An In-Depth Look at Emerging Science and Technology to Improve the Lives of Women with Blood Disorders

To view the presentations, please scroll down. 

This satellite symposium took place preceding the 57th American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting and Exposition on December 4, 2015, in Orlando, Florida. The recording and archiving of this program were made possible through an education grant from Novo Nordisk. 

This Symposium provides an overview of the potential impact of emerging technologies and recent therapeutic advances on the diagnosis and treatment of women with blood disorders. Seven experts from comprehensive, multidisciplinary perspectives, speak on the application of technological advances in preimplantation and prenatal diagnosis of blood disorders. The speakers also provide insight into the research pipeline for novel diagnostics and the expanding role of telemedicine in this population and discuss the impact of novel therapeutics for inherited blood disorders on adolescent females and maternal/fetal health. 

This session was jointly provided by the Duke University Health System Department of Clinical Education and Professional Development and the Foundation for Women & Girls with Blood Disorders. 

Learning Objectives and Goals:
At the concussion of this symposium, participants should be able to:

• Identify new technologies available to correctly diagnose at-risk fetuses, including preimplantation genetic diagnosis, chronic villus sampling, amniocentesis and non-invasive prenatal screening
• Define and apply strategies that remove barriers to early-stage technology development, implementation and integration into daily practice to benefit female patients with blood disorders
• Identify and apply telehealth resources to support sickle cell patients and women with other blood disorders
• Recognize and manage the range of complications occurring with pregnancy and the postpartum period in women with rare bleeding disorders; appropriately apply available new therapeutics to this management
• Describe and apply the NIH National Health, Lung, and Blood Institute recommendations for hydroxyurea use in sickle cell disease 

---

 Please Scroll Down to view each video in the presentation/program order:

Welcome – Presented by Andra H. James, MD, MPH (Activity Director)

Introduction – Presented by Donna DiMichele, MD (Program Chair and Moderator)
Deputy Director
Division of Blood Diseases and Resources
National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute
National Institutes of Health
Bethesda, MD

Presentation #1: Preimplantation and Prenatal Diagnosis of Inherited Blood Disorders: Latest Technologies

Faculty: Kristin Paulyson Nunez, MS, CGC 
Women and Children’s Services, Duke Comprehensive Hemostasis and Thrombosis Center
Pediatric Hematology & Oncology, Duke University Medical Center
Durham, NC

Presentation #2: Navigating the Transition from Discovery to Market for Patient and Societal Benefit: Relevance to Women with Blood Disorders
Faculty: Jodi Black, PhD, MMSC
Deputy Director, Division of Extramural Research Activities
National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute
National Institutes of Health
Bethesda, MD

Presentation #3: Women, Sickle Cell and Bleeding Disorders: Solutions through Telehealth*
Faculty: Curtis Lowery, MD
Chair, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology
Director, ANGELS and Center for Distance Health
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
Little Rock, AK

*Discussant: Roshni Kulkarni, MD: Hematologic Solutions through Telehealth, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI

Presentation #4: Maternal and Fetal Consequences of Rare Blood Disorders: Fibrinogen Deficiency, Factor XIII Deficiency and Inherited Platelet Disorders
Faculty: Diane Nugent, MD
Clinical Professor and Chief of Hematology
Department of Pediatrics
UC Irvine School of Medicine
Irvine, CA

Presentation #5: Hydroxyurea and Pregnancy
Faculty: Kim Smith-Whitley, MD
Director, Comprehensive Sickle Cell Center
Clinical Director, Division of Hematology, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania 
Philadelphia, PA

Presentation #6: Anticoagulation Update: A Focus on Issues Specific to Teenage Girls and Pregnant Women
Faculty: Shannon Bates, MDCM, MSc
Director, Division of Hematology & Thromboembolism
Eli Lilly Canada/May Cohen Chair in Women’s Health
McMaster University 
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Closing Remarks / Adjorn
Moderator and Program Chair: Donna DiMichele, MD

---