MEC24 will be held August 12-15, 2024. Pre-conference events will be held on Sunday, August 11th.
With many of the uncertainties of Covid behind us, we are pleased to move forward with a full in-person conference program at the Fredericton Convention Centre in beautiful downtown Fredericton. The Hilton Garden Inn is conveniently connected to the conference site.
A wine and cheese welcome reception and our famous lobster banquet will be hosted nearby.
Confirmed keynote speakers include Dr. Corry Van der Sluis, Professor of Rehab Medicine at the University of Groningen and Dr. Helen Huang, Professor of Biomedical Engineering at University of North Carolina & North Carolina State University.
On behalf of the MEC24 co-chairs, IBME Associate Director Erik Scheme and Research Prosthetist Heather Daley, we hope you can join us.
More details will follow. For now, please save the date!
MEC is a triennial symposium of special interest to those who work in the fields of upper limb prosthetics and myoelectric control (including upper and lower limb). As in previous years, it was hosted by the Institute of Biomedical Engineering, a research institute recognized worldwide for its pioneering work in myoelectric controls.
We are very excited to be hosting MEC22, and look forward to seeing many of you in person! The MEC committee is putting forward their best efforts to make the event work for everyone (in-person and virtual) despite added uncertainty this year in people's level of comfort and provincial and national regulations. We're asking the whole community to be flexible and patient as we look forward to hosting our first blended virtual/in-person conference. We will continue to provide updated information as it becomes available to us.
There will be three pre-conference events offered on Monday, August 8th: These workshops will be held at the Institute of Biomedical Engineering on the UNB Fredericton campus. You can register for the adaptive equipment for bilateral upper limb loss and phantom limb pain workshops on the MEC22 registration page. Registration for the TASKA hand certifcation workshop is through Fillauer/Motion Control (see below).
1. Adaptive Equipment for Bilateral Upper Limb Loss (9:00 -11:00 a.m.) No additional cost.
This workshop is intended for clinicians (occupational therapists, prosthetists, physical therapists, physicians, etc.) who work with individuals with bilateral upper-limb loss. This workshop will be formatted as an interactive sharing of resources to help serve this population.
2. Phantom Limb Pain Workshop (1:00 - 5:00 p.m.) Additional cost $50.00
(This workshop is capped at 20 participants and appropriate for therapists who treat patients experiencing phantom limb pain.)
One of the most recently developed treatments for phantom limb pain (PLP) uses motor training and virtual environments. The Phantom Motor Execution (PME) program, developed in Sweden by Dr Max Ortiz Catalan and his team, uses phantom exercises in augmented reality to treat PLP. The first part of the workshop will cover theoretical aspects and some research results, followed by an instruction and explanation. The second part of the workshop will be a hands-on practice experience.
3. Upper-Limb Myoelectric Review with TASKA Hand Certification (Monday August 8, 2022, 8:30am to 12:30pm)
Teacher: Scott Hosie, Fillauer Motion Control Educator
Description: Join us for a review of the latest in upper extremity prosthetics. We will discuss the myoelectric control features of our ETD and ETD2 terminal devices, the new Motion Arm, and our easy use MCUI software. During the second half of the course, we will introduce the Taska Hand with our invited patient model. The Taska Hand is currently the most robust multi-articulating hand, and only waterproof/dustproof device available. Attendance at the course will include TASKA certification, and CEU credits are available.
Registration: https://www.utaharm.com/mec22-course/
BE (Env), MBA (Tech Mgt)
Matthew Ames, BE (Env), MBA (Tech Mgt), was 39 years old when what started as a sore throat resulted in the loss of all four of his limbs (both above elbow above knee). Matthew has a unique mix of professional and personal experience. With a grounding of almost 20 years in the energy and resources industry, he has found innovative ways to apply his knowledge for maximising prosthetic use to achieve his goals. Matthew is involved in a variety of endeavours, serving on boards and steering committees for a number of organisations, including Bionics Queensland, State and Federal Governments and not-for-profit organisations.
Founder/Director, Center for Bionics and Pain Research/Professor, Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden
Prof. Max Ortiz Catalán, Ph.D., is the Founder and Director of the Center for Bionics and Pain Research (@CBPR.se) and the Professor of Bionics at Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden. He has received several honors for his work, notably the “Swedish Embedded Award” by the Swedish Electronic Association in 2018, the “Brian & Joyce Blatchford Award” by ISPO in 2017, the “Delsys Prize” by Delsys in 2016, and the “European Youth Award” by the European Council in 2014. His research includes bioelectric signals acquisition electronics (analog and digital); bioelectric signal processing and machine learning algorithms for decoding motor volition and control; neuromuscular interfaces; neurostimulation for sensory feedback; bone-anchored prostheses and osseointegration; and virtual and augmented reality for neuromuscular rehabilitation and the treatment of phantom limb pain.
Twitter: @MaxOrtizCatalan
Podcast
Associate Professor of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Physical Therapy & Human Movement Sciences, and Medical Social Sciences, Northwestern University
Dr. Arun Jayaraman is an Associate Professor of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Physical Therapy & Human Movement Sciences, and Medical Social Sciences at Northwestern University's Medical School. His work primarily focuses on developing and executing both investigator-initiated and industry-sponsored research in prosthetics, orthotics, rehabilitation robotics, and other assistive and adaptive technologies to treat physical disability. He conducts all his outcomes research using advanced wearable patient monitoring wireless sensors and novel machine learning techniques, in addition to the traditional performance-based and patient-reported outcomes.
Due to various factors, we cannot provide a hotel room block or shuttle transportation for MEC22. Unfortunately, on-campus accommodations are also not available this year. Of the three downtown hotels (Delta, Hilton, and Crowne Plaza), the Hilton and Crowne Plaza are within walking distance of campus.
Delta Fredericton
225 Woodstock Road, Fredericton, NB
506-457-7000 or 888-236-2427
Online Reservations
Crowne Plaza Fredericton - Lord Beaverbrook
659 Queen Street, Fredericton, NB
506-445-3371 or 866-444-1946
Online Reservations
Hilton Garden Inn Fredericton
620 Queen Street, Fredericton, NB
506-999-1551
Online Reservations
See here for other Fredericton Area Hotels
Check out Fredericton Tourism and ExploreNB to make the most of your visit.
