Agenda

Wired in the Womb:
The Placenta-Brain Partnership

Symposium Introduction
9:00-9:10:         Introduction by Dean Jung & CPD Leadership

Session 1: Inflammation in Pregnancy
9:10-9:30:         "Maternal Immune Maladaptation Preceding Spontaneous Preterm Birth"
                           Ina Stelzer, PhD
                           Assistant Professor
                           Department of Pathology, UC San Diego

9:30-9:45:         "Maternal Immune Activation: Effects on Offspring Behavior Relevant to
                           Neurodevelopmental Disorders"
                           Susan Powell, PhD
                           Professor
                           Department of Psychiatry, UC San Diego

9:45-10:00:       "Maternal Immune Activation Disrupts Epigenomic and Functional
                           Maturation of Cortical Excitatory Neurons"
                           Marga Behrens, PhD
                           Research Professor
                           Salk Institute for Biological Studies

10:00-10:50:    Keynote 1 
                           "Neurodevelopmental Risk After Exposure to a Complex
                           Pregnancy: Offering a Translational Perspective"
                           Serena Banu Gumusoglu, PhD
                           Assistant Professor
                           Obstetrics and Gynecology and Psychiatry
                           University of Iowa Carver Colege of Medicine

10:50-11:05:     15 min coffee break

11:05-11:25:    "Placenta: A Primer for Neuroscientists and Emerging Technologies"
                            Sampada Kallol, PhD
                            Assistant Project Scientist
                            Department of Pathology, UC San Diego


Session 2: Prenatal Stress and Exposures
11:25-11:45:      "Altered Photoperiod Exposure During Gestation and Early Life:
                             Effects on Offspring Behavior and Placenta Gene Expression"
                             Susan Powell                                                         Mana Parast, PhD
                             Professor                                                                Professor
                             Department of Psychiatry                                    Department of Pathology
                             UC San Diego                                                         UC San Diego

11:45-12:05:      "Placenta Under Chemical Stress:
                             Mechanisms of Toxicant-Induced Dysfunction"
                             Elana Elkin, PhD, MPH
                             Assistant Professor
                             School of Public Health, San Diego State University

12:05-12:25:      "Bridging Prenatal Exposures and Neurodevelopmental Disorders with
                             Engineering Placenta-Brain Axis-on-a-Chip"
                             Melissa Campbell, MD, PhD
                             Department of Neurosciences, UC San Diego

12:25-1:15:         Lunch Break (50 min)

1:15-2:05:          Keynote 2 
                             "Protecting the Immature Brain"
                             Terrie Inder, MD
                             Director, Center for Newborn Research,
                             Rady's Children's Health Orange County
                             Professor
                             Pediatrics, UC Irvine

2:05-2:15:           BIO Break (10 min)


Session 3: Maternal Risk Factors & Birth Trauma
2:15-2:35:           "Maternal Risk Factors for Poor Pregnancy Outcomes -
                             Preterm Birth & Preeclampsia"
                             Cynthia Gyamfi-Bannerman, MD
                             Professor and Chair
                             Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences, UC San Diego

2:35-2:55:           "Evaluation of the Safety of Continuing vs. Discontinuing Pre-Pregnancy Chronic
                              Hypertension Pharmacotherapy in Pregnancy: A Target Trial Emulation Approach"
                              Catherine Psaras, PhD
                              Postdoctoral Fellow
                              Department of Pediatrics, UC San Diego

2:55-3:15:           "Severe Maternal Morbidity and Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy Among
                              Women with Intellectual Disability: A Population-Based Study"
                              Rita Ryu, MPH, MBA
                              Joint Doctoral Program in Public Health
                              UC San Diego | San Diego State University

3:15-3:35:            "Afterbirth: The Impact of Birth Injury on Mothers, Offspring, and Social Partners"
                               Lindsey Burnett, MD, PhD
                               Assistant Professor
                               Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences, UC San Diego

3:35-3:45:            Concluding Remarks and Introduction to Poster Session

4:00-5:00:           Poster Session with Refreshments