At the annual Pediatric Genomic Medicine and Precision Therapeutics Conference (April 6-7), Children’s Mercy will again bring together thought leaders from around the world who are interested in advancing professional knowledge in genomics and precision medicine.
Attendees will learn about new discoveries and gain a practical understanding of how to apply what they learn in a clinical setting.
The conference is geared toward pediatric sub-specialists, pediatricians, genetic counselors, laboratory medical professionals, bioethicists, psychologists, nurses, pharmacists and parents.
Visiting from the Emma Children’s Hospital, Academic Medical Centre in Amsterdam, Dr. Clara van Karnebeek will deliver the opening keynote, “Integrated Genomic & Metabolomics Analyses for the Discovery, Diagnosis and Treatment of Neurometabolic Disorders.” Other sessions include “Strategies for Implementing and Incorporating Genomic Medicine into Everyday Practices,” “Genomic Diagnostics: What We Know, What We Don’t and the Space in Between” and “Genomic Sequencing: The Good, the Opportunities for Improvement and the Future,” “Custom-made Statin Therapy in Kids: Chop Cut Rebuild”
In his session, “Using Individualized Patient Information to Improve Clinical Care,” Dr. Girish Shirali of the Ward Family Heart Center at Children’s Mercy will discuss the Cardiac High Acuity Monitoring Program (CHAMP), which recently won a Microsoft Health Innovation Award. On average, 1 in 5 babies born with single-ventricle heart defects die at home between two necessary surgeries. CHAMP connects families to their medical teams using real-time analysis of vital statistics and videos. Since 2014, CHAMP has reduced interstage mortality at Children’s Mercy from 20% to 0.
The Center for Pediatric Genomic Medicine at Children’s Mercy was created to help unlock the mysteries of pediatric genetic diseases. Here, a diverse team of specialists are developing new, better and faster ways of diagnosing genetic causes of disease and changing the way medicine is practiced around the world. The first of its kind to be located inside a children’s hospital, the Center is also the world’s first focused on genome sequencing and analysis of inherited children’s diseases. Working with the most advanced technology and scientific knowledge, the Center is already developing new genome analysis and computation capabilities to improve diagnoses and care for pediatric patients.