STARS (Stuttering Treatment and Research Society) Announces Successful Inaugural Research & Education Conference

STARS (Stuttering Treatment and Research Society) today announced the successful completion of its first annual Research & Education Conference for medical professionals, held at The Ritz-Carlton, Laguna Niguel, CA on September 13, 2025.

Jointly sponsored by Saint Louis University School of Medicine, the full‑day event was the first entire conference dedicated to Continuing Medical Education in stuttering, applicable to all licensed healthcare professionals – physicians, psychologists, speech‑language pathologists, and nurses. The conference brought these professionals and researchers together to share the latest neuroscience‑driven discoveries and interdisciplinary treatment approaches.

“We launched STARS to tackle stuttering at its roots through rigorous neuroscience and collaborative care,” said President and Founder Gerald A. Maguire, MD. “Thanks to the generosity that made this organization possible, and to the remarkable turnout for this conference, we’re already moving from promise to progress.”

The productive conference concluded with an inaugural celebration that featured keynote remarks by Bo Jackson, all-star athlete and person who stutters, which inspired attendees with a personal perspective on resilience and the importance of advancing research and care for the stuttering community.

“I’m more comfortable speaking to all of you than I was sitting on a bench, because I see people here who are exactly like me,” said Mr. Jackson. “If, down the road, this organization is successful in finding a cure for this, I’ll be right there with you.”

Event Highlights: 

• Attendance: ~60 for the daytime conference; ~100 for the evening celebration
• CME Credits: Awarded to eligible healthcare professionals
• Key Presentations and Panels Included:
  • Opening Keynote: Gerald A. Maguire, MD
  • A Neurobiological Understanding of Stuttering — Shahriar SheikhBahaei, PhD
  • The Emerging Role of Technology in Stuttering Assessment — Gonçalo Leal
  • Stuttering Genetic Co‑Morbidities — Shelly Jo Kraft, PhD
  • New Discoveries in the Genetics of Stuttering — Dillon Pruett, PhD
  • The Physician’s Role in Stuttering Diagnosis and Treatment — Yoshikazu Kikuchi, MD/PhD; Tiago Proença Santos, MD; Kevin Mays, MD; Alberto Acuña, MD
  • Future Directions of Stuttering Research/Treatment — Shahriar SheikhBahaei, PhD; Gerald A. Maguire, MD

  
  
• Featured Post‑Conference Keynote: Bo Jackson — personal reflections on stuttering and public life.

Pictured here, Bo Jackson with STARS President and Founder, Gerald A. Maguire, MD.

Additional images from the conference can be found here.