Conference

The Annual SMA Conference is an invaluable resource for the entire SMA community.

2019 Annual SMA Conference

Our annual conference is the largest SMA conference in the world. Through the conference, we bring together researchers, healthcare professionals, and families to network, learn, and collaborate. The family conference includes a variety of workshops, keynote sessions with leading researchers, a family-friendly research poster session, and more—plus fun events like our meet-and-greet, pajama party and movie night, and teen and adult social activities.

This year's conference dates have shifted one day later. The main conference days this year for workshops are all day on both Saturday and Sunday. Conference will begin on Friday, June 28th with the Meet & Greet and ends on Monday, July 1st with the "It's a Wonderful Life" Panel. The 2019 Annual SMA Conference will be held at Disneyland in Anaheim, CA. 

Register for the 2019 Annual SMA Conference 

Questions? Email conference@curesma.org or call 800-886-1762. 

SMA Researcher Meeting

The Annual SMA Conference is really two separate events—one for families and one for researchers—that run in parallel, so that families, researchers, and clinicians can interact with and learn from one another. If you are an academic or clinical researcher, use the links to learn more and to register.

The SMA Researcher Meeting will begin on Friday, June 28th and end on Sunday, June 30th. 

Register for the 23rd International SMA Researcher Meeting 

SMA Clinical Care Meeting

The Annual SMA Conference added a third component to the family conference and researcher meeting. We held the inaugural Cure SMA Clinical Care Meeting at the 2018 Annual SMA Conference. The target audience for this meeting included clinicians who diagnose and care for SMA. 

The SMA Clinical Care Meeting will be held on Thursday, June 27th. 

Register for the 2nd Annual Clinical Care Meeting 

2018 Annual SMA Conference Presentations

• I Need to Cough: Ways to Keep Your Lungs Clear
• Genetics and Reproductive Options for SMA Families
• The Role of PT and OT in Your Child's Life - Being Part of the Team 
• Orthopedic Management
• Getting the Most Out of What You Eat! Nutrition for Oral Feeders
• Tube Feeding and SMA: Recommendations and Practices 
• Making Choices to Optimize Care and Quality of Life
• Medical Management of Adults with SMA 
• Ethics and Realities in SMA Research and Emerging Therapies
• Breathing Strong All Day Long - BiPAPs and Ventilators
• Family Readiness for Emergencies

Past Conferences

The following are presentations and highlights from previous Annual SMA Conferences—whether you're looking for a refresher on what you learned at conference, or weren't able to attend and want to see what you missed.

2017 Annual SMA Conference 

• Women's Health in SMA 

2016 Annual SMA Conference

Keynote Presentations and Research Updates

• 2016-2017 Research Update
• 2016 Annual SMA Conference Opening Keynote Presentation
• Updates from Drug Programs in Clinical Trials
• 2016 Family Friendly Research Poster Session

Patient Care and Family Presentations

• Life Care Planning Workshop
• Recognizing and Managing Pain in SMA
• Management of Spinal Deformities in Spinal Muscular Atrophy