8th International Conference on
Pediatrics and Pediatrics Healthcare

Paola Giordano is an Associate Professor in the Pediatric Department at The University of Bari, Italy. She received her medical degree and Pediatric specialization from University of Bari and Ph. D. from the National Center of Research, Italy. In 1992, she joined as a researcher at University of Bari and is awarded Associate Professorship in 2007. Her area of expertise includes Paediatric Haematology, Haemophilia, Platelet disorders, Thrombosis. She is a member of many scientific societies and associations like Italian Society of Pediatrics, Italian Association of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Italian Society of Pediatric Research, talian Association of Center for Hemophilia, European Medicine Agency etc.

Paediatric Haematology, Haemophilia, Platelet disorders, Thrombosis

Dr. Won-Ho Hahn serves as Director of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Soon Chun Hyang University Hospital in Seoul. he joined Soon Chun Hyang University Hospital as a faculty member, where he has continued his academic and clinical work in neonatology. His research interests include biomarkers, genetic polymorphisms, neonatology, and neonatal nephrology. Dr. Hahn is actively involved in several professional organizations, including the Korean Society of Pediatrics, Korean Society of Neonatology, and Korean Society of Pediatric Nephrology. He has also contributed to professional committees, including the Insurance Committee of the Korean Society of Neonatology and the Judging Committee of the Korean Society of Perinatal Medicine.

Biomarker, Genetic polymorphism, Neonatology, Neonatal nephrology

Dr. Juan A. Tovar is the Head of the Pediatric Surgery Department at Hospital Universitario La Paz in Madrid and serves as a Professor of Pediatrics at the Autonomous University of Madrid. His academic and research work focuses on pediatric gastroenterology, particularly esophageal motor physiology and gastroesophageal reflux, as well as the mechanisms underlying congenital malformations and transplantation. Dr. Tovar is an active member of numerous professional societies and committees in the fields of pediatrics and pediatric surgery. Throughout his career, he has contributed extensively to the medical literature, with approximately 500 national and international publications to his credit.

Pediatric Gastroenterology, Esophageal Motor Physiology, Gastroesophageal Reflux, Congenital Malformations, and Transplantation.

Professor Frank van Bel is a distinguished neonatologist and research professor at the University Medical Center Utrecht (UMCU), The Netherlands. He served as Director and Chairman of the Department of Neonatology and has been closely involved in advancing research in neonatal brain health and perinatal medicine. He completed his doctoral thesis in 1987 on cerebral Doppler studies in perinatology. Before joining UMCU, Professor van Bel worked as a neonatologist at Leiden University Medical Center and conducted experimental research in neonatal hemodynamics, including studies involving newborn lambs. He also undertook research appointments at the University of Southern California and the University of California, San Francisco, where he investigated cerebral physiology in preterm fetal models. His current research focuses primarily on the developing newborn brain. One major area involves non-invasive monitoring of cerebral oxygenation, systemic hemodynamics, and brain function using Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS) and amplitude-integrated EEG (aEEG), with particular emphasis on incorporating these technologies into routine Neonatal Intensive Care Unit practice. His research group has gained international recognition in this field.

Perinatal Neurology: Noninvasive Brain oxygenation/Neuroprotection and brain repair with Cell therapy

Dr. Sherryl Scott Heller, Ph.D., is an applied developmental psychologist and Associate Professor of Clinical Psychiatry in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Tulane University School of Medicine. She completed her undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral education at the University of New Orleans. Her professional career has focused extensively on early childhood development and mental health. Her clinical and research interests include the impact of child maltreatment and violence on development, attachment and attachment-related difficulties in young children, early childhood care, gender development, perinatal loss, and reflective supervision. Dr. Heller has played an active role in statewide initiatives designed to strengthen the quality of early childhood care. As a senior mental health consultant, she has contributed to programs that combine quality assessment systems with mental health consultation for childcare providers. She also provides mental health consultation to early childhood and kindergarten programs in the Greater New Orleans area through collaborations with organizations including Seamless Transitions, New Orleans Outreach, and Agenda for Children.

Reflective supervision, Effects of maltreatment on child development, Developemental psychology, Perinatal loss, Outcomes in pediatric and adult liver transplantation and kidney transplantation, Pediatric liver tumors, and Viral infections post-op transplantation in pediatric patients

Dr. Waldo Concepcion, MD, FACS, is a Professor of Pediatric Nephrology at Stanford University and serves as Chief of Clinical Transplantation. He also leads the Pediatric Kidney Transplantation program at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford. He earned his medical degree from Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara in Mexico before completing his general surgery residency at Loma Linda University Medical Center. He subsequently pursued advanced training in transplantation surgery at the University of Pittsburgh under the mentorship of Dr. Thomas Starzl, a pioneering figure in the field of organ transplantation. Dr. Concepcion was part of the founding team involved in establishing the liver transplantation program at California Pacific Medical Center, where he practiced as a transplant surgeon from 1988 to 1994. During this period, he developed particular expertise in hepatobiliary surgery and the management of portal hypertension. In 1994, Dr. Concepcion joined Stanford University. Two years later, he was appointed Director of the Transplantation Institute at Loma Linda University Medical Center, where he established a pediatric liver transplantation program and provided leadership for the institution’s multi-organ transplant services. Dr. Concepcion returned to Stanford in 2005, assuming leadership roles in clinical transplantation and pediatric kidney transplantation. Throughout his career, he has contributed significantly to pediatric and multi-organ transplantation and remains actively engaged in clinical research. His academic work includes more than 100 scientific publications and book chapters.

Reflective supervision, Effects of maltreatment on child development, Developemental psychology, Perinatal loss, Outcomes in pediatric and adult liver transplantation and kidney transplantation, Pediatric liver tumors, and Viral infections post-op transplantation in pediatric patients

Dr. Anthony J Alario is a Professor of Pediatrics at University of Massachusetts Medical School. He also acts as Chief of Pediatric Rheumatology department at UMass Memorial Medical Centre. His major research interests are Pediatric Rheumatology, Juvenile Arthritis, Vasculitis. He has authored about 70 National and International publications and many books.

Rheumatology, Juvenile Arthritis, Vasculitis

Professor Karen Dolores Hendricks-Muñoz is the William Tate Graham Professor of Neonatal Medicine at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), where she serves as Chair of the Division of Neonatal Medicine and Director of the Neonatal and Perinatal Medicine Training Program. She also holds the position of Deputy Director at the VCU Center on Health Disparities. She completed her education at Fordham University and Yale School of Medicine and Public Health. Before joining VCU and Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU, she held several leadership positions at NYU School of Medicine, including Chief of Neonatology, Fellowship Training Program Director, and Co-Chair of the institution’s Diversity initiative. Professor Hendricks-Muñoz is an inductee of Alpha Omega Alpha (AOA) and a member of the American Pediatric Society (APS), alongside other professional and scientific organizations. Her academic contributions include numerous national and international publications, book chapters, and scholarly reviews. Her research primarily explores infant immune system development, the formation of the early-life microbiome, and the influence of environmental factors on long-term health outcomes. She also investigates healthcare quality improvement, with particular emphasis on hospital care systems and neonatal intensive care unit practices.

Neonatal Medicine, Infant Immunology, Microbiome Development, Environmental Influences on Health, Health Disparities, and Quality Improvement in Neonatal Intensive Care.