MCA Scientific Events 17th International Newborn Brain Conference 2026

The 17th International Newborn Brain Conference will be held from February 8-10, 2026, in Naples, Italy. Organized by the Newborn Brain Society, this event focuses on advancing newborn brain care through international multidisciplinary collaboration, education, and innovation among clinicians, scientists, and parents. The conference will feature keynote lectures, plenary sessions, pre-conference workshops, abstract presentations, and small group discussions covering topics from cellular therapies to congenital CMV. EACCME and AMA CME credits are available for eligible participants.
Learning Objectives
After completing this activity, the participant should be able to:

Apply bedside neuroimaging/monitoring (CUS, EEG/CEEG, NIRS).

Design QI pathways and family-communication workflows, including telehealth.

Appraise cellular therapies and evidence in neonatal stroke/preterm injury.

Establish standardized seizure detection and escalation using aEEG/CEEG.

Adapt HIE prevention/treatment to resource-limited settings with biomarkers.

Implement PHVD pathways: measurement, escalation, and intervention timing.

Evaluate late-preterm cooling evidence and update local protocols.

Establish congenital CMV screening, counseling, and follow-up plans.

Integrate sleep-aware care (actigraphy, care journals) to improve neurodevelopmental outcomes.

Target Audience

This educational activity is intended for neonatologists, child neurologists, advanced practice providers, nurses, scientists and trainees involved or interested in newborn brain care.
Best for Neonatologists, Pediatric Neurologists, and Pediatricians.

Topics

Pre-Conference Workshops (Parallel Sessions):

Neuroimaging in term neonates

Neuroimaging in preterm

CUS – Hands on simulation

EEG & CEEG basics

Quality improvement

NIRS

Communicating uncertainty in HIE

Multimodal monitoring for neonatal brain health and physiology

Telehealth implementation

Keynote Lecture: Brains at work: the neonatal neurology journey from W.J. Little to the digital twin

Cellular Therapies for Neonatal Brain Injury:

Tiny messengers, big impact: extracellular vesicle signaling in neonatal brain injury

Cell therapies for preterm brain injury

MSC treatment for perinatal arterial ischemic stroke

HIE in Resource-Limited Settings:

The global landscape of HIE: how resource settings shape perinatal care and disease burden

Optimising early childhood outcomes for children with HIE and their families in resource limited settings

HIE in South Africa – molecular pathogenesis and biomarker discovery

Sleep in the Neonate: Impact and Outcome:

Neonatal sleep physiology and early executive functioning in preterm infants

Assessing sleep-wake patterns of preterm infants using actigraphy and care journals: a feasibility study

Disordered sleep in high-risk infants: impacts from NICU to childhood

The Andy Whitelaw Session on PHVD:

Role of autotaxin in pathophysiology of posthemorrhagic hydrocephalus

Protocolization of PHVD diagnosis and management: A QI initiative

Novel etiologies and treatments of hydrocephalus

Small Group Discussions:

Developmental care during TH

Management during HIE

Neonatal neurocritical care training

Working with industry / Connecting families to resources

Seizure diagnosis and management

Quality improvement: preterm newborn QI such as nursing care bundles

Debate Symposium: Cooling Late Preterm:

Preclinical studies of hypothermia for HIE in preterm infants

Pro: evidence from clinical experience

Con: evidence from the NICHD neonatal research network hypothermia trial in preterm infants 33-35 weeks gestation

Screening and Impact of Congenital CMV:

Fetal screening for congenital CMV: clinical approach

Universal screening for CMV

Impact of CMV

Abstract Platform Presentations

Poster Walk Topics: Fetal neurology and neonatal Brain development (both normal and abnormal aspects), Quality improvement, Neonatal neurocritical care (includes seizures, continuous aEEG, and EEG monitoring; Other forms of brain monitoring, such as NIRS, fMRI, biochemical, etc.), Neuroprotection strategies in fetuses and neonates, Neuro-imaging studies, Long-term outcomes & developmental care (includes palliative care, ethical dilemmas, and challenging clinical scenarios in neonatal neurology)