Program
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Invited Speakers
Dr Badreldeen Ahmed, Qatar
Professor Aris J. Antsaklis, Greece
Prof. Dr. Ana Bianchi, Uruguay
Professor Vincenzo D'Addario, Italy
Professor Gian Carlo Di Renzo, Italy
Professor Mark Kilby, United Kingdom
Professor Eberhardt Merz, Germany
Professor Anton Mikhailov, Russia
Professor Giovanni Monni, Italy
Professor Giampaola Mandruzzato, Italy
Professor John Newnham, Australia
Professor Liliana S. Voto, Argentina
Pre-conference Workshops: Thursday 5 March
There will be five pre-congress courses held at the same venue on Thursday 5th March. The courses will provide an extra opportunity to hear presentations by international experts in these areas who are attending the main conference.
1. Nuchal translucency certification course
2. Obstetric ultrasound at the point of care
3. Imaging the fetal and neonatal brains (half day)
4. An update in first trimester screening (half day)
5. Fetal echocardiography (Coordinated by the Australian Sonographers Association)
1. Nuchal translucency certification course
This course will be held in conjunction with the RANZCOG / RANZCR Nuchal Translucency accreditation program and is a requirement for those wishing to use risk assessment software for combined first trimester screening. The course will include some background information on the principles behind a screening test, details on the measurement of nuchal translucency and of its effectiveness in screening and information on how this is combined with biochemical markers. It will also look at other structural anomalies that can be detected by scan at 12 weeks, discuss the follow-up management of chromosomally normal fetuses that have increased nuchal translucency and discuss ultrasound screening in twin pregnancies.
2. Obstetric ultrasound at the point of care
This course aims to teach health professionals some of the underlying principles of ultrasound and includes a hands on demonstration of the machine (known in the trade as knobology) to provide some basic competence and confidence in using an ultrasound machine in clinical practice. The course will include sessions describing the fundamental issues and points for examination during the first, second and third trimester of pregnancy and will appeal to trainees in sonography, obstetrics and radiology as well as senior midwifery staff and obstetricians who may find it necessary to provide an ultrasound. The course will have limited numbers allowing practical exposure and will provide a firm foundation for those wanting to attend the main meeting who feel they lack some basic skills in this field.
3. Imaging the fetal and neonatal brains (half day)
This course will provide an update on the current standard of care in neonatal brain imaging. As well as being useful for sonographers and radiologists involved in the examination of, and preparation of reports for neonates, it will be useful for those involved in fetal assessment wishing to broaden their skills in this area.
4. Advanced first trimester scanning (half day)
Although first trimester screening has rapidly become the mainstay of Down syndrome assessment in Australia, the field has continued to develop and this programme aims to address some of the current developments and controversies in this area. This will include discussion of the correct practical methods for nasal bone and fronto-maxilla facial angle assessment and for Doppler assessment of the ductus venosus and / or tricuspid regurgitation, tests which are known to improve the sensitivity and specificity of first trimester screening. The course will include presentations by internationally established leaders in clinical and policy developments in this field and will also include a problem solving session designed for those who have had some issues with screening results that they have been unable to resolve.
5. Fetal echocardiography (Coordinated by the Australian Sonographers Association)
Congenital heart disease (CHD) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the newborn and infant population. Prenatal diagnosis of CHD improves outcomes and facilitates treatment options, surgical and medical care. However structural cardiac anomalies are often missed at prenatal ultrasound and published detection rates are quite low.
Detection rates can be optimised by performing a thorough ultrasound examination of the fetal heart. The fetal heart is a complex, dynamic, three dimensional structure that is difficult to examine prenatally with confidence. There are a number of sonographic views required to adequately assess this dynamic structure, along with a thorough understanding of the anatomy of the normal and abnormal fetal heart.
This course aims to help sonographers, radiologists and obstetricians develop a framework for the cardiac examination and report and to introduce them to some of the commoner anomalies that they may encounter. It will cover the normal sonographic views required for thorough fetal heart assessment. This full day, interactive, fetal heart workshop will provide the attendees with practical experience they can take back to their workplace.
Professor Aris J. Antsaklis
Aris J. Antsaklis is Professor and Chairman of the 1st Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Athens, Athens, Greece.
After graduating from medical school in 1969, Professor Antsaklis trained as an Obstetrician Gynaecologist and completed his PhD thesis at the University of Athens. He subsequently held positions as a Senior Registrar of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Assistant Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology and Deputy Director of Maternal Fetal Medicine Division at the University of Athens before accepting his current appointment. Professor Antsaklis is a member of several national scientific and medical associations. He is also the Vice President of the World Association of Perinatal Medicine and is a member of numerous other international societies. Professor Antsaklis has organised several National and International conferences and meetings on prenatal diagnosis. In addition, he has authored/co-authored more than 400 publications in International and Hellenic peer-reviewed journals as well as writing 24 chapters in medical books.
Prof. Dr. Ana Bianchi
Prof. Dr. Ana Bianchi graduated as PhD in medicine from the Universidad de la República Oriental del Uruguay, School of Medicine, in 1980. She also received training in the Latin American Centre in Perinatology and Human Development (CLAP), a technical Centre of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and World Health Organization (WHO).
She completed her residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology in Paris–France at the Antoine Béclère Hospital, with Prof. Emile Papiernick where she stayed until 1986. She was later Resident in Laennec Hospital with Prof. Jean Yves Neveux, and Laurent Fermont in the Echocardiology Service in Paris.
She has attended numerous training courses in Uruguay and abroad. She has lectured local and in international meetings and has organized national and international courses. She attended the Fetal Medicine Foundations programs in London Kings College, with Prof. Kypros Nicolaïdes in 1999.
From 1993 to 2000 she was nominated by the School of Medicine of Uruguay to create the Department of Ultrasound and Prenatal Diagnosis for the three Gynecology Services in Montevideo. She joined the School of Medicine as an Assistant Professor in 1993, and in 2007 she became the Director of the Perinatal Service of the Montevideo University Hospital. In 2005 she became the Director of the Uruguay branch of the Ian Donald School.
At present, she is the Director of the Fetal Medicine Department in the two biggest private Maternities of the country: Asociación Española de Socorros Mutuos (Spanish Association of Mutual Aids), and CASMU (Assistance Center of the Medical Union of the Uruguay).
Prof. Bianchi's main contribution has been in the field of prenatal diagnosis of fetal malformations, echocardiography, and fetus-placentary Doppler. She has been co-author in several books and scientific publications. She is an active member of both national and international Scientific Societies.
Professor Robert Brent
Robert Brent received his MD with Honor, a Ph.D. in radiation biology, physics and embryology and an honorary D.Sc. from the University of Rochester. He joined the faculty of the Jefferson Medical College in 1957 and was Chairman of Pediatrics for almost 30 years (1965-1995). In 1988 he was appointed the third Distinguished Professor in Jefferson's 185 year history and also named the Louis and Bess Stein endowed Professor. His research has focused on the genetic and environmental causes of birth defects and cancer and the importance of nutrition in embryonic development. He described the "all or none phenomenon" of early embryonic development, that birth defects and mental retardation are threshold effects following embryonic radiation and chemical exposures and that protraction of radiation exposures to the embryo markedly reduced their toxic effects. The NIH and Department of Energy continuously funded his research during his entire academic career. He has received numerous awards for his research accomplishments and was elected to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences.
Dr Frank Chervenak
Frank Chervenak is the President of the International Society of the Fetus as a Patient. He is the current Given Foundation Professor and Chairman of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the New York Presbyterian Hospital, Weill Medical College, Cornell University. He has spent most of his career working in New York with the exception of his fellowship in Maternal Fetal Medicine at Yale.
Professor Chervenak has published over 200 peer reviewed papers and co-authored or co-edited 25 textbooks. Research interests include ultrasound and ethics in obstetrics & gynecology and physician leadership. He has extensive links with many national and international perinatal societies and is the current President of the World Association of Perinatal Medicine. He serves on the March of Dimes Bioethics Advisory Committee and National Children's Study Federal Advisory Committee.
Dr Patrick Chia
Patrick Chia is a Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist with a special interest in Fetal Medicine. He trained in the UK before returning to Malaysia to help create the Maternal -Fetal Division at the University Malaya Medical Centre. He has a passion for both undergraduate and postgraduate teaching in ultrasound and fetal medicine and has over 50 publications in peer review journals. Dr Chia is a Director of the Fetal Medicine & Gynaecology Centre in Kuala Lumpur which focuses on screening and management of fetal abnormalities and high risk pregnancy care.
Professor Vincenzo D'Addario
Vincenzo D'Addario graduated in Medicine in 1975 with highest marks and specialized in Obstetrics and Gynecology in 1979.
He is Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology in the University of Bari, and head of the Fetal Medicine Unit in the Dept. of OB%GYN.
Honorary titles:
- Director of the Italian Branch of the Ian Donald School of Ultrasound in Ob. & Gyn.
- Past President of the Italian Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Ginecology..
- Member of the Board of the International Society "The Fetus as a Patient".
- Associate Fellow of the International Academy of Perinatal Medicine.
- Member of the Editorial Board of "The Journal of Perinatal Medicine"
Professor Gian Carlo Di Renzo
Professor Di Renzo is Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Perinatal Medicine. He is Director of the Perinatal and Reproductive Center, Chairman of the Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, and Dean of the Faculty of Obstetrics and Midwifery at the University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy.
After graduation cum laude at the Medical School of the University of Padova, Professor Di Renzo has been a research fellow at the Universities of Verona, Messina and Modena and has also been a research fellow at CHUV in Lausanne, Switzerland, UCH in London, England, the University of Texas, Dallas, USA and the Catholic University in Nijmegen, Netherlands. His many research interests include prostaglandins and parturition, preterm labour, fetal lung maturity, childbirth organization and gynecologic endocrinology. Professor Di Renzo is on the Editorial Board of several international journals and is currently Editor-in-chief of the Journal of Maternal-Fetal and Neonatal Medicine. He has been awarded the Doctor Honoris Causa from the University of Athens, Greece and Cluj-Napoca, Romania. He is a member of numerous professional societies and has organized several international congresses and courses. Professor Di Renzo has published more than 1100 papers (over 200 published in peer-reviewed international journals and 65 books).
Professor Mark Kilby
Mark Kilby is the Dame Hilda Lloyd Professor of Maternal and Fetal Medicine in Birmingham, UK, where he has been the lead clinician in this sub-specialty since 1997. He is a member of the Council of the RCOG and has represented the British Society of Maternal Fetal Medicine during the development of fetal therapy by the National Institute of Clinical Excellence. He was Chair and Editor of the RCOG Scientific Working Party on Multiple Pregnancy.
Mark has published over 140 peer reviewed articles focusing on prenatal diagnosis and therapy for fetal anomalies and intrauterine growth restriction and its placental pathology.
Professor TK Lau
Professor TK Lau obtained his medical degree at the Chinese University of Hong Kong in 1988 and is currently Professor of maternal and Fetal Medicine in this institution. His main clinical and research interests are focused on Fetal Medicine and he has published 221 papers in peer-reviewed journals. He has being instrumental in the introduction of first trimester screening in Hong Kong and has promoted training and quality assurance for Obstetric ultrasound internationally. He chairs the scientific committee for the annual Asia Pacific Congress in Maternal and Fetal Medicine.
Professor Eberhardt Merz
Eberhard Merz is Professor and Director of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Krankenhaus Nordwest, Frankfurt/Main, Germany.
He is author and co-author of over 200 scientific papers. He has published 5 ultrasound books in Obstetrics and Gynecology in 6 different languages.
He is Editor-in-Chief of the European Journal of Ultrasound and Co-Editor of Donald School Journal of Ultrasoud in Obstetrics and Gynecology.
He was executive board member of the ISUOG and chaired the 3D Focus group. At present he is Board Member of the "World Association of Perinatal Medicine" and the International Society "The Fetus as a Patient".
Since 2002 he is President of the Fetal Medicine Foundation (FMF) Germany and since 2006 President of the German Society for Ultrasoud in Medicine (DEGUM).
He organized 20 national and international congresses. In 1997 he hosted the First World Congress on 3D Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology in Mainz, Germany. In 2008 he is the host of the World Congress "The Fetus as a Patient" which takes place in Frankfurt/Germany.
Professor Giovanni Monni
Giovanni Monni, MD, is a Director of Department Obstetrics/Gynecology, Prenatal and Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis, Fetal Therapy at the Ospedale Regionale per le Microcitemie, Cagliari, Italy, and Professor at the Post-Graduate Pediatric School, University of Cagliari.
He is a member of the Executive Board of International Fetoscopy Working Group since 1984, member of the Executive Board of International Society The Fetus as a Patient since 2000, member of International Council of World Association of Perinatal Medicine and member of EAPM Executive Board (2002/2006).
He was named Vice-President of MED-UOG (Mediterranean Society for Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology) (2003/2007) and President of the Italian Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology (2000/2002) and currently he serves as President of The AOGOI (Italian Hospital Gynecologists Obstetrics Association) and as Vice-President of CIC (College of Italian Surgery).
He was Visiting Professor at many Universities and he serves as an International expert for operators evaluation on the Fetal Nuchal Translucency Practice.
He was AOGOI Course Director of Embryo-Fetal and Perinatal Medicine held in Villasimius (Cagliari) from 2001 to 2008. He is named referee for several international scientific journals. He was named as a Member of Honour of many Ultrasound and Perinatal Societies and he serves as a Member of Editorial Board of many national and international journals. He was invited Speaker and Chairman in many national and international meetings.
He has published more than 400 papers in national and international scientific journals and books.
In 2006 he was received the A.William Liley Prize from the International Society The Fetus as a Patient.
Dr. Monni is currently invited at the Italian Parliament and healthy Government as expert in Perinatology and ART.
Professor John Newnham
John Newnham is Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology and Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at The University of Western Australia. He is Head of The School of Women's and Infants' Health based at King Edward Memorial Hospital.
Born in Western Australia, he graduated locally before pursuing postgraduate medical training in Australia, South Africa, United Kingdom and USA. Over the last 25 years he has published more than 170 original papers in international peer review science journals.
He heads a research group which involves extensive collaboration with several centres in USA, Canada, Germany and Australia. His research interests are based on the fetal origins of adult disease; preterm birth and fetal maturation; prenatal diagnosis and fetal therapy.
Professor Ritsuko Pooh
Ritsuko Pooh is the Director of the Clinical Research Institute of Fetal Medicine PMC, Osaka, Japan. She studied law in Tokyo before graduating in medicine from Tokushima University and was previously the Director of Maternal Fetal Medicine at Kagawa National Children's Hospital.
Her research interests include ultrasound of the central nervous system and 4D ultrasound, with a bias to the first trimester of pregnancy. She was the visiting Professor to Cornell University in New York in 2006. Professor Pooh is a member of the editorial board of several international journals.
Dr Jiri Sonek
Dr. Sonek received his undergraduate training at the University of Chicago where he graduated with a degree in biology. He obtained his medical degree from the Pritzker School of Medicine at the University of Chicago. His Residency in OB/GYN and Fellowship in Maternal-Fetal Medicine (MFM) were both completed at Ohio State University. A part of his Fellowship was spent at the Harris Birthright Centre for Fetal Medicine, London, UK where he received advanced training in prenatal diagnosis and treatment under the tutelage of Professor Kypros Nicolaides.
Since finishing his fellowship in 1989, Dr. Sonek has held academic and clinical positions at the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta in Georgia and the Ohio State University and Wright State University in Ohio. He is currently a Clinical Professor in the Department of OB/GYN at Wright State University, Dayton, Ohio. Dr. Sonek is one of the founding members of the Fetal Medicine Foundation of the United States of America and has served as its President and Chairman of the Board since 2006. He is a member of a number of national and international societies in OB/GYN, MFM, and ultrasonography. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine in the UK and an Honorary Member of the OB/GYN Society in the Czech Republic. A national prize for outstanding work in diagnostic ultrasound and genetics is awarded in Dr. Sonek's name on an annual basis in the Czech Republic.
Dr. Sonek is a diplomate of the Medical Board of Examiners of OB/GYN. He is board certified in both OB/GYN and MFM. He is also registered with the American Registry of Diagnostic Medical Sonographers in OB/GYN and neurosonography. Dr. Sonek is currently the Medical Director of the Center for Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Ultrasound, and Genetics at the Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton, Ohio, a diagnostic unit performing obstetric, gynecologic, and neonatal examinations with a volume of over 25,000 cases annually.
Professor Yves Ville
Graduated in Paris, trained in fetal medicine in paris and london. Professor of Obs& Gyne at Descartes University in Paris and head of dept at Necker hospital for sick children. Editor in chief of ultrasound in obstetrics and gynecology.
Professor Liliana S. Voto
Prof. Liliana S. Voto graduated from the University of Buenos Aires School of Medicine in 1973 and obtained her PhD in medicine from the same university in 1984. She completed her residency in Obstetrics and Gynaecology in 1979 and five year later she joined the faculty of the Buenos Aires University School of Medicine as an Assistant Professor. In 1992 she became a specialist in Public Health (Salvador University). Prof. Voto was appointed as Associate Professor of Obstetrics at Buenos Aires University in 1991 and promoted to Full Professor in 1997. She was also made Full Professor of Obstetrics at Barceló University in Buenos Aires in 1996.
Recently, she became an Associate Member of the International Academy Of Perinatal Medicine (President: Prof. Erich Saling) at Cornell University, New York (2008)
Dr Hung Winn
Hung N. Winn, MD, JD, MBA, completed a Doctor of Medicine from University of Illinois College of Medicine and fellowship in Maternal Fetal Medicine at Yale University School of Medicine. In 1992, Dr. Winn co-founded The Journal of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, with his mentor and friend, Ray H. Petrie M.D., Sc.D. He was a co-editor of Clinical Maternal-Fetal Medicine, published in 2000 and co-editor of Cardiovascular Diseases in Women, published in 2006. Dr. Winn serves on the Board of Directors for both the International Society of Fetus as a Patient and the International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology. He is currently the David G. Hall Professor and Chairman for the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Women's Health at the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Medicine in Columbia, Missouri. Dr. Winn also serves as the Chairman of University Physicians, a faculty group practice of more than 400 physicians, at University of Missouri School of Medicine.
Dr Corazon Yabes-Almirante
Founding Chairman of the Perinatal Center at the Philippine Children's Medical Center 1988 to 2004 and head of the Perinatology Division
Established a Perinatal Center in a Children's Hospital in the Philippines in 1987, one of the first in the World
Established the first Ultrasound society in clinical medicine in the Philippines in 1997 (Philippine Society of Ultrasound in Clinical Medicine) and was accredited by WFUMB and AFSUMB; Senior member AIUM 1994
Established the Fetus as a Patient Institute Philippines in 1988 and held the first Postgraduate Course on"Fetus as a Patient" in 1989 and conducted postgraduate courses in ultrasound in perinatal medicine annually
WHO Scholar in Perinatal Medicine in 1987 at the Beth Israel Hospital inBoston USA; Ultrasound Course, Masters and Doctorate Degrees at the University of Zagreb, 1989, 1992, 2000.
Dr George SH Yeo
Dr Yeo set up and is responsible for the prenatal screening programme in KK hospital, which delivers a third of Singapore's births. He is also instrumental in the development of prenatal thalassaemia screening in Singapore,
He has been instrumental in the introduction and development of prenatal diagnosis and management in KK hospital in the last 15 years. This has led to the recognition of Maternal Fetal Medicine as a well-defined sub-specialty in Singapore.
He is active in the teaching and training programmes for obstetrics ultrasound in Singapore, organised the 1st International Scientific Meeting of ISUOG in 2004, and directs the education programmes at the ISUOG Teaching and Training Centre in Singapore. He has particular interest in prenatal screening of Cardiac Malformations.
Professor Ivica Zalud
Dr Ivica Zalud graduated from the University of Zagreb School of Medicine in his native Croatia. He completed residency at the Winthrop University Hospital in Mineola, New York and fellowship in maternal fetal medicine at the Georgetown University in Washington, DC. He is certified by the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology in general OB/GYN and maternal fetal medicine. He is elected fellow of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine. Currently, he is a professor of OB/GYN and Imaging Division chief at the John A Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawaii in Honolulu. Dr. Zalud is a director of the Ian Donald Inter-University School of Medical Ultrasound, Hawaii branch, co-editor in the Donald School Journal of Ultrasound in OB/GYN and a board member of "The Fetus as a Patient" International Society. He has published 214 peer reviewed papers, book chapters and abstracts. His clinical and research interests include Doppler ultrasound, prenatal diagnosis and ultrasound applications in postmenopausal patients.