On August 8th, the 2026 Chiari Research Open House brought together researchers, clinicians, patients, and students for a full day of scientific talks, poster presentations, and live demonstrations centered on Chiari malformation, cerebrospinal fluid dynamics, and neurobiomechanics. The event showcased the latest work from the Chiari Neurobiomechanics Research Laboratory at Northeastern University alongside invited presentations from leading researchers and surgeons across the field.
Also included was a dedicated Patient Experience session, featuring talks from CMI patient advocates and individuals living with Chiari malformation — bridging the gap between clinical research and the patient community. All were welcome: engineers, neuroscientists, surgeons, students, patients, and anyone curious about this important area of research.
If you missed the presentations or would like to hear them again, please find them below!
Welcoming Remarks and the Institute of Mechanobiology
Ning Wang, PhD | Boston, MA
Surgical Management of Chiari Malformation: Approaches, Techniques, and Pitfalls
Ekkehard Kasper, MD | Brighton, MA
Brain Motion and CSF Flow in Subjects with CMI
John Oshinski, PhD | Atlanta, GA
MyChiari App: Symptoms Tracking Tool that Accounts for Environmental Factors
George Mattis and Matthew Bloom | Boston, MA
Chiari Malformation Across the Lifespan – Developmental Anomaly or Progressive Disorder? Understanding Age-Dependent Pathology and Phenotypes
Konstantina Svokos, MD | Providence, RI
Chiari Malformation: Inside and Outside the Dura – Clinical and Pathological Perspective on Intra- and Extradural Pathologies
Petra Klinge, MD | Providence, RI
Working Under Pressure: From Cardiovascular to Neural Health
Chiara Bellini, PhD | Boston, MA
Novel Objective Pain Assessment Tools
Yingzi Lin, PhD | Boston, MA
When Networks Shape What We Fear: Risk Perception from Pandemics to the Operating Room
Babak Heydari, PhD | Boston, MA
Effect of Pain Catastrophizing on the Relationship between Pain and Disability in Chiari Type I
Philip A. Allen, PhD | Akron, OH
Neural Microstructure Associates of Cognitive and Pain Symptomatology in Chiari Malformation Type I
James R. Houston, PhD | Murfreesboro, TN
Patient Experience Panel
Emily Stutheit, Matthew Bloom, Victoria Wyma, Hannah Higgins
Instability in Chiari I Malformation and EDS
Paolo Bolognese, MD | Long Island, NY
Real-Time CSF Flow Imaging in Chiari 1 Malformation: A New Frontier
Rafeeque Bhadelia, MD | Boston, MA
Biomechanics Report: Analysis and Imaging at Northeastern (BRAIN)
Francis Loth, PhD | Boston, MA
MyChiari App for iOs to Track Chiari Symptoms
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) to Improve Symptoms for CMI Patients
Gait Analysis Assessment for CMI Patients
Objective Measurement of Pain in CMI
Spinal Flow Care as an Alternative Holistic Practice
