Innovations Conference marks a decade by revisiting the past

Continuing education conferences are designed to help medical professionals stay current on the critical topics of their field. To celebrate its 10th anniversary, a portion of this year’s Innovations in Neonatal Care conference will discuss new controversial topics and will also provide an update on some of the most controversial or innovative topics from the conference’s previous years.

“Innovations 2019 will continue its tradition of enhancing the care and quality we provide to our premature infants by highlighting the latest clinical awareness, treatments and management protocols,” said conference director Timothy Biela, MD, who is a MEDNAX-affiliated neonatologist and NICU medical director in San Antonio, Texas. “As an attendee, you will also be able to appreciate the complex ethical, quality and safety issues inherent in taking care of our most vulnerable newborns.”

What you’ll learn

Innovations 2019 topics include evaluating potential therapies and concepts that will improve respiratory issues such as bronchopulmonary dysplasia, evidence-based approaches for improvement in an infant’s nutritional status, the use of point-of-care ultrasounds in the NICU, an evaluation of analgesics and sedation on neurodevelopmental outcomes and treatments to improve these outcomes.

During the three-day event, an attendee will gain new knowledge regarding:

• Management of the periviable infant
• Current management of pulmonary arterial hypertension
• Improving BPD with Quality
• A current look into BPD
• Treatment of Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia
• Effects of sedation
• Narcotics on the development of an infant
• Possible neuro-protective role of erythropoietin
• Point-of-care ultrasound
• Optimizing the nutritional aspect of our extreme premature infant
• The current evidence for probiotics

As always, the Innovations Conference will also include a roundtable discussion on Sunday, August 11, to examination the use of postnatal steroids.

World-class speaker lineup

Since 2009, Innovations Conference has established itself as a respected neonatology conference designed to enhance attendees’ understanding of the latest neonatal care information. This 10th anniversary carries on that tradition with prominent authorities across the neonatology field.

“We are privileged to welcome a panel of such high-caliber speakers to this year’s Innovations Conference,” said Dr. Biela. “These presenters are at the top of our field, from leading institutions and organizations across the U.S. Our planning committee is confident that the 2019 expert lineup will make this an extremely valuable experience for all of our attendees.”

Speaker highlights include: 

Alan H. Jobe, MD, PhD, neonatologist and professor of pediatrics at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center

Research interests include surfactant metabolism, hormonal regulation of lung maturation, mechanisms of lung injury with mechanical ventilation and neonatal resuscitation

Your three opportunities to hear from Dr. Jobe (SUNDAY, August 11):

• Unanticipated Deaths in the ELBW Infant in RCTs
• What is BPD in 2019?
• Roundtable Discussion: The Use of Postnatal Steroids

John Zupancic, MD, MS, ScD, neonatologist, assistant professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School and director of the Harvard Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine Fellowship Program

Research interests include economic evaluation and technology assessment in neonatal medicine 

Your two opportunities to hear Dr. Zupancic (SUNDAY, August 11 and MONDAY, August 12)

• Before and Beyond Survival for Babies at Today’s Border of Viability
• The Four Rights of Prescribing the NICU

Jochen Profit, MD, neonatologist, associate professor of pediatrics at Lucile Salter Packard Children’s Hospital and director of Perinatal Health Systems Research, Perinatal Epidemiology, and Research Outcomes at Stanford University.

Research interests include the effects of health system design on quality of care and outcomes for sick newborns, such as health care design at the macro-system level, as well as organizational context at the hospital and NICU level

Your opportunity to hear Dr. Profit (MONDAY, August 12):

• Linking Context with Quality of Care

Camilia Martin, MD, neonatologist, assistant professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School, NICU associate director and director for cross-disciplinary research partnerships (Division of Translational Research) at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

Research interests are focused on neonatal nutrition and its impact on health and disease in the preterm infant

Your two opportunities to hear from Dr. Martin (TUESDAY, August 13):

• Optimizing Neonatal Nutrition in the Extreme Premature Infant
• Today’s Best Evidence for The Use of Intralipids

Ravi Mangal Patel, MD, neonatologist and associate professor of pediatrics at Emory University School of Medicine

Research interests are focused on necrotizing enterocolitis, including its relationship with neonatal transfusion practices and caffeine therapy in preterm infants

Your two opportunities to hear from Dr. Patel (TUESDAY, August 13):

• Mother’s Own Milk vs Donor Milk: Similarities and Differences
• What’s New with Probiotics

Mark your calendar for August

Stay and learn in the JW Marriott Austin luxury hotel, located in the heart of Austin, Texas. The venue includes three full-service restaurants, as well as a spa, fitness space and business center. Book or modify your hotel reservation online, where you’ll enjoy a special room rate guaranteed until July 12.

During your downtime outside of conference hours, you'll find this Texas city offers outstanding live music, creative cuisine, charming outdoor spaces and more. Summertime in Austin is at peak temperature, while the conference session rooms will be properly air conditioned, so plan accordingly when you pack your bags for this conference!

Join us at Innovations!

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