The latest scientific discoveries in children's health will be presented in Denver April 30-May 3, as part of the annual meeting of the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS). This year's gathering is a joint meeting with the Asian Society for Pediatric Research (ASPR), and more than 6,500 leaders in academic pediatrics from around the world are expected to attend the meeting at the Colorado Convention Center.
Journalists will have access to hundreds of scientists who are conducting original research in children's health. More than 3,000 scientific papers will be presented on a wide range of topics, from prematurity and infancy, through adolescence and diseases that carry into adulthood.
This is the second time PAS has held a joint meeting with the ASPR, and the collaboration represents a special opportunity to focus on global issues related to pediatric health. Highlights of the 2011 meeting include:
- The worldwide epidemic of obesity, and its impact on diseases such as diabetes and heart disease
- A video address by First Lady Michelle Obama
- Child health implications of environmental disasters such as the Gulf oil spill
- Tobacco control
- Media and infant development
- Health care reform and children's health and well-being
Breastfeeding at six months boosts children’s IQ and academic skills into adolescence