Speaking Of Nec: Necrotizing Enterocolitis"

In Episode 12, Stephanie Vaughan, Co-founder and President of The Morgan Leary Vaughan Fund, goes from Speaking of NEC: Necrotizing Enterocolitis host to guest as media broadcaster Jeff Bradbury turns the microphone on her for a retrospective. Stephanie reflects on the podcast series itself, and her experiences as a mother-turned-prematurity-and-rare-disease-advocate-turned-podcaster. She also looks towards the future for The Morgan Leary Vaughan Fund. Copyright © 2016 The Morgan Leary Vaughan Fund, Inc. This episode was produced in part by the TeacherCast Educational Broadcasting Network. [powerpress] Copyright © 2016 The Morgan Leary Vaughan Fund, Inc. The opinions expressed in Speaking of NEC: Necrotizing Enterocolitis (the Podcast series) and by The Morgan Leary Vaughan Fund are published for educational and informational purposes only, and are not intended as a diagnosis, treatment or as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis and treatment. Please consult a local physician or other healt

Dr. Corrine Hanson. Photo courtesy of Dr. Corrine Hanson. Episode 11 features Dr. Corrine Hanson, Associate Professor in the Division of Medical Nutrition Education, College of Allied Health Professions, University of Nebraska Medical Center (Omaha, NE). Dr. Hanson provides a comprehensive overview of standardized feeding protocols as they apply primarily to very low birth weight babies, those weighing less than 1500 grams (3 pounds 4.91 ounces) and who have the greatest risk for developing the NEC. She discusses: * The unique nutritional needs of very low birth weight babies * The importance, and inherent challenges, of initiating the feeding of premature babies * What constitutes standardized feeding protocols * How standardized feeding protocols appear to decrease rates of NEC and improve outcomes * Nutritional support related to a secondary diagnosis of Short Bowel Syndrome. Copyright © 2016 The Morgan Leary Vaughan Fund, Inc. This episode was produced in part by the TeacherCast Educational Broadcast

Dr. Sergio Golombek. Photo courtesy of Dr. Sergio Golombek. Episode 10 features Dr. Sergio Golombek, a Professor of Pediatrics and Clinical Public Health at the New York Medical College and an Attending Neonatologist at The Regional Neonatal Center, Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital at Westchester Medical Center (Valhalla, NY). During the episode, Dr. Golombek discusses: * How researchers are refining the definition of NEC, and other prematurity-associated complications that may currently fall under that umbrella term, * The evolution in prevention and diagnosis strategies of NEC, * The colonization of the intestinal microbiome, and the role it can play in immune system regulation, and inflammatory diseases like NEC, * Additional research trends in NEC, including his unit’s research of granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) in the prevention and treatment of NEC, and * The importance of individualized patient care in the NICU. Copyright © 2015 The Morgan Leary Vaughan Fund, Inc. This episode was pr

Episode 9 features Yamile Jackson, expert parent, Founder and CEO of Nurtured by Design, and award-winning inventor/designer of The Zaky and the Kangaroo Zak. During the episode, Yamile provides a comprehensive overview of Kangaroo Care and ergonomics as related to premature infants and the NICU environment. Yamile also shares her son Zachary’s story of prematurity and survival including a near fatal encounter with a natural disaster during his NICU stay, and how their experience led her to found Nurtured by Design—the first in its class, global leader in neonatal ergonomics. She discusses: The premature birth of her son Zachary at 28 weeks, How Zachary had to be kept alive by hand for 9 hours after Tropical Storm Allison shut down their hospital, How hers and her family’s experience with prematurity led her to invent The Zaky and the Kangaroo Zak, The clinical evidence showing a 50% reduction in apnea and bradycardia events with the use of The Zaky, no events with the use of a maternally-scented Zaky, and 3

Dr. Sheila Gephart. Photo courtesy of Dr. Sheila Gephart. Episode 8 features Dr. Sheila Gephart, neonatal nurse scientist and assistant professor at the University of Arizona College of Nursing. During this episode, Dr. Gephart provides a comprehensive overview of GutCheckNEC, a first-of-its-kind, 10-item risk assessment that she developed for the early detection of NEC in premature infants. She discusses: * Her transition from bedside nurse in the neonatal intensive care unit to her development of GutCheckNEC—what she calls a “real-time, early warning score for NEC,”* The 10 risk factors that make up GutCheckNEC, their associated symptoms, and how risk is communicated,* The development of NEC Zero, an intervention that has evolved out of the Unit NEC rate component of GutCheckNEC,* The strength of evidence for the use of probiotics in the prevention of NEC, and* The importance of shared decision making in the NICU. Copyright © 2015 The Morgan Leary Vaughan Fund, Inc. This episode was produced in part by

Jennifer Canvasser. Photo courtesy of Jennifer Canvasser. Episode 7 features Jennifer Canvasser, Founder of the NEC Society, and Dr. Samir Gadepalli, NEC Society scientific advisory council member. In 2014, Jennifer founded the NEC Society, a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting fragile infants, after losing her son, Micah, to Necrotizing Enterocolitis. During the episode, Jennifer and Samir share the findings from the NEC Society’s survey aimed at characterizing parent perceptions of the practices and events related to their child’s development of NEC. They discuss: The design and development of the NEC Society’s online, international survey—research specifically focused on parents and their perspectives on NEC, The survey’s five areas of interest: education, awareness, support of human milk, information provided and information providers, and parental empowerment in the NICU, The survey findings including the demographics of the participants and their babies—all of whom were diagnosed with

Laura Martin. Photo courtesy of Laura Martin. Episode 6 features Laura Martin, expert parent, mom blogger at Joseph at Home, and the Director of Parent Communication and Engagement at Graham’s Foundation—a non-profit organization that supports parents of premature infants. During the episode, Laura shares her son Joseph’s story of prematurity and survival including his near fatal bout of late-onset NEC and the multitude of life-long complications that have resulted. She discusses: The extremely premature birth of her twin sons, Joseph and Campbell, at 24 weeks—four months early, and Campbell’s passing at 23 days of life, How Joseph developed late-onset NEC and lost two-thirds of his small intestine, Several of Joseph’s secondary diagnoses including Short Bowel Syndrome, Auditory Neuropathy Spectrum Disorder, Eosinophilic Esophagitis, and multiple food allergies—all resulting from NEC, How hers and her family’s experience with prematurity led to her work at Graham’s Foundation, Her personal blog where she doc

Episode 5 features Dr. Naveed Hussain, Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine and Director, Neonatal Research and Neonatologist at Connecticut Children’s NICU at University of Connecticut Health Center in Farmington, CT. During the episode, Dr. Hussain provides an overview of transfusion associated NEC, or TANEC, as it relates primarily to extremely low birth weight babies, those weighing less than 1000 grams (2 pounds 3 ounces) or those born very premature at less than 28 weeks gestation, and who have the greatest risk for developing the disease. He discusses: * The significant role of blood transfusions in the NICU, and the frequency with which they may be required * What constitutes transfusion associated NEC, and some of the controversies surrounding TANEC * The critical period after a blood transfusion when a premature baby may be most at risk for developing NEC * Some of the correlations between blood transfusions, feedings, and NEC * His current research f

Dr. Martin Lee. Photo courtesy of Prolacta Bioscience. Episode 4 features Dr. Martin Lee, Vice President of Clinical Research and Development at Prolacta Bioscience. During this episode, Dr. Lee provides a comprehensive overview of a 100% or exclusive human milk diet in the prevention of NEC in extremely premature babies, those weighing less than 1250 grams (2 pounds 12 ounces) and who have the greatest risk for developing the disease. He discusses: * His transition from the blood industry to Prolacta, which developed of the world’s first human milk-based human milk fortifier * What constitutes a 100% or exclusive human milk diet * The clinical evidence showing a 70% reduction in NEC, an 8-fold reduction in surgical NEC, and a 4-fold reduction in mortality through the use of exclusive human milk diet * The importance of safety in the breast milk industry, including Prolacta’s rigorous product testing and donor safety profiles which parallel blood industry standards. Copyright © 2015 The Morgan Leary Vaughan F

Dr. R. Lawrence Moss. Photo courtesy of Nationwide Children’s Hospital Episode 3 features Dr. R. Lawrence Moss, Surgeon-in-Chief at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. During the episode, Dr. Moss discusses: * The two surgical options, laparotomy and perinatal drainage, commonly used to treat NEC * His current research of biomarkers (indicators) that can predict the development or course of NEC leading to surgery * Genetic predisposition and environmental risk factors of NEC * Not-for-profit and industry funding for biomedical research, and some of the inherent challenges specific to NEC * The complementary roles of clinical/translational research and basic science research in the prevention and treatment of NEC. Copyright © 2015 The Morgan Leary Vaughan Fund, Inc. This episode was produced in part by the TeacherCast Educational Broadcasting Network. [powerpress] Additional Information You can make a donation directly to Dr. Moss' research in NEC at Nationwide Children’s Hospital by visiting ht

  Episode 2 features Dr. Adam Matson, attending neonatologist at Connecticut Children’s Medical Center-Newborn Intensive Care Unit (Hartford, CT) and Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and Immunology at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine (Farmington, CT). During this episode, Dr. Matson provides a comprehensive overview of NEC as it relates primarily to very low birth weight babies, those weighing less than 1500 grams (3 pounds 4.91 ounces) and who have the greatest risk for developing the disease. He discusses: * The early warning signs of NEC, what steps are taken when NEC is suspected, and how X-rays are used to diagnose NEC * How a premature baby’s immune response to the microbiome (bacterial communities) of the intestine appears to play a role in the development of NEC * Known risk factors of NEC, and how they may affect the intestinal microbiome * His current research focused on innate immune signaling in the developing intestine as it pertains to the development of NEC * Current prevention

Produced by The Morgan Leary Vaughan Fund, and funded by The Petit Family Foundation, these podcasts are one-on-one conversations with relevant NEC experts—neonatologists, clinicians and researchers—that highlight current prevention, diagnosis, and treatment strategies for NEC, and the search for a cure.

Stephanie shares how her son Morgan’s experience with Necrotizing Enterocolitis was the catalyst for not only founding The Morgan Leary Vaughan Fund but also developing and producing the Speaking of NEC: Necrotizing Enterocolitis series. Copyright © 2015 The Morgan Leary Vaughan Fund, Inc. Welcome to Speaking of NEC: Necrotizing Enterocolitis—a free, audio podcast series about Necrotizing Enterocolitis or NEC. Produced by The Morgan Leary Vaughan Fund, and funded by The Petit Family Foundation, Speaking of NEC is a series of one-on-one conversations with relevant NEC experts—neonatologists, clinicians and researchers—that highlights current prevention, diagnosis, and treatment strategies for NEC, and the search for a cure. For more information about this podcast series or The Morgan Leary Vaughan Fund, visit our website at www.morgansfund.org Hello, my name is Stephanie Vaughan. I’m the Co-founder and President of The Morgan Leary Vaughan Fund. Welcome to our show. As a prologue to this series, I would like s