Research on different pediatric topics to be presented at Vancouver meeting

Research on bullying, firearms, ADHD, safe sleep, obesity, autism, vaccine hesitancy and other pediatric topics will be presented in Vancouver, British Columbia, May 3-6 at the Pediatric Academic Societies and Asian Society for Pediatric Research 2014 Joint Meeting, the largest international meeting focused on research in child health. More than 7,000 leaders in pediatrics from around the world are expected to attend the meeting at the Vancouver Convention Centre.

Journalists will have access to hundreds of scientists who are conducting original research in children's health. More than 3,800 scientific papers will be presented on a wide range of topics, from prematurity and infancy, through adolescence and diseases that carry into adulthood.

"At the heart of this meeting is the original science that will be presented, and a record number of abstracts were submitted this year," said D. Michael Foulds, MD, FAAP, program chair of the PAS meeting. "This represents an unparalleled opportunity to hear presentations from internationally renowned scientists on research that may have profound impacts on children's health."

Highlights of the 2014 meeting include:

• Chris Elias, MD, president of the Global Development Program for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, will deliver the keynote address at 5:45 p.m. PT on Saturday, May 3.

• A session on childhood poverty at 2:45 p.m. PT Saturday, May 3, will address potential solutions to childhood poverty. Speakers include pediatricians, economists, social scientists and policy experts.

• A symposium on firearms safety at 8 a.m. PT Sunday, May 4, will focus on the research agenda for firearm injury prevention, with a focus on children

• A symposium on bullying at 8 a.m. PT Monday, May 5, examines the role of stigma and ostracism in bullying.

• A session on media violence and its impact on children at 9:45 a.m. PT Tuesday, May 6 will bring together leading researchers on media violence to present the latest evidence linking it to aggression.

Additional news releases are available on some of the newsworthy scientific abstracts being presented throughout the four-day conference. Embargoed news releases are posted at http://www.eurekalert.org or may be obtained by contacting PAS Media Relations above. Journalists are invited to cover PAS and may register to attend the meeting in the Press Office (room 101) of the Vancouver Convention Centre.