1st MRP Meeting: Minutes

Masters Research Project
Committee meeting #1
April 21 2008 12:30-1:30

Attendees:
Nicholas Woolridge
Dr. Michael Fehlings
Sarah Figley
Jamie Austin
Pina Kingman


Masters Research Project Introduction:
All attendees met for the first time to introduce the Masters Research Project.
Nicholas Woolridge introduced the Biomedical Communications program and discussed what a Masters Research Project entails. He showed two examples of Masters Research Projects to clarify what the final outcome will look like.
Dr. Michael Fehlings introduced the scientific topic of the research project, which is secondary spinal cord injury. He showed a PowerPoint presentation to explain the general concept of secondary pathological mechanisms. Details of the secondary pathological cascades where briefly discussed in the context of Dr. Michael Fehlings, Jamie Austin, and Sarah Figley’s specific research interests. Dr. Fehlings emphasized that the primary injury rarely severs the spinal cord, chronic injury is a result of secondary pathological mechanisms, and explaining secondary spinal cord injury is difficult. He then showed a three-dimensional animation that was commissioned by is laboratory to demonstrate the delivery and end result of Cethrin treatment.

Details discussed:
Purpose of the research project:
To aid researchers in Dr. Fehlings lab explain secondary spinal cord injury and serve as a means of introducing their own specific research in the field. A general simplified overview that summarizes the important secondary injury events would be most useful.
Audience:
Dr. Fehlings expressed interest in using this project to explain secondary spinal cord injury to both a scientific and lay audience.

Next step:
Dr. Fehlings offered Pina Kingman access to his research papers. Pina Kingman is to contact Jamie Austin and Sarah Figley to organize a meeting time at Toronto Western Hospital to give Pina Kingman electronic copies of Dr. Fehlings’ research papers. Jamie Austin and Sarah Figley gave Pina Kingman their contact information.