Conference Addresses Current Topics in Pediatric Hematology and Oncology
Fifth Annual Current Topics in Pediatric Hematology and Oncology Conference, hosted by the School of Medicine and Westchester Medical Center Health Network and directed by Mitchell S. Cairo, M.D.
Pediatric health care providers from the Hudson Valley and surrounding area gathered at Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital on January 11 for the Fifth Annual Current Topics in Pediatric Hematology and Oncology Conference, hosted by the School of Medicine and Westchester Medical Center Health Network and directed by Mitchell S. Cairo, M.D., far left, professor of pediatrics, division of pediatric hematology, oncology and stem cell transplantation, and professor of medicine, pathology, microbiology and immunology, and cell biology and anatomy.
The conference, attended by pediatricians, internists, family practitioners, genetic specialists, hematologists, oncologists, emergency department providers, psychologists, social workers, counselors, nurses and nurse practitioners, covered the latest on the identification, etiology and management of pediatric diagnoses that may be linked to a genetic predisposition. Participants gained knowledge about predisposition syndromes that can result in malignant and non-malignant disorders.
A section focused on counseling addressed issues that providers sometimes lack the knowledge to discuss with their patients including genetic counseling for families when a child has an unexpected diagnosis. Dr. Cairo also discussed the “when” and “why” of cord-blood banking.
Photo from left: Dr. Cairo; Kelly A. Hutcheson, M.D., M.B.A, professor and chair of the Department of Ophthalmology; Akiko Shimamura, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Bone Marrow Failure and Myelodysplastic Syndrome Program of the Dana Farber/Boston Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorders Center and professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School, who presented the keynote address on bone marrow failure syndromes; and Mehmet F. Ozkaynak, M.D., professor of pediatrics.