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WIRF is one of Australia's leading organisations that is dedicated to improving the health of women and infants.

Stars 2024

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The Women and Infants Research Foundation is pleased to present the annual Stars Scientific Symposium: Timing is Everything.

Date: Friday, 23 August 2024, 12.00 noon to 7pm.
Venue: UWA Club, Banquet Hall, Crawley
Cost: $100 (Students $85) inc presentations and refreshments. Purchase tickets here.

View the Symposium flyer here.

Visiting Professor - Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Mount Sinai Medical Center, New York, Dr Mark Evans: Re-engineering Electronic Fetal Monitoring.


Bio

Dr Mark Evans is President of the Fetal Medicine Foundation of America, Professor of Obstetrics & Gynecology at Mt. Sinai School of Medicine, President of the International Fetal Medicine and Surgery Society Foundation, and President of Comprehensive Genetics, PLLC.

He spent 17 years at Wayne State University in Detroit becoming the Charlotte B. Failing Professor, Distinguished Professor, and Chairman of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Professor of Molecular Medicine and Genetics, and Professor of Pathology. Before returning to his native New York, he was also Professor and Chairman of Obstetrics & Gynecology at MCP Hahnemann University in Philadelphia.

Dr Evans has been a pioneer in the development of many advances in obstetrics including for prenatal diagnosis: chorionic villus sampling, screening techniques for chromosome abnormalities, and in utero fetal muscle biopsy for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy: He developed the nation’s largest AFP program for Metpath/Corning/Quest, and in conjunction with the Fetal Medicine Foundation has helped develop nuchal translucency screening and training worldwide.

In fetal therapy he has developed the method for the first prevention of a birth defect preventing genital masculinization in congenital adrenal hyperplasia, and was part of the team that did the first open fetal surgery for diaphragmatic hernia and fetoscopic umbilical cord ligation to treat TRAP sequence anomalies. He performed the first successful in utero stem cell transplant to cure a baby with SCIDS – the “bubble babies.”

Dr Evans has been the acknowledged leader in the development and publishing for the fetal reduction procedure through which the outcomes of multiple pregnancies have been dramatically improved over the last twenty years. He has over 1100 scientific publications including 30 text books.


Abstract

For over 50 years, EFM has been the mainstay of intrapartum fetal assessment. Designed to prevent intrapartum stillbirths, which it does well, its mission was extended to prevent fetal compromise, neurological impairment, and cerebral palsy at which it performs poorly missing over half the cases but dramatically increasing caesarean deliveries.

We have developed a new approach, the “Fetal Reserve Index” which is a quantitative, contextualized screening test which we have shown to have much higher performance. Our initial studies have shown great promise for earlier and more accurate determination of risk allowing less dramatic interventions that lower the emergency delivery rate, improve our understanding of the pathophysiology deterioration, and show that monitoring must continue for about 30 minutes postpartum.

Senior Researchers

  • Dr Haruo Usuda (WIRF / UWA) – Artificial Placenta model of hypoxia
  • Dr Zoe Bradfield (Curtin University) – Birthing in MyTIME: A Clinical Trial to address rising induction rates
  • Dr Jonathan Davis (CAHS) – Does it matter where preterm babies are born in Western Australia?
  • Dr Mathias Epee-Bekima (KEMH) – Placenta accreta spectrum: The ticking bomb

Emerging Researchers

  • Dr Sean Carter (NUS / KEMH) – Antenatal steroids elicit neurodegenerative changes in fetal sheep brains independent of lung maturation
  • Dr Dimple Goel (UWA) – Keep the Chin-up: Neonatal sleep disordered breathing
  • Dr Sara Morris (KEMH) Insights into term breech birth at a tertiary maternity unit
  • Dr Chandra Rath (UWA) Effect of probiotic dose escalation on gut microbiota and clinical outcomes in preterm infants

Stars 2024 will also feature a Consumer Panel hosted by Co-Founder and Chief Executive, Helping Little Hands, Joanne Beedie, and three panelists.

This event is approved for 4.5 CPD hours by the Australian College of Midwives and 4.5 CPD hours by RANZCOG.

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Contact details

Women and Infants Research Foundation
Carson House, King Edward Memorial Hospital
374 Bagot Road, Subiaco, WA 6008

Telephone: 08 6458 1437
Fax: 08 6458 1642
Email: info@wirf.com.au

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