Return to Research

UCP renewed it commitment to medical research in 2012 with several strategic alliances.  James A. Blackman, M.D., M.P.H., Medical Director of the Cerebral Palsy International Research Foundation, joined UCP as a research consultant as the international disability rights organization works in dynamic global partnerships to advance medical research for people with disabilities. 

The largest of those partnerships comes with UCP international affiliate Cerebral Palsy Alliance (CPA) in Sydney, Australia. CPA has donated millions of dollars to advance new research in disabilities. Together with CPA, UCP has formed an international partnership with other disability organizations to launch World CP Day and the World CP Challenge, both of which raise critical funds for research.

Dr. Blackman is Professor Emeritus of Pediatrics at the University of Virginia, where he served for more than 20 years, most recently as Head, Division of Developmental Pediatrics and Medical Director of the Kluge Children’s Rehabilitation Center. He is also past president of the American Academy for Cerebral Palsy and Developmental Medicine. Among his research interests, he has received funding from the NIH to study the role of the Apolipoprotein E gene in cerebral palsy with collaborators from Australia and Norway. He received his MD degree at the Ohio State University, completed pediatrics residency at the University of Michigan and Fellowship in Developmental/Behavioral Pediatrics at Harvard University (Children’s Hospital, Boston).

Dr. Blackman coordinates UCP’s research track at its international conference, is spearheading a research advisory council comprised of UCP affiliates who are engaging in research activities and is also writing a series of research briefs featured at UCP’s online Medical Director’s Desk, including information on mental health and cerebral palsy, stem cell therapy and sensory therapies.