Recreational Therapy student Clara Valentine attended the Academy of Spinal Cord Injury Professionals conference on September 1 - 4 in Nashville, Tennessee. She, along with Drs. Piatt and Knee, and Ms. Grace Burton gave a presentation titled "Sexual health as a component of rehabilitation for males living with a spinal cord injury".
Ms. Valentine was able to attend due to a travel grant she was awarded from the department. She wrote about her experiences working on the research team and attending the conference, which can be found below:
"Last year I had the incredible opportunity to join Dr. Jennifer Piatt and the community-based research team on the sexual health as a component of rehabilitation for people living with a spinal cord injury project. This research experience has allowed me to contribute to in-depth literature review, writing an IRB*, research poster presentations, and now co-presenting at my second research conference as an undergraduate student. At the Academy of Spinal Cord Injury Professionals conference, I shared valuable research with professionals working in the field, which will impact the future care of people with spinal cord injuries. As I look forward to finishing my undergraduate degree at IU and think about possible next steps toward graduate school, I am positive conducting research will hold a significant role in my future career."
*IRB stands for Institutional Review Board