Newswise — LEXINGTON, Ky. (Oct. 19, 2012) — The University of Kentucky is hosting the first annual Makenna Foundation Symposium on Pediatric Pulmonary Disease next Friday and Saturday.

The symposium will bring together thought leaders across a spectrum of disciplines to discuss recent advances and future direction in the diagnosis, management, surgical and non-surgical therapies for pulmonary diseases.

Event speakers will present the recent advances in the field that can be applied to patient care and include faculty from the University of Kentucky as well as faculty from other top medical programs across the country.

Friday's program will be held in the UK College of Pharmacy's Biological Pharmaceutical Building Room 234B. It will feature educational sessions by:

Dr. Charles Hoopes, director of the UK Transplant Program Sheila David, executive director of the Makenna Foundation Robin Shandas, professor and chair of bioengineering at the University of Colorado Dr. Mary Mullen, assistant professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School Dr. Brandon Fornwalt, assistant professor at the Kentucky Pediatric Research Institute Leighnia Nance, registered nurse at Kentucky Children's Hospital Dr. John P. Clancy, director of clinical and translational research at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Dr. Albert Faro, co-director of the Cystic Fibrosis Therapeutics Development Network Dr. Jamshed Kanga, professor and chief of the division of pediatric pulmonology at UK Dr. Robert Bartlett, director of the ECMO Circulation Laboratory at the University of Michigan Dr. Jay Zwischenberger, UK HealthCare surgeon-in-chief

All health care professionals, from physicians to researchers to nurses and students, are invited to attend both Friday and Saturday sessions. The Saturday sessions are also open to the public and free. They will be held in the UK Chandler Hospital Pavilion A Auditorium and will include the following presentations:

Organ Transplantation: Organ Shortage and Organ Donation; Dr. Andrew Bernard, Chair of the UK Organ Donation and Transplant Action Council PVOD and Lung Transplantation: My Journey; Claire Dowling, pulmonary veno-occlusive disease (PVOD) patient and lung transplant recipient Viewing of "The Power of Two," an award-winning documentary about twin sisters with cystic fibrosis who received life-saving lung transplants Panel discussion on organ donation; Dr. Charles Hoopes

Registration fees for the symposium vary. The fee for physicians is $150 and will include CME credit. Nurses' fee is $35 and will include one CNE credit. The fee for other health professionals is $15; respiratory therapists may receive CEUs for attending. There is no charge for students, residents and fellows.

Attendees must register for the symposium in advance. To register online, visit http://www.cecentral.com/live/5514. For more information regarding registration, contact CE Central at (859) 257-5320 or [email protected].