2011 Conference
The 12th ASF Scientific Symposium and Biennial Conference, held from July 26 -30, 2011 in Salt Lake City, UT, offered excellent opportunities for networking, sharing information, and exploring exciting scientific discoveries.
More than 50 sessions covered a wide array of topics, including seizures and treatment of seizures, communication, behavior, therapies, education, and technology.
Featured speakers included Dr. James Ball, who presented on Functional Behavior Assessment and how to reduce difficult behavior.
Dr. Ben Philpot gave an exciting presentation that was well-received by all in attendance. Asked to summarize the scope of his research, he stated, "thanks to ASF funding, a large-scale collaborative effort at the University of North Carolina is making remarkable strides towards elucidating potential AS therapeutics. The laboratories of Drs. Ben Philpot, Mark Zylka, and Bryan Roth have teamed up to identify molecules that can unsilence the paternal Ube3a allele in a mouse model. Their discoveries and ongoing research are expected to lead towards rationale clinical trials in AS."
During the conference, awards were given to three deserving individuals:
The Harry & Audrey Angelman Award was created to honor Harry and Audrey Angelman and the work they did to bring the Angelman community together as a family. Recipients of the award must present:
- A strong commitment to enhancing the awareness and understanding of Angelman syndrome in their community
- An understanding of Angelman syndrome and its impact in affected individuals and their families
The ASF Board of Directors unanimously selected this year's recipients for their long-standing commitment to ASF families and their longtime dedication to serving the ASF. Lisa Franco and Hal Lippman are the recipients of the 2011 Harry and Audrey Angelman Award for Meritorious Service!
The Dr. Claudia Benton Award for Scientific Research is presented in memory of Dr. Claudia Benton (1959-1998), a pediatrician and genetic researcher who worked with individuals with Angelman syndrome at the Baylor College of Medicine. Recipients of the award must present:
- A strong commitment to advancing the scientific knowledge and understanding of Angelman syndrome
- An ongoing commitment to research that improves the understanding and/or treatment of Angelman syndrome or that makes a significant impact on the lives of individuals with Angelman syndrome
The ASF Board of Directors unanimously selected this year's recipient for his unwavering commitment to AS Research. The 2011 Dr. Claudia Benton Award for Scientific Research was presented to Dr. Marc Lalande from the University of Connecticut Health Sciences!
Congratulations to all of our award winners and thank you for your time and dedication to the ASF and all those affected by Angelman syndrome.
Conference Recordings
If you missed the conference or want to relive the experience, we are pleased to announce that session recordings are now available through IntelliQuest Media.
IntelliQuest is offering the recordings in two formats: online (with emailed username and password) and DVD-ROM for playback on PC or Mac platforms. The online library is available for $159, while the DVD-ROM is offered at $199.
Both formats include audio of over 40 sessions in MP3 format and speaker handouts/slides in a PDF document.
Individual sessions are available for $20 each as an audio CD, but do not include speaker handouts or slides.
Visit IntelliQuest online here to order your sessions today!
Conference Survey
The primary purpose of the ASF Biennial Conference is that of education. Family members and professionals attend the conference to become better informed of the many issues surrounding Angelman Syndrome and how these issues impact their special individual with AS and how to best help her/him.
With the goal of delivering a sound educational program in mind, we invite our 2011 conference attendees to help make future Angelman Syndrome Foundation (ASF) conferences as educationally valuable as possible. Please participate in the survey linked below.
We appreciate your time and effort in completing this survey. Thank you for your valued responses and participation.
Click here to take the survey!