28th Annual Symposium on ALS/MND

The 28th International Symposium on ALS/MND was held in Boston, Massachusetts this year and the ALS Hope Foundation was honored to be co-host of the conference along with ALS-TDI.  This event attracted record numbers, with over 1300 attendees, including scientists, clinicians, association members and PALS/CALS from around the world. This symposium is put on annually by the MND Association of England, Wales and Northern Ireland and is a full week of meetings, presentations and posters. Dr. Heiman-Patterson, Dr. Justin Kwan, Sara Feldman, Donna Harris, Kathleen Hatala, Tee Ropars and Mara Nissley from the team all attended and many volunteered!
 
The International Alliance of ALS/MND Associations meeting, held on December 5 and 6, 2017, brought together ALS/MND organizations from around the globe.  The ALS Hope Foundation has been a member of this international group of ALS/MND organizations since 2001 and Sara Feldman, PT, DPT, ATP is on the Board of Directors.  Click here for more information on the meeting and the Alliance.
 
The Ask the Experts event was held the second day of the meetings, December 6, 2017; this year’s panel was moderated by Dr. Terry Heiman-Patterson and included Dr. Jonathan Glass (Emory), Dr. James Berry (MGH) and Dr. Steven Perrin (ALS-TDI).  Thanks to ALS-TDI and ALSHF, this event was lived streamed so people unable to attend the conference were able to participate in the discussion.
 
The Allied Professionals Forum was held on December 7, 2016. This was a day-long session developed for Allied Health Professionals and the ALS Hope Foundation has been a committed supporter for many years. Sara Feldman is co-chair along with Steve Bell (MND Association). Please see the videos of the presentations here including Sara Feldman’s presentation on “Making Your Home a Smart Home Using Consumer Based Products.”
 
The 28th International Symposium on ALS/MND took place on December 8-10, 2017. Sally Light (MND Association) opened the Symposium and ALS-TDI welcomed everyone in attendance. Dr. Heiman-Patterson was a member of the Scientific Review Board for this year’s conference and was on the abstract selection committee. She chaired the session on Autonomy and Quality of Life with Dr. Orla Hardiman (Ireland). Sara Feldman had the opportunity to tour Steve Saling ‘s amazing home in the Saling-McDonald Residence just outside of Boston.  Kathleen Hatala and Tee Ropars volunteered for the Clinical sessions and kept the people moving and the microphones ready. See Mara Nissley’s write-up of her experience!
 
The International Symposium on ALS/MND is the largest medical and scientific conference specific to ALS/MND and this year leading researchers, clinicians, PALS/CALS, and associations all gathered to collaborate and share; to network and connect; to plan and dream; to support and grow. We all leave with a renewed sense of purpose, fresh ideas, and that ever present urgency. For we know time living with ALS/MND is all too precious and short.