Presentations
Sunday March 22 – Arrive, Dinner on own
Monday March 23 – Breakfast on own
Opening Session: Purpose and goals of OPERA
Moderator: Craig Pennell, President of PREBIC and WUN Representative from the University of Western Australia
08:00 – Welcome
Craig E. Pennell, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia
08:10 – History and goals of OPERA
David M. Olson, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
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08:25 – Value of early risk assessment and intervention for diminishing adverse pregnancy outcomes
James Walker, Leeds University, Leeds, United Kingdom
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08:50 – Identifying vulnerable populations at risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes
Joe Leigh Simpson, MD, March of Dimes Foundation, White Plains, New York, USA
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09:15 – Coffee Break
Session II. Populations of vulnerable women
Moderator: Michael Katz, March of Dimes Foundation, White Plains, New York, USA
09:35 – Victims of natural disasters
Suzanne King, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
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10:00 – Refugees and victims of violence
Amelia Reese Masterson, International Medical Corps, Beirut, Lebanon
Jinan Usta, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon
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10:25 – Excesses of modern societies
Jane E. Norman, University of Edinburgh, MRC Centre for Reproductive Health, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
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10:50 – Marginalized populations in developed countries
Dawn Misra, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan, USA
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11:15 – Roundtable discussion
Discussants: Edouard Tursan D’Espaignet, Giancarlo DiRenzo, Adrienne Ettinger, Joe Leigh Simpson
12:00 – Lunch (provided)
Session III. Mechanisms of adverse pregnancy outcomes in vulnerable populations
Moderator: Jane E. Norman, University of Edinburgh, MRC Centre for Reproductive Health, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
13:00 – Stress and allostatic load
Gerlinde Metz, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada
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13:20 – Inflammation and infectious diseases
Sarah Robertson, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia
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13:40 – Genetic and epigenetic mediators
Richard Saffery, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
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14:00 – The environment and assessment of the exposome
Philip Baker, Gravida: National Centre for Growth and Development, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
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14: 20 – Roundtable discussion
Discussants: Calvin Hobel, Ram Menon, Craig Pennell, Sven Skulstad, Nanbert Zhong
14:55 – Coffee Break
Session IV. Approaches to risk assessment: existing, emerging and future tools
Moderator: Philip Baker, Gravida: National Centre for Growth and Development, University of Auckland Auckland, New Zealand
15:15 – Screening for pre-eclampsia.
Claire Roberts, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia
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15:40 – Early prediction of gestational diabetes
Jane Hirst, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
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16:05 – Predicting preterm delivery in Zambia
Jeff Stringer, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina. USA
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16:30 – Roundtable discussion
Discussants: Jennifer Culhane, Dawn Misra, Richard Saffery, Satoru Takeda, Felipe Vadillo-Ortega, Barbara Verstraeten, Jimmy Walker
18:30 – Reception
19:00 – Banquet: Urban Tavern (see hotel map)
Tuesday March 24
Breakfast on own
Session V. Existing studies to predict adverse pregnancy outcomes
Moderator: Ram Menon, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, USA
08:00 – Brazilian multicentre study on preterm birth (EMIP)
Laura Costa, UNICAMP State University of Campinas, Sao Paulo, Brazil
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08:25 – Korean cohorts studying air pollution and adverse pregnancy outcomes
Young-Ju Kim, MD, Ewha Womans’ University MokDong Hospital, Ewha Womans’ University, Seoul, Korea
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08:50 – Megacities and urban development
Felipe Vadillo-Ortego, UNAM at the National Institute of Genomic Medicine, Mexico City, Mexico
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9:15 – Roundtable discussion
Discussants: Phil Baker, Laura Caulfield, Lara Morley, Anisur Rahman, Nigel Simpson, Jeff Stringer, Satoru Takeda,
9:50 – Coffee Break
Session VI. Interventions to mitigate adverse pregnancy outcomes
Moderator: James Walker, Leeds University, Leeds, United Kingdom
10:10 – Achieving participation by women at risk
Jennifer Culhane, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
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10:35 – Nutritional interventions
Laura Caulfield, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
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11:00 – Tobacco-free environment for healthier outcomes
Dr Edouard Tursan D’Espaignet, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
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11:25 – Roundtable discussion
Discussants: Rhonda Bell, Laura Costa, Jane Hirst, Young Ju Kim, Amelia Reese Masterson, Claire Roberts, Jinan Usta
12:00 – Lunch (provided)
Session VII. OPERA going forward (how we turn discussion into action)
Moderator: Sarah Robertson, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia
View Presentation
13:00 – Roundtable discussion
Discussants: Edouard Tursan D’Espaignet, Jane Norman, Craig Pennell, Katharina Staub, Jimmy Walker
13:50 – Concluding Remarks: David Olson, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
14:00 – Adjournment
