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2026 Hot Topics in Neonatology® Conference Schedule

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3:00 p.m.

Registration Opens

4:30 p.m.

Nuts and Bolts of Manuscript Publication and Review+ — Alejandra Barrero-Castillero, MD, MPH; Margaret Lafferty, MD, FAAP; Heidi Herrick, MD, MSCE, and Rosemary D. Higgins, MD

6:45 a.m.

Registration Opens

7:00 a.m.

Exhibit Hall Opens
Hot Buffet Breakfast and Digital Poster Showcase | Exhibit Hall

7:45 a.m.

Welcome and Introductions
Elizabeth Foglia, MD, MSCE; Jay S. Greenspan, MD, MBA, and Jochen Profit, MD, MPH

8:00 a.m.

Right From the Start: Hot Topics in Delivery Room Resuscitation
Moderator: Elizabeth Foglia, MD, MSCE

  • Positive End-Expiratory Pressure Levels During Resuscitation of Preterm Infants at Birth: The POLAR Trial — David Tingay MBBS, FRACP, PhD
  • The HiLo-Trial Cluster Crossover Trial comparing 60% versus 30% initial Oxygen Concentration in Extreme Premature Infants* — Georg Schmölzer, MD, PhD
  • A Stepped-Wedge Cluster Randomised Trial on Repeated Versus Selective Tactile Stimulation at Birth (NEU-stim trial) — Janneke Dekker, RN, PhD

9:30 a.m.

Morning Break Coffee Break With the Exhibitors | Exhibit Hall
Digital Posters On-Display

10:00 a.m. 

Opportunities in BPD
Moderator: Matthew Kielt, MD

  • The Global Challenge of BPD — Huayan Zhang, MD
  • A Dialogue on Ventilation Strategies — Leif Nelin, MD and Ari Joffe, MD, FRCPC
  • On the Horizon: New research and development for BPD — Steven H. Abman, MD

11:45 a.m.

Industry Sponsored Lunch Satellite or Lunch (on your own)

  • DHA and ARA in Preterm Infants: Deficiency, Outcomes, and Emerging Evidence
    Presented by Mead Johnson Nutrition
  • Pressure, Flow, and the Grey Areas In Between
    Presented by Fisher & Paykel Healthcare

1:00 p.m.

Neonatology Luminary: Celebrating and Recognizing Dr. Seetha Shankaran
Impact in Neonatology
Moderator: Elizabeth Foglia, MD, MSCE

1:30 p.m.

When Standard of Care Meets Parental Refusal
Moderator: Karen M. Puopolo, MD, PhD

  • Newborn Hepatitis B Vaccine Recommendations — Karen M. Puopolo, MD, PhD
  • Trends in Prophylactic Vitamin K Administration and Clinical Implications of Vitamin K Nonreceipt — Kristan Scott, MD
  • Vaccine and Prevention Recommendation Uptake in 2026 — Jason G. Newland, MD, MEd

3:00 p.m.

Afternoon Break With the Exhibitors | Exhibit Hall
Digital Posters On-Display

3:30 p.m.

What’s New in Neonatal Nutrition and Growth? Updated Evidence and Tools for Nourishing Babies and Evaluating Outcomes
Moderator: Mandy Brown Belfort, MD, MPH

  • A Report Card on Parenteral Nutrition Practices for Optimal Outcomes in Preterm Infants: What is the GRADE? — Daniel Robinson, MD, MSc
  • Getting Fancy With Individualized Human Milk Fortification: Is the juice worth the squeeze? — Mandy Brown Belfort, MD, MPH 
  • Next Generation Growth Assessment and Monitoring: Rationale and implementation of a new standard — Tanis Fenton RD, PhD

5:00 p.m. 

Opening Night Reception
Collaboration & Conversation With the Faculty | Exhibit Hall

6:00 p.m.

Adjourn

6:00 p.m.

Industry Sponsored Satellite Dinner

  • Clarity on PDA Management in 2026: Are You Confused?
    Presented by Abbott

7:00 a.m.

Registration and Exhibit Hall Opens
Hot Buffet Breakfast and Digital Poster Showcase | Exhibit Hall

8:00 a.m.

The Jerold F. Lucey, MD Lectureship and Keynote Address
Moderator: Jay S. Greenspan, MD, MBA
Oxygen in the Delivery Room: A post-modern parable
Keynote: Peter G. Davis MD, MBBS

9:00 a.m. 

Special Update: Late-Breaking Developments in Neonatal Care

9:30 a.m.

Morning Coffee Break With the Exhibitors | Exhibit Hall
Digital Posters On-Display

10:00 a.m.

Green and Rotten Apples
Moderator: Jochen Profit, MD, MPH

  • Cycled Phototherapy, a Safer Effective Method to Control the Serum Bilirubin of Extremely Premature Infants? — Jon E. Tyson, MD, MPH 
  • Symptom-Based Dosing and the ESC Approach: Building the Evidence to Improve Care for Infants With NOWS* — Lori A. Devlin, DO, MHA, MS
  • Are We Ready for Tracheostomy Clinical Trials in Ventilator-Dependent Infants With BPD? — Matthew Kielt, MD

12:15 p.m.

Industry Sponsored Lunch Satellite or Lunch (on your own)

  • From “Start PO” to “Ad Lib”: The Science Guiding Oral Feeding Decisions
    Presented by Dr. Brown’s Medical
  • Beyond the Scale: Redefining Neonatal Success
    Presented by Prolacta Bioscience

1:30 p.m.   

Clinical Trials Methodology Interpretation for Clinicians
Moderator: Elizabeth Foglia, MD, MSCE

  • Automatic Versus Manual Control of Oxygen and Clinical Outcomes in Extremely Preterm Infants — A prematurely terminated, randomized-controlled trial — Axel Franz, MD and Lehana Thabane, PhD
  • POINT: Providing Oxygen During Intubation in the NICU — Lessons From a Pilot Trial — Heidi Herrick, MD, MSCE and Lehana Thabane, PhD

3:00 p.m.

Afternoon Break With the Exhibitors | Exhibit Hall
Digital Posters On-Display

3:30 p.m.

Every Poke Matters: Pain, the Developing Brain, and NICU Care
Moderator: Jochen Profit, MD, MPH

  • Beyond the Pain Behind the Patient: Turning NICU Trauma Into Better Care for Every Family — Ra’Niesha Bratton, MPH, CHES
  • Impacts of Early-Life Pain on Brain Maturation and Neurodevelopment — Thiviya Selvanathan, MD, PhD
  • From Counting Pokes to Changing Culture: Reducing Harm in the NICU — Robert Erick Ridout, MD

5:00 p.m.

Relax & Recharge: Evening Social & Happy Hour | Exhibit Hall
Digital Poster Winners and Top Finalists (On Display)

6:00 p.m.

Adjourn

7:00 a.m.

Registration and Exhibit Hall Opens
Hot Buffet Breakfast and Digital Poster Showcase | Exhibit Hall

8:00 a.m.

Artificial Intelligence in Practice
Moderator: Kevin Dysart, MD, MBI

  • AI-Guided Integration of Biological and Clinical Knowledge for Maternal and Neonatal Health* — Nima Aghaeepour, PhD
  • CONCERN Early Warning System: AI-Driven Real-Time Early Warning System for Patient Deterioration — Kenrick Cato, PhD, RN, CPHIMS, FAAN, FACMI
  • Call Me a Luddite: Why Clinicians Must Shape the Future of Healthcare AI — Bimal Desai, MD, MBI

9:30 a.m. 

Morning Break With the Exhibitors | Exhibit Hall
Digital Posters On-Display

10:00 a.m.

Exhibit Hall Closes

10:00 a.m.

Green and Rotten Apples
Moderator: Jay S. Greenspan, MD, MBA

  • Does Routine Gastric Residual Measurement Predict and Prevent Necrotising Enterocolitis? The neoGASTRIC Trial — Chris Gale, MBBS, PhD 
  • Supplemental Oxygen Strategies in Children With Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia: The SOS BPD Trial* — Rosemarie de Ridder, MD 
  • Umbilical Cord Milking Versus Early Cord Clamping in Late-Preterm and Term Neonates Who Are Nonvigorous at Birth: A Multicenter, Cluster-Randomized, Crossover Trial (CORDMILK Trial) — Zubair H. Aghai, MBBS, MD

11:30 a.m.

Adjourn

This is a draft agenda and may change as details are finalized.

*Available LIVE only and will not be available on the virtual platform as a recording.

+Available to in-person attendees only. Will not be recorded, streamed or available on the virtual platform.