The Oceania Academy of Cerebral Palsy and Developmental Medicine conference: Transforming Care Across Oceans held in Hobart, Tasmania from 4–7 March 2026 brought together clinicians, researchers, allied health professionals and people with lived experience from across Australia and around the world to share cutting-edge research, best practice clinical care, knowledge translation and global partnerships in cerebral palsy and other childhood-onset disabilities.
CPA’s engagement at the conference reflects our ongoing leadership in cerebral palsy research, evidence-based practice and international collaboration.
CPA researchers, clinicians and people with lived experience featured prominently throughout the scientific program. Highlights included: Professor Sarah McIntyre, Program Lead of Epidemiology, co-chaired the conference for the second year and delivered a plenary address, Professor Nadia Badawi hosted two panel discussions with leading international CP researchers, while members of CPActive and people with lived experience shared their invaluable insights and recent advocacy success in securing NESA HSC policy changes. Professor Iona Novak hosted both an expert panel discussion and the CP Global Clinical Trials Network gathering for members and those interested in joining the Network.
Across the program, CPA experts contributed to presentations, posters, panel discussions, breakfast sessions and workshops, sharing work on practical interventions, early detection and evidence-informed treatments. These contributions highlighted innovations grounded in both research excellence and lived experience.
The conference also provided a platform for the launch of two important CPA initiatives: CPAdvance and cpThrive.
CPAdvance is CPA’s professional development and training platform for allied health clinicians and disability professionals. The program uses video-rich content featuring real families and clinicians to translate world-leading research into practical skills that clinicians can immediately apply in their practice, helping build global capability and improve standards of care.
cpThrive is a new app developed in collaboration with people with lived experience, clinicians and allied health professionals. The app provides clear, up-to-date information about treatments so families and clinicians can better understand their options. Treatments can be searched based on age, abilities and goals, and are colour-coded according to the strength of scientific evidence, supported by short explanatory videos.
These initiatives align strongly with the conference theme of Transforming Care Across Oceans, reinforcing the importance of sharing knowledge and research across diverse settings to improve outcomes for people with cerebral palsy worldwide.
The hybrid format, with both in-person and virtual participation, also ensured that CPA’s contributions reached a global audience.
