College of Health Sciences to Host National AHRI Meeting on Translational Research in Rehabilitation Care

The Old Dominion University College of Health Sciences will host the annual meeting of the Allied Health Research Institute (AHRI) Sept. 8-9 in Norfolk, which will explore "Translational Research in Rehabilitation Care."

Translational research addresses ways to convert basic clinical or epidemiological health sciences into practical public health programs. The goal of this meeting is to strengthen the partnership between academia and industry in translational research related to rehabilitation care.

Special speakers will include Richard Oliver, board president of AHRI and dean of the University of Missouri School of Health Professions; Andrew Schwartz, professor of neurology, University of Pittsburgh; John Short, president and chief executive officer, RehabCare; Gail Wilensky, senior economist, Project HOPE; and Martha Walker, chair and program director, School of Physiotherapy, ODU.

The AHRI is a non-profit organization headquartered in St. Louis and composed of employers, university researchers and other members who work to promote alliances between stakeholders in health care. One of its goals is to create a central data repository to collect and analyze clinical outcomes for the purpose of establishing industry and academic-supported, evidence-based practice patterns.

Sessions of the AHRI meeting will be held at the Ted Constant Convocation Center on the ODU campus.