Pancreaspalooza- Pediatric Pancreatic Disorders: Where do we stand in 2017?

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Freeman and Husain: Pancreaspalooza Project Summary/Abstract: Pancreatitis and other pancreatic disorders were once considered rare conditions among children. Pediatric gastroenterologists simply applied adult guidelines to children and passed this practice along to their trainees. More recently, a steep increase in the incidence of pancreatitis has been observed with a 7-fold increase reported over the last 12 years. Several Pediatric pancreatology-focused centers with larger patient cohorts have shown that underlying etiologies causing pancreatitis in children differ greatly from that in adults and have witnessed suboptimal outcomes from applying adult algorithms to children with pancreatitis and other pancreatic conditions. The roles of genetic modifiers, environmental factors and drug injury in pediatric pancreatitis have garnered special attention and resulted in groundbreaking discoveries and insights. However, expertise in these conditions resides in a few select centers and the dissemination of data has been slow. This has hampered the ability for many children to receiving optimal care. Thus the overarching goal of Pancreaspalooza- Pediatric Pancreatic Disorders: Where do we stand in 2017 is to gather leading pancreatic researchers in various key aspects of care, including but not limited to genetics, disease severity indices in pediatric pancreatitis, surgical interventions in pediatric pancreatic conditions, and the role of cellular and animal models in pancreatic research. The underlying objectives are to present these topics to the wider net of pediatric gastroenterologists across the US and North America in a manner that will improve clinical care of pediatric patients and to attract junior investigators to the various opportunities in pediatric pancreatic research. The symposium will feature the following four modules designed to encourage interaction and engage junior investigators to shape future research priorities: 1) Risk factors and natural history of pancreatitis in children, 2) Pancreatic imaging and pancreatic function tests in children, 3) Management of pancreatitis in children, and 4) New frontiers in pediatric pancreatic research. The symposium will feature aspects of pancreatic research not previously addressed at conferences of this type and provide an excellent training opportunity for young investigators. The speakers and panel are strongly represented by women, young investigators, and a diverse ethnic background. The symposium anticipates ~150-200 attendees, who will be tasked with the opportunity to move the field of pediatric pancreatic research forward.