Family Re-Union conference to focus on infant mortality, prematurity
Infant mortality and prematurity will be in the spotlight at the annual Family Re-Union conference, and Nashville Mayor Karl Dean and Memphis Mayor A.C. Wharton will be present for the discussion.
The conference, hosted by the Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt, Nashville Public Television and the Family Re-Union organization, will be Thursday, June 24, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Langford Auditorium on the Vanderbilt University Medical Center campus. It is free and open to the public.
Participants must register due to limited seating. Online registration and additional information is available at www.vanderbiltchildrens.org/familyreunion.
The day will include panel discussions involving local, state and national experts on the causes of infant mortality and prematurity, best practices for reducing infant mortality in underserved communities, and future action steps for prevention.
In addition to Mayors Dean and Wharton, participants will include William Paul, M.D., M.P.H., director of health for the Metro Nashville Davidson County Public Health Department, and Veronica Gunn, M.D., M.P.H., chief medical officer for the Tennessee Department of Health.
Vanderbilt faculty participating include Kevin Churchwell, M.D., chief executive officer and executive director of Children’s Hospital, Melanie Lutenbacher, Ph.D., M.S.N., associate professor of Nursing and Medicine, Louis Muglia, M.D., Ph.D., vice chair for Research Affairs in the Department of Pediatrics, Judy Aschner, M.D., director of the Division of Neonatology, and Peter Grubb, M.D., assistant professor of Pediatrics.
Family Re-Union will also feature a special screening of the second installment in Nashville Public Television’s documentary series “NPT Reports: Children’s Health Crisis.” The second episode takes an in-depth look at issues surrounding prenatal care, preterm birth and infant mortality in Tennessee.
Much of the documentary was filmed at Children’s Hospital and includes interviews with physicians and patients. It will air publicly June 24 at 8 p.m., C.D.T., on WNPT-Channel 8. For more information visit www.wnpt.org/productions/chc.