American Society for Neural Therapy and Repair Annual Conference April 2025

ABSTRACT This R13 application seeks funding for our annual American Society for Neural Therapy and Repair (ASNTR) meeting to support: i) travel awards for undergraduate and graduate students, medical students and postdoctoral fellows to attend the gathering in Clearwater, FL on April 24-26, 2025, and ii) a Workshop held onsite at the start of the meeting for all trainees and interested parties. The Society’s Education and Training Committee, currently chaired by Dr. Agnes Luo, was established to promote the participation and development of our trainees within the Society. To accomplish this goal, each year the Committee encourages students and postdocs to submit their abstracts for a competitive travel award. These abstracts are reviewed by the Education and Training Committee which gives scores based on criteria that include: 1) Creativity of scientific approach; 2) Selection of outcome measures with emphasis on rigor and reproducibility; 3) Quality of writing; and 4) Potential impact on the field. The top-rated students and postdoctoral fellows are awarded travel funds to defray the cost of attending the meeting. Additionally, the top students and post-doctoral winners are invited to give oral presentations at the conference. All trainees receiving travel awards are required to attend the Workshop. A “Meet and Greet” session follows the Workshop, where attendees are introduced to all attending scientists. We hope this additional, personal interaction provides an opportunity for trainees to establish a relationship that will continue throughout their scientific career. We also plan for a dedicated session of presentations by the top travel award winners, and a data blitz for all trainees, giving everyone the opportunity to give a (brief) oral presentation in a relaxed environment