The 12th Annual meeting of the New England Consortium of Metabolic Programs was held at the Tower Hill Botanic Garden in Boylston, MA. The meeting was open to Consortium members. Please click here to learn about membership.
New England Consortium of Metabolic Programs Annual Meeting
Friday, November 6, 2009
9:30am – 3:30pm
Tower Hill Botanic Garden
11 French Drive
Phone: 508-869-6111
Map & directions
The purpose of the New England Consortium is to increase knowledge of metabolic disorders and to improve the delivery of health care to patients in our region. The Consortium provides a forum for discussions and the possibility for joint projects to carry out our goals.
The theme of this year’s meeting was “What is a Disease?” In other words, when does an abnormal newborn screening result confer risk to a child’s health and development? As a region we can contribute evidence for addressing this issue.
Keynote Speaker Diane Paul, PhD. New England Consortium of Metabolic Programs Annual Meeting, 2009.
Our keynote speaker was Dr. Diane Paul, Professor Emerita from University of Massachusetts Boston, Department of Political Science and Research Associate, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University. She is completing a book on the history of newborn screening and shared her insights with us. The title of her talk was, “On Drawing Lessons from the History of Newborn Screening for PKU”.
As in previous Annual Meetings, representatives from Public Health Departments reported on their state activities. Break-out sessions permitted participants from diverse disciplines to develop hypotheses regarding the definition of a disease following an abnormal newborn screen. The Break-out sessions were divided into the following groups:
Medicine – Wendy Smith, moderator
Public Health – Cindy Ingham, moderator
Nutrition – Ann Wessel, moderator
Psychosocial Outcomes and Transition Issues – Marinell Newton, moderator
Exhibits from Industry were on display. Representatives displayed their products at the meeting and participant had time to visit the displays before the meeting, as well as during breaks and lunch.
Please visit our membership page to learn more about joining the New England Consortium of Metabolic Programs, and attending our Annual Meeting.