Discover the latest in childhood Vitamin D deficiencies in this webinar hosted by A Better Start National Science Challenge, Cure Kids and the Paediatric Society of New Zealand.
Vitamin D influences many aspects of a child’s growth and development, and Vitamin D deficiency remains a major problem in New Zealand and other high-income countries.
This webinar looks at Vitamin D treatment for neonates, and the magnitude of Vitamin D deficiency in childhood.
Professor Wayne Cutfield, Director of A Better Start National Science Challenge, and Dr Mavis Duncanson, clinical epidemiologist with the New Zealand Child and Youth Epidemiology Service, are joined by three key speakers:
• Associate Professor Nicola Austin – a neonatologist involved in all aspects of newborn care, with a special interest in the neurodevelopmental outcomes of preterm and sick newborns as well as the assessment of cardiorespiratory function and nutrition. She is a Clinical Associate Professor of the University of Otago, Christchurch and current and past Clinical Director of the Neonatal Service at Christchurch Women’s Hospital. Her current national roles include being the past president of the Paediatric Society of NZ, a member of the New Zealand Child and Youth Clinical Network Governance Group and Newborn Network, and the RACP – Paediatrics and Child health division council.
• Dr Tim Jelleyman – a paediatrician in West Auckland and Chief Advisor for Child and Youth to the Ministry of Health. As a community paediatrician, he works directly with children and their families, responding to their health challenges as well as working with partners at community and regional levels to improve the wellbeing of children and young people. As a government advisor, he works with policy makers to improve the health system and policies aiming to make Aoteoroa NZ the best place to grow up in.
• Professor Cameron Grant – a general paediatrician at Starship Children’s Hospital, and Head of Department of Paediatrics: Child & Youth Health at the University of Auckland. His research focuses on prevalent child health problems, for which the potential exists to eliminate disparities between population and subgroups through immunisation or nutritional interventions. Professor Grant has investigated the child health consequences of vitamin D deficiency in New Zealand. He has contributed to systematic reviews and meta-analyses that have described the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency during pregnancy and at birth globally and the use of vitamin D supplementation to prevent acute respiratory infections.
A Better Start National Science Challenge will be hosting more webinars focused on child health, wellbeing and learning throughout 2022-23. To get the latest information and registration details, sign up to A Better Start’s newsletter – abetterstart.nz/newsletter
Photo credit: Juan Encalada/Unsplash
