NEC Society Announces Nation’s First Necrotizing Enterocolitis Symposium Hosted in Partnership With the UC Davis Department of Pediatrics and Division of Neonatology

DALLAS, TX–(Marketwired – Feb 7, 2017) – NEC Society, the world’s first and only activist-based, clinician/family collaborative organization specifically focused on promoting visibility, understanding, prevention and treatment of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), today announced the details and speaker lineup for the nation’s first conference solely focused on the prevention and improved treatment of this devastating disease.

Hosted in partnership with the UC Davis Department of Pediatrics and Division of Neonatology and set to take place at the University of California at Davis April 5-7, the Necrotizing Enterocolitis Symposium will bring together internationally acclaimed medical experts and world renowned researchers, neonatologists, pediatric surgeons, immunologists, neonatal nurses, dieticians and lactation specialists, along with patient-families affected by the disease.

The purpose of the symposium is to review the latest research and breakthroughs to formulate transdisciplinary approaches and new protocols to help diagnose, prevent, and treat this devastating disease. While most Americans have never heard of NEC, it is a leading cause of infant death, impacting thousands of babies every year in the United States. While morbidity and mortality rates in premature infants have improved over the years, NEC is a disease that continues to confound researchers. After over four decades of study, there is no consensus on exactly why the disease occurs and which premature infants are most likely to develop the disease.

The Necrotizing Enterocolitis Symposium will bring together leading medical researchers from some of the most prestigious hospitals and universities – many of whom have devoted their careers to improving NEC treatment and prevention. These include:

  • Gerri R. Baer, MD, FAAP – Lead Medical Officer, Neonatology; Office of Pediatric Therapeutics; Office of Special Medical Programs/Office of the Commissioner for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
  • David J. Hackam, MD, PhD, FACs – Chief of Pediatric Surgery at Johns Hopkins University; Garrett Professor of Pediatric Surgery Surgeon in Chief and Co-Director of Bloomberg Children’s Center at Johns Hopkins Hospital.
  • Michael Caplan, MD – Chairman, Department of Pediatrics and Chief Scientific Officer at Northshore University HealthSystem; Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Chicago, Pritzker School of Medicine.
  • Jae Kim, MD, PhD – Professor of Clinical Pediatrics, Divisions of Neonatology & Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition; Nutrition Director of Supporting Premature Infant Nutrition (SPIN) Program; and Director of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine Fellowship at UC San Diego/Rady Children’s Hospital of San Diego.
  • Karl G. Sylvester, MD – Associate Professor of Surgery and Pediatrics at Stanford University School of Medicine; Executive Program in Fetal and Maternal Health at the Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford.

“This is an exciting time for research into this devastating disease. Recent breakthroughs in prevention of NEC are promising, but NEC remains the most common cause of death in small premature infants after the first two weeks of life, so there is much work to be done,” said Mark Underwood, UC Davis division chief of neonatology, NEC researcher, member of the NEC Society advisory board, and co-chair of the symposium.

Event Registration
Researchers, physicians and medical personnel can register to attend the conference, by visiting: http://www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/cme/course_pages/LIMITED/Necro_pagelink.html The University of California Davis Health System designates this live activity for Continuing Medical Education (CME) – up to a maximum of 21.75 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™.

Patient-family registration can be accessed by visiting: https://necsociety.org/nec-symposium-family-registration/

About the NEC Society
A 501c3, nonpartisan organization, the NEC Society is a collaboration among clinicians, researchers, families and others dedicated to reducing the incidence of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) in fragile infants and advocates on behalf of patient-families. The NEC Society aims to foster cross communication and collaboration through multidisciplinary efforts. The NEC Society’s Research Collaborative brings together internationally renowned clinicians, investigators, and family-patient advocates to develop new approaches to confronting this complex neonatal disease, as well as foster improved, long-term health outcomes for the wider population of premature infants.

For more information, visit us at https://necsociety.org/

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