Cook Children's Hosts Dravet Syndrome Foundation 5th Biennial Conference
The Jane and John Justin Neurosciences Center was honored to partner with the Dravet Syndrome Foundation (DSF) to host the 5th Biennial Family and Professional Conference held June 23-25 in Fort Worth, TX. Every two years, this informative conference brings together parents, caregivers, patients, physicians, researchers and industry partners to collaborate towards a cure for Dravet syndrome.
This year's conference agenda was planned by M. Scott Perry M.D., director of the Cook Children's Genetic Epilepsy Clinic, along with members of DSF. Over 300 attendees from across the U.S. and from as far away as Europe and South America, enjoyed three days of lectures highlighting the latest innovative research into this rare condition, which affects 1:15,000. In addition, planned daily activities encouraged all attendees to interact and explore Fort Worth.
As part of the conference, attendees expressed themselves through a collaborative art piece that will remain in the Cook Children's NeuroArt collection to commemorate the event, while a second piece will be auctioned off to raise much needed funding for DSF programs. Finally, this year's conference included a program specifically designed for adult neurologists with interest in caring for people with Dravet syndrome. Ten adult neurologists from across the U.S. and Canada were able to attend without cost, to learn more about Dravet syndrome and participate in a half-day workshop focused on effective transition of care.
Cook Children's is a leader in the diagnosis, treatment and research of rare genetic epilepsies, serving over 100 children with Dravet syndrome in addition to multiple other rare epilepsies. The Genetic Epilepsy Clinic has been a primary contributor to a number of clinical trials to develop new therapies for these conditions, in addition to ongoing investigator-initiated programs to discover novel biomarkers of these disorders. Dr. Perry serves as a member of the Medical Advisory Board for DSF.