GOLD Neonatal Conference 2021

Kathy Gura is the manager for Pharmacy Clinical Research Program and a clinical pharmacist with the Clinical Nutrition Service in the Division of GI/Nutrition at Boston Children's Hospital. She is also an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School and an adjunct member of the faculty at MCPHS University, Northeastern University and the University of Connecticut. She is a member of the Center for Advanced Intestinal Rehabilitation and the Home PN Program at Boston Children’s Hospital. Dr. Gura received her BS and Pharm.D from the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences in Boston. Certified as a Nutritional Support Pharmacist, Dr. Gura is a Fellow of the ASHP, ASPEN, PPA and MSHP. She was recently named the 2020 Nutrition Champion by the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition. Dr. Gura is the author of numerous book chapters on pediatric nutrition and has written more than 130 peer reviewed on topics such as the intestinal failure associated liver disease, clinical practice guidelines for parenteral nutrition, and the use of parenteral nutrition in the neonate. She currently serves as an associate editor for JPEN.

Chesney Willis, MHS, CCC-SLP, IBCLC is a certified speech language pathologist and lactation consultant from the University of Missouri Women’s and Children’s hospital. She earned her master of health sciences degree from the University of Missouri in 2008 and obtained her IBCLC in 2017. Chesney has over 13 years of experience working across outpatient rehabilitation, home-health, inpatient care for pediatrics and neonates in level II and III NICU settings. Clinical expertise includes evaluation and treatment of disordered swallowing and feeding in special neonate populations. Experience includes the development and dissemination of education for best feeding practices for late preterm and preterm infants to families and inter-disciplinary health care providers. She is passionate about supporting mother-baby breastfeeding dyads with special feeding considerations from hospitalization through the transition to home.

Dr. Marsha Campbell-Yeo, a neonatal nurse practitioner and clinician scientist, is a Full Professor at the School of Nursing, Faculty of Health, Dalhousie University and holds cross appointments in the Department of Pediatrics, and Psychology and Neuroscience. Her Canada Foundation of Innovation funded research lab, MOM-LINC (Mechanisms, Outcome and Mobilization of Maternally-Led Interventions to Improve Newborn Care) is located at the IWK Health Centre. She primarily holds grants examining interventions to improve outcomes of medically at-risk newborns specifically related to pain, stress, and neurodevelopment as well as novel knowledge synthesis and dissemination methods, and digital e-heath interventions aimed at enhancing parental engagement.

She has been recognized for her contributions to the field via numerous awards. She has received an Honorary Doctorate from the Faculty of Medicine and Science from Orebro University, Sweden, and invited as a member of the Royal Society of Canada's College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists, the recipient of the Inaugural Dalhousie University President's Award for research excellence, was named one of 150 Nurses championing innovation in health for Canada by the Canadian Nurses Association to mark the 150th anniversary of Confederation, a Canadian Institute of Health Research New Investigator Awardee, the Canadian Pain Society 2015 Early Career Awardee, and a Career Development Awardee of the Canadian Child Health Clinician Scientist Program. She is President-Elect of the Pain in Childhood Special Interest Group of the International Association for the Study of Pain, an Executive member of the Council of International Neonatal Nurses, and the Inaugural Chair of the Canadian Premature Babies Foundation Scientific Advisory Committee. Follow her on Twitter @DrMCampbellYeo

Dr. Kelly McGlothen-Bell is an Assistant Professor at UT Health San Antonio, School of Nursing. As a nurse scientist, Dr. McGlothen-Bell is dedicated to understanding and resolving perinatal-infant health disparities in underrepresented groups, particularly among mother-infant dyads impacted by substance use disorders and preterm births. Dr. McGlothen-Bell uses interdisciplinary research, bio-behavioral methodologies, and community-engaged strategies to define and explore health priorities that can be remedied through culturally appropriate and sustainable health solutions. Her program of science focuses on understanding the relationship between infant feeding behaviors and readiness in high-risk infants and attunement between the primary caregiver and child during infancy and toddlerhood. The culmination of these findings contributes to the development of evidence-based interventions geared toward improving parental engagement and pediatric feeding success in marginalized populations. Dr. McGlothen-Bell has published numerous peer-reviewed articles related to developmental strategies for high-risk infants. She has also presented her work at conferences nationally and internationally. Dr. McGlothen-Bell has received numerous awards to include the 2019 National Association of Neonatal Nurses (NANN) Mentee/Mentor Grant Award. She was also selected as a 2019-2020 Academy Jonas Nurse Policy Scholar.

Dr. Jennifer Barnes is the Neonatal Intensive Care Clinical Pharmacy Specialist at Levine Children’s Hospital in Charlotte, NC. She has over 10 years of experience within the field. Dr. Barnes received her bachelor’s degree at Virginia Tech and her Doctor of Pharmacy at Virginia Commonwealth University’s Medical College of Virginia. She completed her pharmacy practice residency at Alamance Regional Medical Center- Cone Health. Dr. Barnes is board certified in pediatric pharmacotherapy. She is also an active member of the Pediatric Pharmacy Association (PPA) and is currently serving as the neonatology committee chair. Dr. Barnes serves as a clinical assistant professor for pharmacy advanced practice rotations for University of North Carolina, University of South Carolina, Wingate University and High Point University. Her current research areas of interest include the role of diuretics in bronchopulmonary dysplasia treatment and antibiotic stewardship for late-onset sepsis amongst other topics.

Dr. Natalia Varela is a professor at the Externado University of Colombia. She directs the family and children research department. Dr. Natalia´s research experience on child development involved an interdisciplinary approach that enabled her to acquire tools working on an array of projects involving at-risk children and families around the world (Colombia, Canada, India, Vietnam, Indonesia, Burundi). Having worked with United Nations agencies and international NGOs, Dr. Natalia has gained expertise in academic research, as well as international development. Dr. Natalia works closely with the Kangaroo Foundation in Colombia on interesting research about premature birth and fatherhood. She holds a Ph.D. in Psychology from Laval University in Canada.

Lisa Leppard has worked within a Neonatal Tertiary Unit for 30 years in Clinical, Management, Network and National roles. Her current role, which she has undertaken for 19 years, has been developing the post of Clinical/Family Support Lead Nurse within a tertiary Neonatal Unit, utilising clinical evidence, audit, data and parent/carer feedback. She is responsible for the completion of national databases i.e. MBRRACE & PMRT. Initially this role was part-time but she has developed it, making it into a full-time role and leading a team of 3. The team also includes a clinical psychologist and to gain funding for this role, she worked collaboratively on the business case as part of the Neonatal Parents Mental Health Framework. The team ensures that Family Centred Care remains integral to the unit's ethos & that the parents/carers are given a voice and are well supported. Until recently, she was also the Safeguarding Lead for the Neonatal Unit and completed Level 3 training in Safeguarding. She has extensive experience with audit, working with all levels of the multidisciplinary teams. She was the lead for the BLISS Accreditation of the UHS Neonatal Unit, which was the first unit to be awarded Family Friendly Accreditation within the UK. She was recently part of the BLISS working party to review and update the BLISS audit tool and has also been a Professional BLISS Baby Charter Assessor. She has been the Thames Valley and Wessex Neonatal Network Lead Nurse for Palliative Care for 6 years. To facilitate standardisation of palliative care across the Network, she co-wrote the Palliative Care Pathway adopted and adapted in 2014 by TV&W NNW. She recently facilitated the review and update of the Palliative Care Pathway within the Network. In 2017, she contributed to the review and re-launch of the Together For Short Lives Neonatal Palliative Care Pathway. She is a chapter co-author in the new Palliative Care Text Book for Neonatal Nurses. She co-wrote the chapter on the Nurse’s role in the decision making process. (Neonatal Palliative Care for Nurses. Springer, 2020)

As lead of the Family Support Team, Lisa has developed a link with the Fetal Medicine Team working with families where a life-limiting diagnosis has been made to both support and plan the care of the parents and their baby at delivery and beyond, as well as completing ACP’s and discussing symptom management with parents and medical colleagues. This process includes acting as an advocate for the baby and their families, and always listening to their individual needs. She was part of the team to adapt a Perinatal Palliative Care Pathway for the Wessex Region. She has also worked collaboratively with the Multidisciplinary Paediatric teams to develop pathways to ensure the transition of care of neonates to Paediatrics is seamless & the parents/carers are well supported in the process.

Lisa has been seconded to develop the role of Neonatal Palliative Care Specialist Nurse at Naomi House, a local children’s hospice, raising the profile of hospice care being accessible to neonatal families and staff. She has developed a referral pathway and has visited all the units in the Wessex region, establishing contacts & promoting this as a choice to be offered to parents. She has undertaken the UNICEF Breast Feeding Training course and supported the Breast Feeding Lead Nurse with working towards the Baby Friendly Initiative within her unit. She completed a Counselling Diploma in 2016 and qualified as a Civil Mediator in 2018. Both of these qualifications have enhanced her communication and listening skills when working with families and professionals at all levels. She has a proven track record of managing and defusing challenging situations. She has developed Parental Support Groups and initiated a Father’s Group on the Neonatal Unit.

Dr. Prescott is currently and Assistant Professor at the University of South Florida and the Assistant Director of the College of Nursing's Biobehavioral Lab. Her research centers around the maternal and neonatal microbiota and it's interaction with host immunity to impact growth and metabolism. She has been a neonatal nurse practitioner since 2010, completed her PhD at the University of Virginia in partnership with the National Institutes of Health. Her postdoctoral work at the National Cancer Institute assessed perinatal antibiotics on the microbiome of mothers and their offspring. She has written several educational and review articles addressing the management of neonates with cardiovascular disease.

Mohan Pammi is a professor and neonatologist at Baylor College of Medicine. He was the medical director for a large NICU at Texas Children's Hospital for more than 4 years. His research interests are neonatal infections, microbiome and evidence-based medicine. He is currently funded by National Institute Health for clinical studies on the perinatal microbiome in preterm neonates.

Bernadette Mazurek Melnyk is Vice President for Health Promotion, University Chief Wellness Officer, Dean and Helene Fuld Health Trust Professor of Evidence-based Practice, the College of Nursing, Professor of Pediatrics and Psychiatry at the College of Medicine and Executive Director of the Helene Fuld Health Trust National Institute for Evidence-based Practice at The Ohio State University. Dr. Melnyk is recognized nationally and globally for her clinical knowledge, expertise in evidence-based practice, mental health, and intervention research as well as her innovative approaches to health and wellness. Dr. Melnyk was the first Chief Wellness Officer appointed at a University in the U.S. She founded and is the current president of the National Consortium for Building Healthy Academic Communities. Dr. Melnyk is an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine, the American Academy of Nursing, the National Academies of Practice, and the American Association of Nurse Practitioners. She is a member of the board of directors for the National Forum for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention. Dr. Melnyk has over $33 million dollars of sponsored funding from federal agencies and foundations as a PI, is an editor of seven books, and has authored over 450 publications. As a member of the National Academy of Medicine’s Action Collaborative on Clinician Well-being and Resilience, she is working to address the national crisis of healthcare provider burnout.

Dr. Jacqueline Hoffman has over 37 years in the field of neonatal health care. She completed her Masters in Perinatal/Neonatal Health at the State University of StonyBrook and her DNP at the University of Alabama, Birmingham. She was previously the NNP Track Coordinator and Clinical Faculty at UAB and the University of Florida. She is currently an Assistant Professor at Rush University in Chicago in the DNP-NNP track. She has a clinical practice with Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) and is the lead NNP at PeaceHealth Southwest in Vancouver, Washington. She precepts medical (family and pediatric residents) and NNP students in her clinical practice. She was part of the original Council for the National Association of Neonatal Nurse Practitioners (NANNP), is a Member-At-Large for the Florida Association of Neonatal Nurse Practitioners (FANNP), and is a member of the Academy of Neonatal Nurses, American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Perinatal Section, American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP), and member of the Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nursing (AWHONN). She has authored several book chapters in textbooks targeted for the NNP. She is a nationally known speaker as well as has presented several poster presentations on Case Studies.

Webra has over 40 years of experience in neonatal critical care with over 25 in neonatal transport. Currently she is the coordinator for the Maryland Regional Neonatal Transport Program, a private joint venture between University of Maryland Medical Center and Johns Hopkins Hospital. Her position includes administrative and clinical oversight to the transport program and outreach education to all referral hospitals. Webra has held leadership positions in National Association of Neonatal Nurses (NANN), the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Section on Transport Medicine, Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems (CAMTS) and American Academy of Neonatal Nursing (ANN). She is author of various articles, contributing author to books and publications. She has been a Content Reviewer of the 2006 and 2013 S.T.A.B.L.E. Program Learner Manuals, S.T.A.B.L.E. Program Instructor and Lead Instructor Trainer. Dr. Price-Douglas is an experienced, knowledgeable and well-respected presenter at national/ international meetings and has been on various planning committees/university faculty involved in educational activities including didactic, interactive and simulation programs. She holds certification as a neonatal nurse practitioner and lactation consultant. Webra is on the RISE team (Resilience in Stressful Events) at Johns Hopkins. She is interested how stressful/critical incidents (maternal/neonatal death/ stabilization attempts) impact the nursing/medical staff. She has completed formal education on integrative medicine strategies to support families and health care providers and promote resiliency.