National Neurotrauma Society (NNS) Symposium: Brainstorming for Breakthroughs

SUMMARY The National Neurotrauma Society (NNS) is committed to the promotion of neurotrauma research by enhancing communication, providing a forum for scientific exchange, and increasing national and international support for neurotrauma research and clinical advances. The society holds an Annual Symposium to provide a forum for researchers, clinicians, and trainees from around the world to meet and discuss the latest breakthroughs in traumatic brain injury (TBI) and spinal cord injury (SCI) research. The 43rd Annual Neurotrauma Symposium, jointly sponsored by the NNS and the American Association of Neurological Surgeons/Congress of Neurological Surgeons (AANS/CNS) Joint Section on Neurotrauma and Critical Care will be held in Milwaukee, WI, June 14- 17, 2026. Two of the historic strengths of the Neurotrauma Community are training/mentoring and collaboration. One of our primary goals is to promote and retain our top trainees. Another key goal is improving outcomes in our neurotrauma patients, which is best addressed by working together, whether locally or in a multi-institutional setting, and to continue to push our field forward. To this end, the theme for the 2026 NNS Symposium is “Brainstorming for Breakthroughs.” NNS Symposia have a history of bringing together scientists, clinicians and healthcare providers, trainees, and individuals with lived TBI or SCI experience who are dedicated to the study of neurotrauma to translate knowledge generated by research into improved patient care. The centerpieces of the Symposium are our travel awards, poster competition, data blitz oral presentations, workshops and activities designed and supported by the Training, Education and Mentoring (TEAM) Committee that foster participation and active engagement of trainees and young investigators. NIH funding for previous NNS Symposia has been focused on these trainee opportunities and provided invaluable support to reach graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, residents, and young investigators. This application seeks funding to support 40 pre-and-postdoctoral trainees to present their ongoing work, attend scientific sessions, and to network with peers and faculty. In addition, we request support for our Local Scholars program that seeks to attract new undergraduate students to the Society by supporting 30 undergraduate trainees from local host-city Universities with a background in STEM and neuroscience. Our aims are to; 1) provide a strong scientific program focused on “Brainstorming for Breakthroughs,” highlighting recent transformative discoveries in neurotrauma research, and 2) enhance training, education and mentorship of trainees and early-career faculty. This will include trainee development through workshops, mentor:mentee events, breakout sessions, poster competition, Local Scholars program and platform presentations. Project Number: 1R13NS149706-01 | Fiscal Year: 2026 | NIH Institute/Center: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) | Principal Investigator: Douglas Smith | Institution: UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA, PHILADELPHIA, PA | Award Amount: $20,000 | Activity Code: R13 | Study Section: Special Emphasis Panel[ZRG1 SCIL-T (80)] View on NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/11392152