EPN 2026

Biography:

Steven M. Donn, MD, FAAP, FAARC is Professor Emeritus of Pediatrics at the Michigan Medicine and a member of the Division of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine. Dr. Donn is actively involved in teaching, writing, editing, and clinical research.  He is a member of the SPR, APS, and ESPR, and is internationally known for his expertise in the management of respiratory failure in newborns. He is a Fellow of the American Association for Respiratory Care for his contributions to the profession of respiratory care. He has authored more than 255 articles, written/edited 38 books and specialty journals, and contributed 260 book chapters.

Biography:

Ann L. Smith, DNP, MSN, NNP-BC, NE-BC has over 40 years of nursing experience in a variety of Women's and Children's roles. She graduated with her BSN in 1987, her Masters in Neonatal Nursing in 1996 from the University of Florida, then her DNP from East Carolina University in 2018. She is a certified Neonatal Nurse Practitioner, practicing for the past 32 years in level 3 or 4 NICUs. For the past 16 years, she has served as the Director of Women's and Children's Health in a large birthing facility in southeastern United States while still working as an NNP. Her passion is servant leadership while leading quality initiatives to achieve the best outcomes for mothers and babies. She also leads corporate teams and drives evidence based practice and consistency for all 10 birthing facilities in the system

Biography:

Dr. Dufault completed her PhD at A.T. Still University. She retired early from her position as a US Public Health Service officer at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to publish her findings of mercury in high fructose corn syrup. As an FDA whistleblower, she could not find employment as a researcher, so she founded the non-profit Food Ingredient and Health Research Institute where she works as a volunteer. She supplements her income working as a licensed special education teacher. Dr. D is considered a leader in the field of nutritional epigenetics with 726 citations according to Google Scholar.

Biography:

Dr David Hutchon, a fellow of the Royal College of Obstetricitians and Gynaecologists, has 30 years experience as a consultant obstetrician in the UK. For the past 15 years he has been researching and teaching about the harm of early cord clamping, organizing conferences on the subject, publishing over 40 papers, speaking at neonatology meetings and ran an international workshop in Edinburgh on motherside neonatal resuscitation with an intact cord. He recently co-authored the chapter on cord clamping in the second edition of Golden Hours, Care of the Very Low Birth Weight Neonate.

Biography:

Mrs. Heather Hanna studied both adult and paediatric nursing in a joint course at the Charles West School of Nursing at Great Ormond Street Hospital, London qualifying as a Registered General Nurse and a Registered Sick Children’s Nurse in 1989. She also qualified as an RN in the State of Washington, practicing there for 3 years in Infant Intensive Care Unit and then as a Research Nurse at Children’s Hospital, Seattle. Her career was mostly spent in Neonatal Intensive Care before she moved into Research at St Mary’s Hospital Paddington where she also obtained her MSc in Allergy (dist.) from Imperial College London. Some ten years ago, she moved into Medical Education and obtained her MEd in University Lecturing and Teaching from Imperial College. Her roles are now split between Undergraduate Medical Education working in the Medical Ethics and Law Team and Postgraduate Medical Education as Clinical Teaching Fellow on the online Applied Paediatrics MSc course, both at Imperial College London.

Biography:

Dr Samaa El Abd is a general child and adolescent psychiatrist with special interest in developmental neuropsychiatric disorders (ADHD, Tourette's, autism and other communication disorders, dyspraxia, obsessive-compulsive disorder,etc.), impact of chronic illness , provision of second opinions on complicated cases or cases requiring advanced psychopharmacology.

Biography:

Prof. Gabriella Di Rosa was born in Messina, Italy, on November 26, 1975. She graduated in Medicine and Surgery with highest honors (cum laude) from the University of Messina in 2000 and completed her residency in Child Neuropsychiatry with highest distinction in 2006. From 2007 to 2010, she earned a PhD in Clinical Neurosciences at the same university. Since October 2021, she has been Head of the Child Neuropsychiatry Unit at the University Hospital of Messina and Director of both the Residency School in Child Neuropsychiatry and the Postgraduate School in Neuropsychomotor Therapy. She became Full Professor in December 2023 and has authored 137 international publications, receiving 3,630 citations with an H-index of 30.

Biography:

Dr. Hanna A. Alonim, is an expert and researcher in the autism spectrum in infancy. Founder and Head of the Mifne Center Israel, for Treatment, Training, and Research, since 1987. Head of the Therapists' Training School for Autism in infancy at the Bar Ilan University.  Alonim developed the ESPASSI © screening scale for the detection of autism prodrome in first year of life and established the pioneer infant’s detection Unit at the Ichilov Hospital in TLV. Dr. Alonim is a member of the Norland Journal Editorial Bord, Consistent Reviewer of JADD, and a committee member of the ICF Core Set for ASD, WHO, Stockholm 2016.

Biography:

Marlene F. Escobedo Monge is a paediatrician and Doctor of Medicine for the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Valladolid. She has a doctorate in health sciences research, a master's degree in clinical nutrition, and another in biological aspects of nutrition and microbiota. Marlene is very interested in food safety and biofortification, especially in studies on micronutrients and their bioavailability, considering the interrelationship between macro and micronutrients in the food chain. Additionally, as part of a research team, she is primarily concerned with the nutritional status of patients with malnutrition and chronic diseases, such as patients with cystic fibrosis.

Biography:

He has been engaged in pediatric clinical and child  rehabilitation for 40 years. Led the rehabilitation team to treat more than 40,000 cases of children with intellectual disability, cerebral palsy and autism from China and more than 20 countries including France, the US, Japan, UK, Germany, etc. More than 26800 children’s deformity returned to school and society and became self-sufficient. The rehabilitation effect ranks the international advanced level. He is one of the most famous pediatric neurological and rehabilitation specialists in integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine in China. He has been influential in pediatric neuroscience, pediatric rehabilitation, and traditional medicine throughout the world. Since 1993, I have given lectures at invitation in 30 countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Spain, Norway, Germany, Brazil, Turkey, Singapore, Portugal, Indonesia and Malaysia. Most sponsors will pay for my keynot speaker. He has great influence in the international pediatric neurology and traditional medicine community and is a very famous pediatric neurorehabilitation expert in the world.

Scientific research Achievements: He presided over 1 National Natural Science Foundation project and participated in 8 major projects of the Ministry of Science and Technology and provincial projects. He has won 6 provincial and ministerial science and technology awards.

Chief monograph: He has edited 10 books, including Early Intervention Training for Children's Brain Development, Rehabilitation Training Atlas for Children with Motor Retardation, Practical Acupuncture and moxibustion Science Atlas for Children (Chinese-English control), and Family Rehabilitation Guide for Children with Cerebral palsy. He has published 268 papers in international and Chinese medical journals.

Biography:

Dr. Deepak Sharan is a Consultant in Orthopedic Surgery, Rehabilitation, Ergonomics, Occupational Health, Functional and Lifestyle Medicine, and the Founder and CEO of RECOUP Health, Bengaluru, India. He is the Chairperson of the Scientific Committee on Musculoskeletal Disorders of the International Commission on Occupational Health and the President of the International Myopain Society. He has over 600 International scientific publications and conference presentations. He is the winner of the National Disability Award and the world’s highest Research Awards in Orthopedics and Pediatric Orthopedics. He has successfully treated over 1 million patients from 45 countries. He has a special interest in integrative, root-cause rehabilitation of childhood developmental disabilities.