It was another successful and record-breaking year for the Eleventh Annual Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Chronic Lung Disease Conference!
In early March 2025, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) hosted the largest in-person Chronic Lung Disease (CLD) Conference to date, bringing together more than 365 multidisciplinary medical professionals at the Hilton Philadelphia at Penn’s Landing for a day and a half of learning, research collaboration, knowledge exchange and networking.
CLD, or bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), the most common chronic complication of preterm birth, is a complex and lifelong condition that affects many aspects of children’s and families’ lives. In the absence of effective and reliable preventative measures, infants with BPD often require prolonged hospital stays and expensive post-discharge medical care. The diagnosis of BPD is also a significant predictor of long-term impairments in lung function, cardiovascular health, growth and neurodevelopment.
“We were thrilled to recruit such a talented and diverse group of speakers who so eloquently shared their experience in managing BPD as well as the impact of a diagnosis of BPD on our patients and their families,” says Kathleen Gibbs, MD, Medical Director of the Newborn and Infant Chronic Lung Disease Program at CHOP, and Co-course Director for the conference. “Our always popular debate and Ask the Expert sessions once again incited a robust sharing of perspectives. Both these and the interactive workshops were intentionally developed to engage the audience, while also reinforce how essential our interdisciplinary collaboration is not only to the care of these patients but also in the success of this conference.”
This interdisciplinary conference once again brought together colleagues with a special interest in BPD care from various disciplines including physicians, advanced practice providers, nurses, occupational therapists, physical therapists, respiratory therapists, speech-language pathologists, dieticians and social workers. Continuing education credits were awarded to each respective field. Presenters included CHOP faculty as well as a diverse group of specialists from multiple institutions worldwide who specialize in caring for infants with BPD. One of the highlights of this year’s conference was the dynamic audience engagement, sparked by interactive Q-and-A sessions following each guest speaker's presentation.
“It was amazing to be able to showcase national and international experts in the care of CLD infants and their families this year,” says Kathy Nilan, RN, Nurse Coordinator of the Newborn and Infant Chronic Lung Disease Program, and Co-course Director.
Another standout moment of this year’s conference was the honor of hosting two keynote speakers. Patrick J. McNamara, MB, Director of the Division of Neonatology at the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital gave a talk titled Hemodynamic Precision in Optimization of PDA Related Outcomes in BPD. The second keynote speaker, Anne Greenough, MD, (Cantab), MB BS, DCH, came all the way from the United Kingdom as part of the faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine at King’s College London’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and delivered a presentation about chronic respiratory morbidity following preterm birth.
The conference was also honored to host Lauren Ingledow, Co-founder/Director of the Adult Preemie Advocacy Network CIC located in the United Kingdom, and Michelle Kelly, PhD, CRNP, CNE, Co-Director, Mid-Atlantic Center for Children’s Health and the Environment. These women provided a unique perspective on the evolving topic of health challenges faced by former preterm (infant) adults. Ms. Ingledow delivered a moving talk, The Relevance of Preterm Birth History: Acknowledging Risk to Maximize Potential, which highlighted her distinctive vantage point from her personal experience as a former preterm infant.
Several new elements were introduced at this year’s conference, including the inaugural mid-conference session “Bench to Bedside: The Developing Lung and BPD.” During this session, held during a catered dinner, speakers were provided the opportunity to present translational as well as clinical research to select attendees.
Workshops in ventilation strategies and developmental care were also offered for the first time. The developmental care session provided participants hands-on engagement, allowing them to interact with faculty members and equipment via simulation and audiovisual experiences. The ventilator strategy workshop utilized a lung simulator and audience response system to walk through real life cases and applied interpretation of ventilator graphics as ventilator settings changed.
As in years past, the BPD Collaborative Symposium immediately followed the CLD Conference, providing a seamless opportunity for its members to continue to their joint efforts, quality improvement and clinical research projects.
We look forward to the next CLD Conference in 2026, where we will continue to expand content and opportunities to advance the important and exciting work being done in the field of BPD care.
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It was another successful and record-breaking year for the Eleventh Annual Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Chronic Lung Disease Conference!
In early March 2025, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) hosted the largest in-person Chronic Lung Disease (CLD) Conference to date, bringing together more than 365 multidisciplinary medical professionals at the Hilton Philadelphia at Penn’s Landing for a day and a half of learning, research collaboration, knowledge exchange and networking.
CLD, or bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), the most common chronic complication of preterm birth, is a complex and lifelong condition that affects many aspects of children’s and families’ lives. In the absence of effective and reliable preventative measures, infants with BPD often require prolonged hospital stays and expensive post-discharge medical care. The diagnosis of BPD is also a significant predictor of long-term impairments in lung function, cardiovascular health, growth and neurodevelopment.
“We were thrilled to recruit such a talented and diverse group of speakers who so eloquently shared their experience in managing BPD as well as the impact of a diagnosis of BPD on our patients and their families,” says Kathleen Gibbs, MD, Medical Director of the Newborn and Infant Chronic Lung Disease Program at CHOP, and Co-course Director for the conference. “Our always popular debate and Ask the Expert sessions once again incited a robust sharing of perspectives. Both these and the interactive workshops were intentionally developed to engage the audience, while also reinforce how essential our interdisciplinary collaboration is not only to the care of these patients but also in the success of this conference.”
This interdisciplinary conference once again brought together colleagues with a special interest in BPD care from various disciplines including physicians, advanced practice providers, nurses, occupational therapists, physical therapists, respiratory therapists, speech-language pathologists, dieticians and social workers. Continuing education credits were awarded to each respective field. Presenters included CHOP faculty as well as a diverse group of specialists from multiple institutions worldwide who specialize in caring for infants with BPD. One of the highlights of this year’s conference was the dynamic audience engagement, sparked by interactive Q-and-A sessions following each guest speaker's presentation.
“It was amazing to be able to showcase national and international experts in the care of CLD infants and their families this year,” says Kathy Nilan, RN, Nurse Coordinator of the Newborn and Infant Chronic Lung Disease Program, and Co-course Director.
Another standout moment of this year’s conference was the honor of hosting two keynote speakers. Patrick J. McNamara, MB, Director of the Division of Neonatology at the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital gave a talk titled Hemodynamic Precision in Optimization of PDA Related Outcomes in BPD. The second keynote speaker, Anne Greenough, MD, (Cantab), MB BS, DCH, came all the way from the United Kingdom as part of the faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine at King’s College London’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and delivered a presentation about chronic respiratory morbidity following preterm birth.
The conference was also honored to host Lauren Ingledow, Co-founder/Director of the Adult Preemie Advocacy Network CIC located in the United Kingdom, and Michelle Kelly, PhD, CRNP, CNE, Co-Director, Mid-Atlantic Center for Children’s Health and the Environment. These women provided a unique perspective on the evolving topic of health challenges faced by former preterm (infant) adults. Ms. Ingledow delivered a moving talk, The Relevance of Preterm Birth History: Acknowledging Risk to Maximize Potential, which highlighted her distinctive vantage point from her personal experience as a former preterm infant.
Several new elements were introduced at this year’s conference, including the inaugural mid-conference session “Bench to Bedside: The Developing Lung and BPD.” During this session, held during a catered dinner, speakers were provided the opportunity to present translational as well as clinical research to select attendees.
Workshops in ventilation strategies and developmental care were also offered for the first time. The developmental care session provided participants hands-on engagement, allowing them to interact with faculty members and equipment via simulation and audiovisual experiences. The ventilator strategy workshop utilized a lung simulator and audience response system to walk through real life cases and applied interpretation of ventilator graphics as ventilator settings changed.
As in years past, the BPD Collaborative Symposium immediately followed the CLD Conference, providing a seamless opportunity for its members to continue to their joint efforts, quality improvement and clinical research projects.
We look forward to the next CLD Conference in 2026, where we will continue to expand content and opportunities to advance the important and exciting work being done in the field of BPD care.
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