The 28th International Congress of Pediatrics (IPA)
17-22 August 2016, Vancouver, Canada
The International Congress of Pediatrics is an ideal opportunity to network with leading medical experts through exchange of scientific knowledge and to educate about the latest nutrition research.
What’s the buzz at IPA 2016?
Close to 3,000 pediatricians attended from an estimated 130 countries; the top 3 countries were Mexico, Canada, and the US, with strong representation also from Asia and Africa.
The International Congress of Pediatrics is an ideal opportunity to network with leading medical experts through exchange of scientific knowledge and to educate about the latest nutrition research.
Establishing strong credibility as global scientific leaders in pediatric nutrition and building relations with this medical community are key.
WNSC Lectures
Following the Keynote lecture, which piqued interest in early brain development, delegates were keen to catch further insights into the complexities around this topic at the Wyeth Nutrition Science Center Symposium “Nurturing the Developing Brain: Mapping the Future.” Professor Ricardo Uauy (Santiago, Chile) considered the influence of key nutrients (eg, essential fatty acids) on infant brain development. In an enlightening presentation, Professor David Van Essen (St. Louis, MO, USA) then discussed the latest advances in brain mapping and related discoveries in infant brain development. Focus for a stimulating discussion fell on the Human Connectome Project and how findings from the project may influence neonatal practice patterns.
Highlights from the Scientific Programme
Morning Plenary:
Child Health – Now and in the Future
Lancet Editor-in-Chief Richard Horton indicated the need for progress from still birth to neonate to adolescence, reminding us that progress is fragile with new situations such as the emerging Zika virus.
IPA president-elect Zulfiqar Bhutta spoke about the global burden of still-birth, reminding us that we need to address newborn survival in a multi-discipline area and that survival alone is not enough.
Concurrent Session:
Realizing the Rights of Children to Optimal Development
IPA president-elect Dr. Zulfiqar Bhutta stressed the importance of mainstreaming the integration of child health and development in order to move beyond child survival into thriving.
Meet the Expert:
What is New in Nutrition
Gastroenterologist Dr. Philip Sherman discussed the increasingly recognized role of gut microbiota in promoting pediatric health and the apparent role of decreased intestinal microbial diversity in pediatric functional GI disorders.
Concurrent Sessions:
Nutrition and Micronutrients
Experts Dr. Wafaie Fawzi and Dr. Stanley Zlotkin discussed the role of micronutrients in pediatric health and the use of home fortification via micronutrient powders to combat global micronutrient deficiencies.
Dr. Linda Casey, an expert in working with chronically ill, nutritionally complex children, presented a step-by-step approach for good nutrition in this challenging patient population.
Morning Plenary:
The Promise of Global Adolescent Health
Drs. Susan Sawyer, George Patton, Vikram Patel, commissioners for the new Lancet Commission on Adolescent Health and Wellbeing, shared the main findings of the Commission, including major health needs of adolescents across the world, the importance of addressing social determinants of adolescent health, and the essential ingredients of a universal health package for adolescents.
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