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Cooperstown, N.Y. – October 10, 2011 - Dr. Joseph Dutkowsky, pediatric orthopedist at Bassett Medical Center, will take over as President of the American Academy for Cerebral Palsy and Developmental Medicine (AACPDM) at the organization’s annual meeting in Las Vegas, Nevada October 12-15. Dutkowsky, who was elected second vice president in 2009, has been first vice president this past year and will lead AACPDM for a one-year term through the fall of 2012.
"The work as second vice president, first vice president and now president of the AACPDM is the high point of my professional career," said Dr. Dutkowsky. "I am honored beyond belief to have the opportunity to help change the way cerebral palsy is viewed in the world." Dutkowsky says his goal is to continue to elevate the discussion around cerebral palsy. "We need to take the dialogue beyond the child to the family and the community," continued Dutkowsky. "People need to look past the wheelchair and see the person, not their disability. These wonderful individuals are in your church, your child’s classroom, your business, your community and they enrich our lives."
As first vice president of AACPDM in 2011, Dutkowsky planned this year’s annual conference and he will preside over next week’s four-day session as the incoming president. The conference seeks to provide the highest scientific quality research to enhance the clinical skills of practitioners as well as provide opportunities to collaborate and engage with other professionals who have similar interests. This year’s session has attracted over 900 nurses, doctors, therapists, scientists and educators, with nearly 200 of them coming from more than 33 countries outside the U.S. and Canada.
Established in 1947, the American Academy for Cerebral Palsy and Developmental Medicine (AACPDM) is a multidisciplinary organization that fosters and stimulates medical professional education, research, and understanding of cerebral palsy and other developmental disabilities. AACPDM’s goals are to improve the quality of life for patients and their families, to research new and promising treatments and educate clinicians to provide the best care possible.
