theme park admission is not included in the price of this Program, nor is it required. If any Program registrant wishes to stay in the theme park after the program, admission must be purchased.

Please register early as space is limited!