CHICAGO, IL USA (Press Release) - May 6, 2015 - The poster entitled "The Stigma Associated with Urinary Continence: The Impacts on Self-Perception for Older Women," by lead author Kenneth Southall (McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada), was awarded first place at the April 15-17, 2015 international conference Innovating for Continence: The Engineering Challenge. Dr. Southall and colleagues Jeffrey Jutai (University of Ottawa), Eleanor van den Heuvel (Brunel University London), Sarah Fraser (Centre de recherché de Institut universitaire de gériatrie de Montreal), and Cara Tannenbaum (Université de Montreal) poster's conclusion found that, "Historically, research has focused on maladaptive responses to stigmatization. Increasingly however there is evidence of constructive responses to potentially stigmatizing situations. Narratives of the respondents in this study provide evidence of effective coping responses to protect one's self-identity." The study was made possible with funds provided from the European Research Area on Ageing 2.
| Three awards were presented by The Simon Foundation for Continence to posters authors at their fifth biennial conference in Chicago, reflecting excellent and varied research in this challenging medical field. |
The poster session was judged by an independent group of judges led by Robert A. Linsenmeier, PhD, Northwestern University Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Neurobiology, and Ophthalmology and Director of Northwestern Center for Engineering Education Research. The other poster judges included: Diane Newman, DNP (University of Pennsylvania); Al Maslov, MSEE, MBA (Breuer Partners & Co.); Jun Liao, PhD (Mississippi State University).
The poster receiving the second place award was “On-Demand, Rapid-Onset, Short-Duration, Drug-Induced, Voiding Therapy for Neurogenic Voiding Dysfunction," by Karl B. Thor, Lesley Marson, Ed Burgard, Mary Katofiasc, and F. Aura Kullmann, all of Dignify Therapeutics (Durham, NC, USA). This research was funded by NIH, NC Biotech Center, NC Commerce Dept., and the Founders of Dignify Therapeutics.
The third place award went to the poster entitled “Cystoscopic Implantation of a Wireless Implantable Rechargeable Bladder Pressure Sensor,” by lead author Iryna Makovey of the Glickman Urological and Kidney Institute at the Cleveland Clinic. Co-authors of this poster were Steve Majerus (Case Western Reserve University), Elizabeth Ferry (University Hospitals, Cleveland), Hui Zhu (Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center), and Margot Damaser (Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic).
Professor Alan Cottenden (University College London, England), the ongoing chair of the conference series remarked, “I love helping to put these conferences together, to inform, challenge, stimulate, inspire and provoke the rich multidisciplinary mix of folk who come to them -- to think out of the box and interact with others of incredibly diverse expertise and experience, all with the aim of coming up with technology that will better meet the needs of those living with incontinence. These posters very much reflect that vision.”
"We are delighted by the variety of topics covered by the posters that were accepted for the Innovating 2015 conference," added Cheryl B. Gartley, President and Founder of The Simon Foundation for Continence. "These three very distinctive posters reflect the eclectic nature of this conference. They illustrate the variety of interests that blend together to make the Innovating for Continence series the unique and thought-provoking meeting that it is known for being. We are delighted to announce this year’s winners and applaud their research and passion for this area of work."
Innovating for Continence: The Engineering Challenge (www.innovatingforcontinence.org) is a biennial meeting hosted by The Simon Foundation for Continence held in Chicago, IL, USA. The 2015 conference was the fifth in this series. The conference series features an unusual mix of speakers including: experts in areas of technology that have yet to be applied to incontinence but might be in the future; patients relating their challenges with incontinence; health care providers; incontinence industry executives; academics; entrepreneurs; and others. They all come together to brainstorm ways in which unique technologies could be applied to incontinence issues. From the very first conference, the meeting has attracted delegates from across the US and other countries around the world, including: Japan, Israel, England, Ireland, Sweden, Germany, Denmark, Switzerland, Australia, Brazil, Canada, the Netherlands, New Zealand, and the Philippines.
About the Simon Foundation for Continence
The Simon Foundation for Continence, located in Chicago, Illinois, USA, is a 501(c)(3) corporation whose mission is: to bring the topic of incontinence into the open; remove the stigma associated with incontinence; and provide help and hope to individuals with incontinence, their families, and the professionals who provide their care. The Simon Foundation for Continence is the world’s oldest patient-led organization devoted exclusively to incontinence, having been founded in 1982. The Foundation’s mission is supported by an Advisory Board of professionals, many of whom have dedicated their careers to improving the clinical treatment of incontinence and advancing medical science through bladder and bowel research.
Simon Foundation for Continence
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