This year’s Race, Ethnicity, and Disabilities: State of the Science Conference was held on March 1-2 in Arlington, VA and was presented by Virginia Commonwealth University Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, which is funded by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR). The goals of the conference were three fold:
- “To advance the state of the science of disability research involving racial and ethnic minorities by identifying, analyzing, and synthesizing current evidence-based strategies being utilized.
- To build capacity of researchers dedicated to engaging in minority disability methodologies, and recruitment methods relevant to underserved populations.
- To foster networking and communication between researchers, students, clinicians, funding organizations, journal editors, and consumers interesting in improving disability research and services for racial and ethnic minorities.”
The two-day conference included two panel presentations, three tracks each day, and networking opportunities between presentations. Panelists for the two morning panel discussion included Juan Carlos Arango-Lasprilla, PhD from Virginia Commonwealth University, Shelley Reeves from NIDRR, Theresa Cruz from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), William Talley, Keith Wilson, and Paul Leung.
Presentations included:
- Developing and writing fundable grant ideas,
- Quantitative and qualitative research and statistical methods for disparities research,
- Healthcare interventions for underserved populations with chronic diseases,
- Creating the right balance between research, teaching, and practice,
- And, racial and ethnic minorities with SCI.
NARIC’s Bilingual Information Specialist Marta Garcia was among the attendees and had the opportunity to meet and hear from presenters included members of the following universities, research centers, and governmental agencies: Virginia Commonwealth University, University of Illinois/Chicago, NIH, Kessler Foundation Research Center, Medical University of South Carolina, Virginia Department of Medical Assistance Service, University of North Texas, The Neuropsychology Clinic, California State University – Fresno, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, US Department of Education (NIDRR), University of Maryland – Eastern Shore, and Pennsylvania State University. Look for her next post with some thoughts on these fascinating presentations!
