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In the last decade, biomedical and research breakthroughs, notably in genetics and stem cells, have helped transform the care of children, improving diagnosis and treatment for numerous diseases. On Nov. 8 and 9, Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital of NewYork-Presbyterian and Columbia University Medical Center will host a conference at the Grand Hyatt New York, titled "Innovations in Pediatric Medicine," to exchange the latest advances in genetics, stem cell therapy, and childhood disease treatment.

The continuing medical education (CME) conference will feature lectures by international leading authorities in pediatric care in congenital and primary immunodeficiencies, gene therapy in children, the genetic basis for common childhood infections and a rational approach to pediatric emergency care during unplanned national or regional disasters.

"Medical breakthroughs have greatly increased the range of treatment options for pediatric diseases, which is why we are thrilled to bring together medical professionals who are on the frontline of pediatric care for this opportunity of learning the latest progress and the sharing of best practices," says the conference's course director, Dr. Mitchell Cairo, director of pediatric blood and marrow transplantation at Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital of NewYork-Presbyterian and professor of pediatrics, medicine and pathology at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.

A brief listing of speakers and topics is below. For the complete two-day conference program, visit: www.nyp.org/pdf/innovations_cme_schedule.pdf.

Saturday, Nov. 8: Plenary I
Bench to Bedside Genetics: A Pediatrician's Viewpoint

Moderator:
Dr. Gerald M. Loughlin, Phyllis and David Komansky Center for Children's Health at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center and Weill Cornell Medical College

8:00-8:45 a.m.
Newborn Screening for Inborn Errors of Metabolism
Dr. Piero Rinaldo, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, Minn.

8:45-9:15 a.m.
Prenatal Pediatrics: How Analysis of Fetal Nucleic Acids in Maternal Blood Provides Novel Opportunities to Improve Newborn Care
Dr. Diana W. Bianchi, Tufts University School of Medicine and the Floating Hospital for Children

9:15-9:45 a.m.
Early Diagnosis of Primary Immunodeficiencies
Dr. Jennifer M. Puck, University of California, San Francisco

10:15-10:45 a.m.
Current Status of Gene Therapy in Children
Dr. Alain Fischer, Descartes University Hospital Necker—Enfants Malades, Paris, France

10:45-11:15 a.m.
Molecular Physiology of the Control of Body Weight
Dr. Rudolph L. Leibel, Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital of NewYork-Presbyterian and Columbia University Medical Center

11:15-11:45 a.m.
Panel Discussion with Q&A

Plenary II: The Future of Stem Cell Therapy in Children

Moderator:
Dr. Mitchell Cairo, Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital of NewYork-Presbyterian and Columbia University Medical Center

12:30-1:15 p.m.
Stem Cell Therapeutics for Childhood Neurological Diseases
Dr. Evan Snyder, University of California, San Diego

1:15-1:45 p.m.
Prenatal Stem Cell Transplantation — The Virtues of Tolerance
Dr. Alan W. Flake, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine

1:45-2:15 p.m.
Applying Embryonic and Cord Blood Stem Cell Research to Children
Dr. Mervin C. Yoder, Indiana University School of Medicine

2:30-3:00 p.m.
Bioethical Challenges for Stem Cell Therapy in Children
Dr. Ruth L. Fischbach, Columbia University Medical Center

3:00-3:30 p.m.
Molecular Characterization of Normal and Leukemic Stem Cells
Dr. David A. Williams, Children's Hospital of Boston and Harvard Medical School

3:30-4:00 p.m.
Panel Discussion with Q&A

Sunday, Nov. 9: Plenary III Advances in Childhood Diseases

Moderator:
Dr. Charles L. Schleien, Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital of NewYork-Presbyterian and Columbia University Medical Center

8:15-9:00 a.m.
Advances in the Genetic Pathogenesis of Common Childhood Infectious Diseases
Dr. Margaret K. Hostetter, Yale-New Haven Children's Hospital

9:00-9:30 a.m.
Neonatal and Infant Nutrition and Iron Metabolism
Dr. Michael K. Georgieff, University of Minnesota

9:30-10:00 a.m.
Care of Children and Families in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
Lori Armstrong, R.N., Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital of NewYork-Presbyterian and Columbia University Medical Center

10:30-11:00 a.m.
Pediatric Disaster Medicine
Dr. Gary R. Fleisher, Children's Hospital of Boston and Harvard Medical School

11:00-11:30 a.m.
Recent Advances in the Pathophysiology and Treatment of Childhood Asthma
Dr. Robert F. Lemanske Jr., University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health

11:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
Advances in Childhood Cancer: 50 Years of Progress
Dr. Gregory H. Reaman, George Washington University School of Medicine

12:00-12:30 p.m.
Prevention and Treatment of Sexually Transmitted Diseases in Adolescents
Dr. Lawrence Stanberry, Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital of NewYork-Presbyterian and Columbia University Medical Center

12:30-1:00 p.m.
Panel Discussion and Q&A

Columbia University Medical Center

Columbia University Medical Center provides international leadership in basic, pre-clinical and clinical research, in medical and health sciences education, and in patient care. The medical center trains future leaders and includes the dedicated work of many physicians, scientists, public health professionals, dentists, and nurses at the College of Physicians & Surgeons, the Mailman School of Public Health, the College of Dental Medicine, the School of Nursing, the biomedical departments of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, and allied research centers and institutions. Established in 1767, Columbia's College of Physicians & Surgeons was the first institution in the country to grant the M.D. degree and is now among the most selective medical schools in the country. Columbia University Medical Center is home to the largest medical research enterprise in New York City and state and one of the largest in the United States. For more information, please visit www.cumc.columbia.edu.

Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital of NewYork-Presbyterian

Ranked by U.S.News & World Report as one of the top children's hospitals in the country, Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital of NewYork-Presbyterian offers the best available care in every area of pediatrics — including the most complex neonatal and critical care, and all areas of pediatric subspecialties — in a family-friendly and technologically advanced setting. Building a reputation for more than a century as one of the nation's premier children's hospitals, Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital of NewYork-Presbyterian is affiliated with Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, and is Manhattan's only hospital dedicated solely to the care of children and the largest provider of children's health services in the tri-state area with a long-standing commitment to its community. Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital of NewYork-Presbyterian is also a major international referral center, meeting the special needs of children from infancy through adolescence worldwide.