WASHINGTON, April 29, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- International non-profit organization FightSMA will be hosting highly respected experts from across the country on Thursday, May 5, 2011 for a series of panel discussions, Thriving with SMA: LIVE! This panel is a unique, one-of-a-kind series of presentations from influential leaders in the fields of pulmonary issues, orthopedics, nutrition, neurology and clinical trial.

FightSMA will be joined by families, friends, healthcare professionals and more for this historic presentation. In addition, the panel will be offered online with free and unlimited access via the web broadcasting service, UStream. The panel will be live broadcast from 9:00am EDT to 2:00pm EDT on the FightSMA website (www.fightsma.org).  Attendees can register for the webcast, as well as submit questions for the panelists by visiting the FightSMA website and pointing towards the "Celebrating 20 Years" block.  

"There are hundreds of families across the U.S. and across the globe who simply cannot physically attend the conference for various reasons," said FightSMA President and founder, Martha Slay. "So, on May 5, we're bringing the conference to them! Families will be able to ask questions of SMA experts in the areas of nutrition, exercise, pulmonary issues, and clinical trials. This is unprecedented and it's free, and can be attended from your own computer. Go to www.fightsma.org for more details."

Thriving with SMA Schedule

9:00 AM – Webinar I: Pulmonary/Respiratory: Dr. Mary Schroth (University of Wisconsin), Dr. Richard Kravitz (Duke University), Dr. Nanci Yuan (Stanford University), Brian Weaver (University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey)

10:15 – Webinar II: Orthopedic: Dr. John Smith (University of Utah), Dr. Craig Eberson (University Orthopedics Rhode Island), Dr. Brian Snyder (Harvard University), Dr. John Grayhack (Children's Memorial)

11:30 – Webinar III: Nutrition: Rebecca Hurst (University of Utah), Erin Seffrood (University of Wisconsin), Barbara Godshall (Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center)

12:45 – Webinar IV: Clinical Trial / Neurology: Dr. Kathryn Swoboda (University of Utah), Dr. Sandy Reyna (University of Utah), Dr. Carolina Tesi-Rocha (Children's National), Dr. Bob Leshner (Rady Children's Hospital and The University of California San Diego), Dr. Ching Wang (Stanford University), Dr. Alex MacKenzie (Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario)

About FightSMA

FightSMA was created to strategically accelerate the search for a treatment and cure for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), the number-one inherited cause of infant death. The organization pursues this objective by raising awareness and funding for SMA research.

SOURCE FightSMA