Melanie Fried-Oken has been a contributing member of the NICHD Conference Planning Committee for the past 6 months at the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH). The committee’s work culminated in a conference, NICHD Rehabilitation Research at NIH: Moving the Field Forward, held May 25-26, 2016 in Bethesda, MD that was open to all scientists and graduate students. Information about this unique opportunity can be found at http://palladianpartners.