UofL recognizes local organizations to help children with spinal cord injuries

July 1, 2024
UofL's Kosair for Kids Center for Pediatric NeuroRecovery presented awards to community organizations in May. Left to right: Susan Harkema, Hal Hedley, Todd Crawford, Keith Inman and Chris Williams.
UofL's Kosair for Kids Center for Pediatric NeuroRecovery presented awards to community organizations in May. Left to right: Susan Harkema, Hal Hedley, Todd Crawford, Keith Inman and Chris Williams.

The University of Louisville Kosair for Kids Center for Pediatric NeuroRecovery presented awards to three local organizations for their contributions to recovery for children with spinal cord injuries.

The A. Keith Inman Pediatric NeuroRecovery Community Service Awards were presented to Kosair for Kids and Ronald McDonald House Charities of Kentuckiana for their ongoing service to children with spinal cord injury. Chris Williams, senior vice president of communications, accepted the award on behalf of Kosair for Kids. Hal Hedley, CEO, accepted on behalf of Ronald McDonald House Charities.

The Susan J. Harkema, PhD Pediatric NeuroRecovery Research Award went to the Todd Crawford Foundation to Cure Paralysis for their commitment to pediatric research.

The awards, first given in 2022, were named for A. Keith Inman, former president of Kosair for Kids, and UofL spinal cord injury researcher Susan J. Harkema for their vision and support of the Kosair for Kids Center for Pediatric NeuroRecovery.

This year’s awards were presented in May during the 2024 Pediatric NeuroRecovery Summit, a biennial forum for health care professionals, researchers, graduate students, post-doctoral fellows and parents to advance recovery for children with spinal cord injuries. The summit is held every two years in conjunction with the Kentucky Spinal Cord and Head Injury Research Trust Symposium.

Betty Coffman is a communications coordinator focused on research and innovation at UofL. A UofL alumna and Louisville native, she served as a writer and editor for local and national publications and as an account services coordinator and copywriter for marketing and design firms prior to joining UofL’s Office of Communications and Marketing.