The ResearchWorks Podcast

It's our final episode of our AACPDM 2026 series!All recorded live from the USA - it's been our great privilege to be a part of this year's AACPDM conference. There is much to be proud of and so much to look forward to - and Dayna takes the time to summarise our series of interviews this year.Our regular long-form interviews will re-commence soon! The ResearchWorks team are taking a well earned break for a few weeks, mainly to get over the jet-lag but we're keen to finish the year strongly with another stellar line-up of interviews with researchers from across the globe.Thank you for joining us this week and a huge shout out to all the fine folk who came by the booth and said hello - we love hearing the stories of how the pod has been able to have an impact in so many different countries and cities. We also love hearing how research has transformed clinical practice and we're proud to play our part in making this happen.The video-casts from the conference will be uploaded to our YouTube channel soon - due to the bandwidth required, the videocasts will be released over the coming weeks.

NB. Moderate post processing was applied to this recording due to the higher than usual ambient noise in the conference hall.Differences in Bone Mineral Density Response to Bisphosphonate Treatment by Stage in Puberty in Children with Cerebral Palsy

Mirror Movement and Neuroplastic Re-organization of Motor Cortical Lateralization in Children with Unilateral Cerebral Palsy.

NB. Moderate post processing was applied to this episodes recording due to higher than usual ambient noise.Home & Community Walking Activity: Power Training with Interval Treadmill Training (PT3) and Short-Burst Interval Treadmill Training in Cerebral Palsy: Parent Reported Outcomes

Characteristics and epidemiology of children and adults with cerebral palsy in Latin America.

Frame Running Training For Youth with Cerebral Palsy and Similar Neurodisabilities: A Multicentre Randomized, Waitlist Controlled Trial of Fitness, Fatigue and Mobility Outcomes.Gayle G. Arnold Award Finalist

NB. Moderate noise reduction and post processing was used due to ambient noise in the corridor next to the podcast booth.Back to the Future: Celebrating 80 Years of Science at AACPDM and Envisioning an Even Brighter FutureDiane is a recently retired tenured Senior Investigator at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). She is internationally recognized for her research which focuses muscle strengthening and on the design of device-augmented interventions to promote activity, mobility and neuroplasticity in infants and children with cerebral palsy, including a pediatric strengthening exoskeleton and a smart harness to promote infant mobility. Diane pioneered the use of mobile brain imaging technologies to evaluate cortical activity during functional motor tasks and for neurofeedback training. She has over 175 peer-reviewed publications and was an Associate Editor of Neurorehabilitation and Neural Repair. Diane is a Past President of the Gait and Clinical Movement Analysis Society and the American Academy for Cerebral Palsy and Developmental Medicine (AACPDM) - the first physical therapist to serve in that role. She is a co-founder of the International Alliance of the Academies of Childhood Disabilities, an international effort to support the scientific education of multidisciplinary health professionals caring for children with CP and their families. She has received multiple awards, including the 2024 Mentorship award from the  AACPDM and the 2025 Lifetime Achievement award from the Cerebral Palsy Foundation

Dr Adam Kirton: From thought to function with non-invasive brain computer interface.What are the possibilities of turning a thought into something that is actionable? For children with CP that have significant motor impairments, access to the environment can be incredibly challenging. Dr Kirton came onto the pod to talk about his education session and free paper titled "Achievement of Personalized, Previously Impossible Goals by Children with Severe Quadriplegic Cerebral Palsy Using Brain-Computer Interface."Join us as we explore this novel intervention, understand how it works and what the possibilities are right now.

NB. Post processing was applied to this episode due to medium levels of ambient noise.Dr Hank Chambers: Mentorship Award and reflecting on the evolution of AACPDMThe role of mentors can not be overstated - this is how we learn, sharpen our skills and become better at what we do for the sake of the young people that we have the privilege of working with.Dr Chambers was awarded the Mentorship Award at AACPDM and for good reason. His long history of advocacy and well as his investment into AACPDM and into the careers of many clinicians and research is a testament to his generosity and outstanding career. 

Asst Prof Eric Chin: Interference pain in adults with CPAs an award finalist for 3 different categories (Promising Career Award Finalist; Southern Family Cerebral Palsy Center Best Adult Paper Award Finalist; Complex Care Early Career Award Finalist), this work is clearly important for the field.Dr Chin joins us to discuss his paper titled "Multidimensional Impacts of Chronic Pain and Associated Risk Factors in Self- reporting Adults with Cerebral Palsy: A Community Registry Study."It is fantastic to see the work that is being done now in adults with CP.