Registration and Continental Breakfast

8:00 a.m.

Welcome and Opening Remarks

8:15 a.m.

Advances in Medicine:
This session will examine some of the latest cutting-edge scientific/clinical advances in medicine.
Hand Transplantation—What Does the Future Hold? L. Scott Levin, MD, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania
Valve Replacement, Joseph E. Bavaria, MD, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania

8:45 a.m.

Airway Disease—Reconstructive Surgical Innovations in the Neonate, Steven Sobol, MD, MSc, FRCS(C), Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania
For neonates and infants with complex airway issues, evaluation, identification, and determination of best medical care for is critical. This presentation will provide an overview of those congenital airway disorders that need immediate evaluation and treatment, define the types of acquired airway anomalies and explain what types of infants may be at risk for them, and discuss the indications for and outcomes of a tracheostomy.

9:15 a.m.

Transplant Research/Tolerance: The Holy Grail, Abraham Shaked, MD, PhD, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania/The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
Sophisticated antirejection medications, known as immunosuppressive drugs, have vastly improved the outcome and safety for patients receiving transplants from donors who are not their genetic twins. However, despite their success, immune-suppressing drugs are powerful and debilitating. Deliberately establishing tolerance towards the donor tissue by reprogramming the immune system of the recipient holds great promise in improving organ transplant survival and eliminating the untoward effects of chronic drug therapy. This session will address recent advances and methods of inducing durable chimerism and donor-specific tolerance in solid organ transplant.

9:45 a.m.

New Horizons in Lung Transplant: Ex Vivo Perfusion, Edward Cantu, MD, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania
Lung transplantation has witnessed increasing success in the last few years; however, unfortunately, more than 80 percent of donor lungs are potentially injured and therefore not considered suitable for transplantation. This has led researchers to pursue innovative strategies for allowing transplantation of non-optimal lungs. One such innovation is ex vivo lung perfusion (EVLP), a process whereby the retrieved donor lung can be perfused in an ex vivo circuit after retrieval, allowing assessment of lung viability prior to implantation. This presentation will discuss the use of EVLP and address whether its use can significantly expand the potential donor pool, offering the transplant team a chance to evaluate lungs for transplant and, if necessary, to modify the lung to make it suitable for transplantation.

10:15 a.m.

Break

10:30 a.m.

Waiting for a Liver Transplant: Living Donation, Kim Olthoff, MD, FACS, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania/The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia 
This presentation will explore the advantages and disadvantages of living donation, based on survival data garnered among the pediatric and adult liver transplantation population.

11:00 a.m.

When Is the Right Time? Referring Patients for Preemptive Kidney Transplant in the Pediatric and Adult Populations, Peter L. Abt, MD, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania/The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
In the United States, the number of patients on the kidney transplant waiting list exceeds 88,000, with the majority of these patients undergoing dialysis. Preemptive renal transplantation is the preferred treatment regimen for most patients. This therapy maximizes the chance of maintaining a high quality of life and may avoid the morbidity of dialysis, as well as the associated financial costs. This talk will explore the benefits and identify the candidates for preemptive renal transplantation.

11:30 a.m.

Immunosuppression Withdrawal in Pediatric Liver Transplant Patients, Elizabeth Rand, MD, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania  
Children who survive liver transplantation suffer the adverse effects of lifelong immunosuppression. In an attempt to minimize these effects, efforts have been instituted to taper and possibly wean liver transplant recipients from immunosuppression. This session will evaluate whether successful withdrawal of immunosuppression in pediatric liver transplant recipients may occur.

12:00 p.m.

Long-Term Renal Outcomes Among Pediatric Solid Organ Transplant Recipients, Rebecca L. Ruebner, MD, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
This session will describe the kidney complications that may occur with pediatric solid organ transplantation and address strategies to improve long-term renal outcomes in this population. Our current efforts to improve outcomes, including a joint liver transplant/nephrology clinic, will be discussed.

12:30 p.m.

Lunch (provided)

1:30 p.m.

Innovative Approaches to Tackling Nonadherence in the Adolescent Solid Organ Transplant Recipient: From Family to Facebook, Sandra Amaral, MD, MHS, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania
Transition is a critical time for adolescents and young adults living through a transplant. During this time, an adolescent faces the demands of having to gain a more complete understanding of his or her health and its clinical features, learning how to effectively manage his or her medical care independently, and transferring from a pediatric to adult medical setting. To provide comprehensive health care for this age group requires a general working knowledge of the onset, sequence, characteristics, and interrelationships of the critical features of pubertal growth and development. This presentation will address the risk factors for decreased graft survival and adherence in the transplanted adolescent patient population following liver and kidney transplants.

2:00 p.m.

An Overview of Stem Cell Transplantation (SCT), Edward A. Stadtmauer, MD, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania
As the field of SCT continues to grow and evolve, managing the continuum of care for these patients can be a unique challenge for clinicians. With increased emphasis on outpatient care, cost containment and the demand for quality, health care professionals look for guidelines that will facilitate achievement of optimal outcomes. This presentation will review key concepts of SCT, as well as the different sources, types and indications for SCT.

2:30 p.m.

Supporting the Needs of Adolescent and Young Adult (AYA) Cancer Patients, Lamia P. Barakat, PhD, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia/Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania
The number of AYA patients with cancer who require SCT procedures continues to grow. Unfortunately, this subset of patients has not experienced improvements in outcomes enjoyed by younger and older patient populations. Understanding the unique medical and psychosocial challenges that affect the AYA oncology population is critical for optimal diagnosis, treatment, and long-term survivorship in the pre- and post-transplant periods. This presentation will focus on strategies on how to meet the physical, psychological, and social needs of childhood cancer in the adolescent and young adult cancer patients.

3:00 p.m.

Break

3:15 p.m.

Innovations in Childhood Cancer: What’s New, What’s on the Horizon, Elizabeth Fox, MD, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania
This presentation will provide an overview about the latest innovations in Childhood Cancer, including immunotherapy, developmental therapeutics (DVL) and fertility preservation.

3:45 p.m.

Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC): Incidence, Options and Outcomes, Maarouf Hoteit, MD, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania
HCC is an aggressive tumor that often occurs in the setting of chronic liver disease and cirrhosis. It is typically diagnosed late in its course, and the median survival following diagnosis is approximately six–20 months. Options are determined both by disease extent and the severity of underlying liver disease, which limits the patient’s tolerance to any therapy (medical, interventional or surgical). This presentation will discuss the incidence, treatment options and affiliated outcomes for HCC.

4:15 p.m.

Proton Therapy for the Treatment of Cancer in Adults, James M. Metz, MD, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania
Proton therapy is external beam radiotherapy in which protons are directed at a tumor. The radiation dose that is given through protons is very precise and limits its exposure to normal tissues. This allows the radiation dose delivered to the tumor to be increased beyond conventional radiation. The result is a better chance for curing cancer with fewer harmful side effects. This presentation will explain how proton therapy works and review indications, advantages and patient outcomes.

4:45 p.m.

Proton Therapy—Precision Therapy to Protect Children, Christine E. Hill-Kayser, MD, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania
Of the estimated 13,000 children diagnosed annually in the United States with cancer, half have some type of bone, soft tissue or organ cancer. These cancers could potentially be treated with proton beam therapy—a targeted radiation to the cancerous site that avoids surrounding healthy tissue—which is critically important when treating pediatric patients whose tissues are still developing. This presentation will describe proton beam therapy and the rationale for its clinical use, as well as provide the cancer diagnoses that can be treated with this therapy.

5:15–7:00 p.m.

Get-Acquainted Reception and Facility Tours—Translational Research Building Commons (Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine)
Please join us for complimentary drinks and hors d’oeuvres as you visit with your colleagues from The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and Penn Medicine, as well as get acquainted with other conference participants and exhibitors. Thirty-minute tours will be available, starting at 5:30 or 6:15 p.m. There is limited space for each tour option; registration is required. More information. 

Registration and Continental Breakfast

8:00 a.m.

Welcome and Opening Remarks

8:15 a.m.

The Patient With Single Ventricle Type of CHD: Challenges and Opportunities From Fetal Stage to Adulthood, Jack Rychik, MD, FACC, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
In this presentation, we will review the care, management and outcomes for this most complex of all forms of CHD, that of “single ventricle.” Diagnosis can now be made before birth through ultrasound detection, and survival through reconstructive surgery is now anticipated for most. However, the life-saving strategy of care results in limited circulation with multiple end-organ dysfunction and other important consequences, many of which only become evident very slowly, and not until the second or third decades of life. This lecture will highlight the ongoing challenges in creating a normal quality and duration of life for the very special and unique patients born with a single-ventricle type of CHD.

8:45 a.m.

Advances in Catheter Diagnosis and Treatment for Congenital Heart Disease: XMRI and Percutaneous Pulmonary Valve Therapy, Jonathan Rome, MD, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia

9:15 a.m.

Mechanical Circulatory Support in Children, Joseph Rossano, MD, FAAP, FACC, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia/Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania
Ventricular assist devices are increasingly used in children to provide mechanical circulatory support as a bridge to cardiac transplantation. The options for supporting children with failing circulation will be reviewed.

9:45 a.m.

Break

10:00 a.m.

Adult Congenital Heart Disease: Challenges in the 21st Century, Yuli Y. Kim, MD, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania
Medical and surgical breakthroughs over the past few decades have dramatically improved outcomes for children with CHD. When these patients reach adulthood, they can benefit from transitioning into an adult program that’s designed to meet their evolving needs. This presentation will discuss the challenges of this transition and the importance of providing uninterrupted, coordinated care between pediatric and adult providers, as well as outline management strategies to assist in this transition.

10:30 a.m.

In Vitro Fertilization (IVF): Methods to Prevent Multiple Births, Samantha Butts, MD MSCE, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania
Complications associated with multiple births include increased risk of premature birth and low birth weight in infants, which can affect the survival and well-being of newborns. These babies may require special care immediately after birth and, at times, can face lifelong problems such as developmental disabilities and delays. In addition, women face risks to their own health that are associated with carrying multiples. There is consensus among experts that the desired outcome of assisted reproductive technology is a healthy singleton infant. This session will discuss efforts to decrease multiple births, including the use of elective single-embryo transfer (eSET), and the minimization/elimination of gonadotrophin with intrauterine insemination.

11:00 a.m.

Placental Complications in Identical Twins, Mark P. Johnson, MD, MS, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania
Identical twins that share a single placenta are called monochorionic twins. When two fetuses have to share a single placenta, complications may sometimes develop. Twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS) is a rare condition that occurs only in identical twins while they are in the womb; TTTS is when blood moves from one twin to the other. Selective intrauterine growth restriction (sIUGR) is a condition that occurs when disproportionate distribution of placental mass between the twins results in poor nourishment of one of the twins, the consequence of which is poor overall fetal growth. The concept of a shared single monochorionic placenta, TTTS and selective intrauterine growth restriction will be explored.

11:30 a.m.

Lunch (provided)

12:30 p.m.

Spina Bifida: From Problem to Practice, Lori J. Howell, RN, MS, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
Spina bifida occurs in 3.4 per 10,000 live births in the United States and is the most common central nervous system birth defect. Between 1,400 and 1,500 babies are born with spina bifida in the U.S. each year. Liveborn infants with myelomeningocele (MMC), the most severe form of spina bifida, have a mortality rate of approximately 10 percent. Until recently, spina bifida treatment was relegated to post-birth surgery after damage from continuous exposure to amniotic fluid was already made. Prenatal repair is a complex and challenging procedure, requiring the most expert, comprehensive care for both mother and fetus. The surgical team’s level of experience and all aspects of care surrounding the operation are of paramount importance.

1:00 p.m.

Thyroid Cancer in Children and Adolescents: Beyond Survival, Andrew J. Bauer, MD, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
Thyroid nodules and thyroid cancer are uncommon in the pediatric population. Learn how a multidisciplinary team ensures coordinated evaluation and care in an effort to define and optimize clinical outcomes among those rare patients.

1:30 p.m.

Minimally Invasive Surgery in the Neonate, Thane A. Blinman, MD, FAAP, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
Minimally invasive surgery is now an option for neonates, extending the benefits of small incisions, faster recoveries, decreased pain, and more precise procedures in these critically ill neonates. The purpose of this session is to identify neonatal surgical conditions that are eligible to invasive surgery and review the benefits and risks associated with minimally invasive surgery in this population.

2:00 p.m.

Break

2:15 p.m.

Bariatric Surgery: A Viable Option for Severe Obesity? Noel Williams, MD, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania
Morbid obesity affects 4 million adults in the United States. Being severely overweight is associated with a variety of medical conditions, as well as an increased mortality rate. Several studies have documented that the benefits of bariatric surgery far outweigh the risks, and bariatric surgery is increasingly recognized as an attractive and viable treatment option for those who are morbidly obese. This session will discuss bariatric surgery as a viable option for the treatment of severe obesity and question whether this option may result in long-term weight loss, improved clinical outcomes, and enhanced quality of life.

2:45 p.m.

Chronic Lung Disease in the Neonate: Can We Tame This Wild Horse? Huayan Zhang, MD, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania 
Chronic lung disease, also known as bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is a condition in which damaged tissue in a newborn baby’s lungs causes breathing and health problems. The epidemiology, challenges, management approaches and long-term outcomes of BPD will be discussed.

3:30 p.m.

Closing Remarks/Adjourn