Improving Quality of Life in Patients with Autism: Emerging Research, Evaluation, and Management of Co-Occurring Conditions
Conference 2024
Hosted by Neuroimmune Institute and accredited in collaboration with The Wisconsin Medical Society
March 1 – 2, 2024
A live virtual event via webinar
9:00 am CT – 4:30 pm CT, Friday and Saturday
(12.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™)
Registration is closed.
Join us for a live virtual CME conference via webinar
Most interventions for individuals with autism are focused on improving social skills, speech and language, addressing sensory and motor concerns, teaching self-care and daily living skills, and behavior management. Difficulty with communication, unusual presentation of symptoms, diagnostic overshadowing, and the tendency to view behaviors through the lens of “just autism” frequently lead to treatable medical comorbidities being overlooked.
The focus of this virtual conference is improving the quality of life in individuals with autism by educating physicians on medical comorbidities that are either more difficult to diagnose in autistic individuals or over-represented in individuals with autism compared to the general population as well as providing an overview of emerging research.
This conference features nationally and internationally renowned experts skilled in diagnostic and therapeutic approaches who will present a diverse range of clinical insights as well as emerging research. Presentations are carefully selected to familiarize attendees with developing research and to educate clinicians on diagnosis and treatment of co-occurring conditions in patients with autism.
Both generalists as well as specialists in pediatric and adult medicine will find the conference valuable to their practices. The intended audience is pediatricians, family physicians, gastroenterologists, psychiatrists, rheumatologists, immunologists, neurologists, and infectious disease physicians. Though the conference is designed for physicians, all are welcome to attend.
Physician comments from our prior conferences can be found below. Greater than 90% of physicians in attendance rated the overall quality of our prior conferences as 5/5.
No refunds will be granted for any reason. While this meeting is geared towards physicians and researchers; parents, patients, and community members are welcome to attend the conference. Space is limited.
Sponsorship opportunities are available! Please email conference@neuroimmuneinstitute.org for details.
Attend our June 2024 Inflammatory Brain Disorders Conference virtually where we will be joined by our Stanford and UCSF collaborators and hosts/moderators, Dr. Jenny Frankovich, Dr. Larry Steinman, Dr. Betsy Mellins, and Dr. Sam Pleasure.
Stanford University
UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences
Infection and Inflammation Related Neuropsychiatric Deteriorations in Youth with Autism: Case Presentations by The Stanford Immune Behavioral Health Team
Led by Dr. Jenny Frankovich
Jennifer Frankovich, MD, MS
Clinical Professor of Pediatrics, Rheumatology, Stanford University School of Medicine; Director, Stanford PANS Research Program
Meiqian Ma, MD
Clinical Assistant Professor, Pediatrics – Rheumatology Stanford University School of Medicine
Melissa Silverman, MD
Clinical Assistant Professor, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences – Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Child Development, Stanford University School of Medicine
Bahare Farhadian, MSN, RN, FNP-C
Rheumatology – Family Nurse Practitioner, Stanford Medicine Children’s Health
Karen Parker, PhD (Keynote)
Professor, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences; Principal Investigator, Social Neurosciences Research Program; Chair, Psychiatry Major Laboratories Steering Committee; Associate Chair, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine
Vasopressin: A Robust Biomarker and Promising Therapeutic for Autism
Harland Winter, MD
Director, Center for Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Massachusetts General Hospital for Children; Associate Professor, Harvard Medical School
Tentative Topic: GI issues in autism
Douglas Wallace, MD, PhD
Michael and Charles Barnett Endowed Chair in Pediatric Mitochondrial Medicine and Metabolic Disease; Director, Center for Mitochondrial and Epigenomic Medicine, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia; Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Human Genetics Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania
A Mitochondrial Etiology of Autism and Associated Neuropsychiatric Disorders
Terry Harville, MD, PhD
Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Services, and Internal Medicine; Medical Director, HLA and Histocompatibility Laboratory; Medical Director, Immunogenetics and Transplantation Laboratory; Medical Director UAMS ABG Laboratory, The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
Case Presentations of the Spectrum of ASD
Ming Lim, MD, PhD
Professor, Paediatric Neurology, King’s College London, HOS Children’s Neuroscience, Consultant Paediatric Neurologist, Children’s Neuroscience Centre, Evelina London Children’s Hospital, King’s Health Partners Academic Health Science Centre
Atypical Presentations of Autoimmune Encephalitis
John Gaitanis, MD
Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Clinician Educator, Brown University; Director of Child Neurology, Brown Medical School; Pediatric Neurologist, Hasbro Children’s Hospital
Autism, Epilepsy, and Aggression
Richard Frye, MD, PhD
President and Chief Scientific Officer, Autism Discovery and Treatment Foundation; Director of Research, Rossignol Medical Center; Sponsor and Principal Investigator, Southwest Autism Research and Resource Center
Neurodevelopmental Regression: Causes, Workup, and Treatment
Ritika Kapoor, MBBS, PhD, FRCPCH
Consultant Paediatric Endocrinologist and Honorary Reader, King’s College Hospital, NHS Foundation Trust & King’s College, London
Topic: Neurobehavioural Impairments in Disorders of The Hypothalamo-Pituitary Axis
Ben Marlow, MBBS, MRCPCH, PGCME
Consultant Paediatrician (Neurodevelopment) ESNEFT; Clinical Director – The Synapse Centre for Neurodevelopment; Clinical Lead for Paediatrics SNEE ICB; Visiting Senior Lecturer Anglia Ruskin School of Medicine
Sleep Difficulties in Autism: Investigation and Management Strategies
Andrew Zimmerman, MD
Professor of Pediatrics and Neurology (Retired), UMass Memorial Medical Center
Clinical Trials of Sulforaphane (SF) in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD): Efficacy and Biomarkers
Emily Severance, PhD
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Inflammation and The Gut-Brain Axis in Autism – Research Strides Point to Dietary Interventions
Gagan Joshi, MD
Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard University; Director, Autism Spectrum Disorder Program in Pediatric Psychopharmacology; Medical Director, The Alan & Lorraine Bressler Program for Autism Spectrum Disorder, Massachusetts General Hospital for Children
Treatment Targeting Glutamate Dysregulation in Autism
John Lukens, PhD
Associate Professor, Department of Neuroscience, University of Virginia
Role of Maternal Immune Activation and Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors in Autism-Related Neurodevelopmental Disorders
Melody Lun, MD, PhD
Clinical Fellow, Neonatology; Postdoctoral Fellow, Pleasure-Wilson Labs, University of California – San Fransisco
Novel Autoantibody Discovery in Autism Spectrum Disorder
Naveen Nagarajan, PhD
Postdoctoral Associate, Dr. Mario Capecchi Lab, Eccles Institute of Human Genetics, University of Utah
Calcium Transients in Microglia Drive ASD/OCD-Like Repetitive and Anxiety Behaviors
Brittany Needham, PhD
Assistant Professor, Indiana School of Medicine
Modulation of the Gut Microbiome in ASD
Learning and Outcome Objectives
- Explain how to identify and treat causes of pain in a patient with autism
- Describe an appropriate medical work up for a patient with autism who is exhibiting behavioral exacerbations
- Describe clinical features of co-morbidities that are overrepresented in autism or more difficult to diagnose
- List several medical comorbidities that can be more difficult to identify in a patient who also has autism
- Describe symptoms that may indicate a patient with autism could be having seizures
Accreditation / Credit Designation Statement
This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the accreditation requirements and policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) through the joint providership of Wisconsin Medical Society and Neuroimmune Institute. The Wisconsin Medical Society is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians.
The Wisconsin Medical Society designates this live activity for a maximum of 12.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
Accommodations
Neuroimmune Institute subscribes to the articles of Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Should you or anyone accompanying you require special assistance, please notify us by contacting conference@neuroimmuneinstitute.org or 608-381-0367. Requests should be made as early as possible to allow time to arrange the accommodation.
Comments from prior conferences
The Inflammatory Brain Disorders Conference 2023 was (again) the most educational and effective conference I have ever attended in my 43 years as a physician! International experts presented 16 lectures over the course of two days, delivering major gems every hour to facilitate the diagnosis and treatment of tough psychiatric and neurologic neuroinflammatory conditions. A cumulative tsunami paradigm shift for psychiatry is in the works; inflammatory brain disorders will be the rule, rather than the exception. My accolades to all the panel of experts who shared their latest research and efforts. Thank you!
Martin T. Jensen, MD
Adult, Adolescent, & Child Psychiatry, Laguna Niguel, CA
Wonderful conference! First time I attended this conference. Neuroinflammatory diseases are not a large part of my practice as a pediatric rheumatologist – at least I thought so before the conference. Given the expanding scope of diseases related to neuroinflammation, my preconceived notions have been challenged – in a good way! Each presentation was given by an obvious thought leader and the results presented were all cutting edge. Cannot wait until next year.
Daniel Lovell, MD, MPH
Pediatric Rheumatologist, Cincinnati, OH
Rigorous, wide-ranging, two-day conference by international faculty providing cutting edge genetic and clinical insights furthering the rapidly increasing knowledge about auto-immune mediated syndromes. Crisp presentations, excellent slides, and clinical movie clips combined with meticulous attention to the duration of the presentations. Information was presented on the autoimmune manifestations of Long Covid-19, PANS, PANDAS, postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), psychoses, seizure disorders and tick-borne illnesses alongside presentations on the Gut Microbiome and porosity of the blood brain barrier. Commercial-free. Well worth the tuition. My first Inflammatory Brain Disorders Conference. Planning on next year.
John Esterhai, MD
Orthopedic Surgeon, Spring House, PA
When I go to a conference, I feel that I have gotten my money’s worth if at least 10% of what I learn is new. In this course, the new information was at least 60% and what I did know was expanded significantly. This has increased my understanding and sensitivity to the possibility of an immune disorder in patients I have seen over the years. There are several patients in my current practice who will be re-evaluated for the possibility of something I did not know to look for before.
Lee Solomon, MD
Psychiatry, Chattanooga, TN
This was a conference with fantastic collaborators and speakers. As a physician I felt that it was clinically oriented and cutting edge. It was incredibly useful to gain knowledge in a field like neuroimmunology where so little is known.
Anuja Vyas, MD, FACOG
Texas
This is the most comprehensive, well-organized, and current information on all topics I have encountered in such a long time. I plan to attend every conference moving forward. Thank you for such well-presented information. Armed with several screenshots of slides, I have already contacted several patients to complete a more thorough history for a more complete treatment plan. So grateful.
Maria Del Sol, MD
Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist, Florida
As a clinical psychiatrist, it is crucial that I understand the potential origins of psychiatric symptoms. This conference gave insight into infectious and immune mechanisms for Neuropsychiatric symptoms that I found truly valuable. The speakers were of top quality.
Matthew Bernstein, MD
Psychiatrist, Massachusetts
I was astounded by the amount of scientifically based data presented on encephalopathy, COVID and PANS/PANDAS at this conference. I thought all of the presenters at this conference did an excellent job explaining the pathophysiology involved in the various conditions that were highlighted in this conference.
Urszula Kotlow, MD
Pediatric Psychiatrist, CPAE Clinic, Banner Desert Medical Center, Arizona
I feel more confident as THE consultant on many of these cases due to expanded knowledge I have acquired via this resource. Excellent presentations with fantastic evidence-based information. I hope to be involved in more conferences. Thanks to all!
Sandra Lawrence, MD, FACR
Pediatric Rheumatology, Florida
The neuroimmune conference transformed my thinking about the relationship between infection, neurobiology and psychiatric disorders. I learned so much.
Melissa Aguirre, MD
Pediatrician, California
This conference had the highest scientific quality and rigor, and all the presenters and discussants were outstanding. The contribution of the foundation for children with neuroimmune disorders to society is incommensurable.
Rosa Aurora Chavez, MD, PhD, FABP
Washington, DC
Registration and Payment
- Registration is $599 and include access to the recordings for three months.
- As of February 6, 2024, we will not be processing any additional fee waiver requests and early bird pricing has ended.
- Paid registration includes access to conference recordings for three months.
- Please note that you must enter the email address you’d like your Zoom link to come to when you check out in Stripe. Zoom links will be sent to you prior to the event. You will receive the link three additional times – one week, one day, and one hour prior to the conference. Please check your spam if you do not see it. Should you require assistance, please email conference@neuroimmuneinstitute.org. There are no refunds for any reason.
The conference has concluded. You may purchase a recording using the link above. Access will be granted through June 4, 2024 to the recordings. Please email us at conference@neuroimmuneinstitute.org following your purchase to be granted recording access.
