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Save the Date!
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A conference to disseminate knowledge, promote new collaborations, and build a community of researchers who will advance our understanding of mechanisms underlying FBMs. Force-based manipulations, or the passive application of mechanical force to the outside of the body with therapeutic intent, are often part of pain management care, rehabilitation care, or general wellness and disease prevention. Hosted jointly by three research networks (NeuronS_MATTR, ForceNET, and SPINEWORK) and sponsored by the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) and the National Institute for Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), the goal of this consortium is to promote research on the study of the neural mechanisms and biomechanics of force-based manipulations (FBMs)
Travel Awards for transportation and lodging are available to postdocs and earlier career investigators to encourage their attendance. Conference sponsorship opportunities available.
Registration now open!
Visit the conference website to learn more: https://www.fbmconference.org.
Travel Awards for transportation and lodging are available to postdocs and earlier career investigators to encourage their attendance. Conference sponsorship opportunities available.
Registration now open!
Visit the conference website to learn more: https://www.fbmconference.org.
Past events
Click on the Resources tab to view a list of speakers and recordings from previous seminars, available on our YouTube channel.
Virtual Seminar Speaker Series with
Dr. Theanne Griffith, PhD
April 13, 2026
"Discovering new roles for sodium channels in the peripheral nervous system"
Dr. THEANNE GRIFFITH received her undergraduate degrees in neuroscience and Spanish from Smith College and earned her doctorate in neuroscience from Northwestern University. After conducting postdoctoral research at Columbia University, she joined the Department of Physiology and Membrane Biology at The University of California Davis. The Griffith Lab investigates the cellular and molecular mechanisms of underlying proprioception, our internal spatial awareness of self, and other somatosensory modalities, using an innovative combination of in vivo genome editing, electrophysiology, transgenic mouse models, behavior, imaging, and molecular profiling.
In addition to her research, Theanne is the author of the STEM-themed children’s series The Magnificent Makers and co-author of the nonfiction series Ada Twist, Scientist: The Why Files, which accompanies the Netflix series of the same name.
In addition to her research, Theanne is the author of the STEM-themed children’s series The Magnificent Makers and co-author of the nonfiction series Ada Twist, Scientist: The Why Files, which accompanies the Netflix series of the same name.
Virtual Seminar Speaker Series with
Dr. Mary Barbe, PhD
(recorded March 16, 2026)
"Manual Therapy Treatments in an Animal Model of Repetitive Strain Injuries: Prevention Easy/Reversal Difficult"
View the video recording here.
Dr. Barbe is seeking collaborators to develop a review paper on the mechanisms of manual therapy in repetitive strain injury, exploring prevention vs. reversal and what combination approaches could improve patient outcomes. Interested researchers can reach out to her ([email protected]) or the NeuronS_MATTR network ([email protected]).
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Dr. Mary Barbe is a classically trained Anatomist with expertise in Neurobiology/ Neuroscience and Musculoskeletal Biology with international recognition. She has 35 years of experience examining various aspects of peripheral and central neuroplasticity, ranging from changes occurring in the bladder (i.e., peripheral), spinal cord and brain after injury or gene knockout. She is currently exploring inducers of tissue fibrosis and degeneration occurring with overuse, and effective interventions. She has over 250 peer-reviewed publications, and a book on musculoskeletal disorders entitled, The Fatigue Failure Mechanism.
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Dr. Barbe is currently funded by the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (as a member of the U24 Neurons_Mattr and Spineworks Networks), and serves on a KURe Advisory Committee at Duke University.
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2025 NeuronS_MATTR Summer Workshop
Linkoping University, Sweden | June 22-26 This intensive workshop provided participants with practical experience in specialized methodologies including microneurography, sensory evoked potentials, non-invasive autonomic measurements, and tissue analysis techniques. The workshop facilitated knowledge transfer and technical skill development for researchers interested in conducting rigorous human mechanistic studies investigating how massage and other mechanotherapies influence pain, autonomic function, and tissue healing. 2024 Force Based Manipulation (FBM) Annual Meeting,
June 28, 2024, 10am-noon EST The purpose of this meeting was to provide opportunities to share advances across three National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded force-based manipulation research networks, promote collaboration, and avoid duplication of network efforts. Many joined us online for the meeting’s open session featuring updates from the trans-network scientific working groups and a keynote presentation from a prominent researcher. The keynote presentation was delivered by Valeria Vásquez, Ph.D. from McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston on Fine-Tuning Mechanosensitive Ion Channels: From Basic Science to Translational Research. Hands On! Summer School! The Neurophysiology of Soft Tissue Manipulation in Musculoskeletal Pain Conditions, June 20-24, 2023, Indiana University Our inaugural summer school disseminated scientific and technical knowledge to enable investigators to perform rigorous, mechanistic research on the neurobiology of soft tissue mechanotherapies. See the agenda here and all meeting materials here. 9th Annual Regenerative Rehabilitation Symposium October 27-29, 2022 (Austin, Texas) NeuronS MATTR Network Reception, September 20, 2022 IASP 2022 (Toronto) Stratus Restaurant |
Sponsored by the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH)
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Sponsored by the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH)