European pediatric colorectal meeting aims to improve colorectal care worldwide
Meghan Mesa, RN, presents at the meeting.
Nurses, surgeons and other pediatric sub-specialists from the Division of Colorectal and Pelvic Reconstruction at Children’s National Hospital recently traveled to Stockholm, Sweden, for the European Pediatric Colorectal and Pelvic Reconstruction Meeting.
The goal of the meeting was to improve care for children with colorectal conditions such as Hirschsprung disease, anorectal malformations and fecal incontinence through knowledge sharing and exploration of the latest treatment innovations.
Why it matters
Marc Levitt, MD, chief of Colorectal and Pelvic Reconstruction at Children’s National Hospital, says, “Every child deserves a chance at a healthy, dignified life, no matter where they are born.”
Through mission work to educate care providers and care for children in underserved countries and through team engagement in international conferences, the entire team within the Division of Colorectal and Pelvic Reconstruction seeks to bring the best practices in caring for these conditions to every child who needs it.
Children’s National leads the way
Lindsay Clark, PA, presents at the meeting.
The division itself sees more children with complex colorectal conditions than any other center in the world, giving the team unique expertise in how best to care for them. Central to their success is a clinical model that fully integrates sub-specialists including pediatric surgeons, urologists, gastroenterologists, and gynecologists together, side-by-side even when physically in the operating room. This hands-on, multi-disciplinary collaboration is critical to addressing all aspects of the child’s condition in a cohesive and comprehensive way.
Participation from Children’s National at the European Pediatric Colorectal and Pelvic Reconstruction Meeting reflected this cross-cutting approach through the broad engagement of the team across multiple educational tracks, including:
- Surgical track: Pediatric surgeon Andrea Badillo and urologist Briony Varda presented and facilitated sessions.
- Nursing track: Julie Choueiki, MSN, RN, senior program manager in the Division of Colorectal and Pelvic Reconstruction, helped plan the course sessions. Lindsay Clarke, APP, and Meghan Mesa, RN, both presented and facilitated sessions within the program.
The meeting was founded more than 18 years ago by Dr. Levitt and Ivo de Blaauw, chief of colorectal at Radboud University Nijmegen the Netherlands.
Read more about the meeting on the Karolinska Hospital website, where the meeting was hosted.
Participants in the nursing track at the European Pediatric Colorectal and Pelvic Reconstruction meeting.
