Speaker: Lauren R. Sankary, J.D., HEC-C, Assistant Professor of Neuroethics in the Department of Neurosurgery and the Peter J. O'Donnell, Jr. Brain Institute at The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center,

Abstract: Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) offer new possibilities for restoring communication and function for people living with paralysis, yet research success is often defined by laboratory performance metrics that may not reflect the real-world goals of those who use those technologies. This presentation explores how the priorities of individuals living with paralysis, their caretakers, and clinicians/researchers converge and diverge, and how these differences should inform BCI research and clinical translation. It highlights common mismatches between traditional BCI endpoints and patient-identified goals, examines key ethical and practical tensions in BCI development, and proposes strategies for aligning BCI research with lived priorities.

To register to attend virtually