PIONEER Symposium

The PIONEER (Pediatric Intestinal Rehabilitation: Opportunities in Nutrition, Emerging Clinical Evidence and Experimental Research) Symposium is dedicated to transforming the care of children with intestinal failure. This high-impact meeting brings together leaders and innovators to explore the full spectrum of discovery, from bench science to bedside application.

Through a dynamic and multidisciplinary lens, the symposium will showcase cutting-edge advances in nutritional science, surgical innovation, and translational research. In addition, the program will highlight the growing role of artificial intelligence and data-driven approaches in intestinal rehabilitation from predictive modeling of outcomes and complications to personalized nutrition strategies and clinical decision support.

Attendees will gain a comprehensive understanding of the rapidly evolving landscape of intestinal rehabilitation, with a focus on integrating emerging evidence and digital innovation into clinical practice.

Designed to foster collaboration across specialties, including pediatric gastroenterology, surgery, dietetics, pharmacy, and nursing, PIONEER serves as a platform for meaningful exchange, bold ideas, and practice-changing insights. Participants will engage with pioneering work that is redefining outcomes for children with complex intestinal disorders, while building partnerships that will shape the future of the field.

FEATURED KEYNOTE SPEAKER

Eugene "Gene" Kranz
Former NASA Chief Flight Director
Apollo 11 Moon Landing • Apollo 13 Recovery   

SPECIAL KEYNOTE PRESENTATION: Leadership at the Frontier: Lessons from Mission Control for Solving Medicine’s Most Complex Challenges.

Gene Kranz is one of the most celebrated leaders in American space exploration. As NASA Chief Flight Director during the Apollo era, he helped lead Mission Control for Apollo 11, supporting Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin during humanity’s first Moon landing, and later directed the remarkable effort that brought Apollo 13 safely home after a near-catastrophic in-flight explosion.

In this keynote, he will share lessons from Mission Control on communication, innovation, decision making, and multidisciplinary collaboration, principles that directly resonate with PIONEER’s mission to advance care for children with intestinal failure and short bowel syndrome.

1. Apply evidence-based, multidisciplinary strategies in pediatric intestinal failure, integrating advances in nutrition, surgical management, and intestinal rehabilitation to improve long-term outcomes.
2. Evaluate pathophysiologic mechanisms and management of complications, including intestinal failure associated liver disease, dysbiosis, inflammation, and feeding intolerance, with emphasis on gut-liver and microbiome interactions.
3. Incorporate advanced nutritional assessment and intervention approaches, including body composition and growth quality metrics to optimize intestinal adaptation and functional outcomes.
4. Integrate emerging translational and data-driven innovations, including regenerative biology, microbiome science, and artificial intelligence enabled predictive models, into clinical decision-making.
5. Implement high-reliability, patient-centered care models, including remote monitoring, home nutrition support, and patient-reported outcomes, while addressing health systems, policy, and cost considerations.

Please review the registration fees below as well as cancellation fees.

This symposium is being offered both virtual and in-person.

Cancellations

In the event you need to cancel your registration, the registration fee, less a $25 administrative fee, will be refunded if you notify us by 4:30 p.m. CST on August 21, 2026. No refunds will be made after this date.

Accreditation:
Saint Louis University School of Medicine is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians. 

Credit Designation:
Saint Louis University School of Medicine designates this live activity for a maximum of 10.25 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity. 

Saint Louis University School of Medicine will provide Other learner certificates (APPs, nurses, and other types of learners).  The certificate will state that the activity was designated for 10.25 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Follow your board's requirements for reciprocal CE credits.

If you are traveling from out of state to attend, our room block at the Four Seasons has sold out! Please visit our Saint Louis University Website, https://www.slu.edu/admission/visit/accommodations.php, where you can visit nearby hotels with discounted rates. 

PIONEER Symposium Planning Committee

Dr. Ajay Jain - Course Director, Planning Team, Director of ASPIRE

Dr. Nisha Mangalat - Course Director, Planning Team

Dr. Rahiya Rehman - Planning Team

Dr. Martine Saint-Cyr - Planning Team

Dr. Darla Shores - Planning Team

Sarah Davis - Administrative Coordinator

Mitigation of Relevant Financial Relationships

Saint Louis University School of Medicine adheres to the ACCME’s Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Education. Any individuals in a position to control the content of a CE activity, including faculty, planners, reviewers or others are required to disclose all relevant financial relationships with ineligible entities (commercial interests). All relevant conflicts of interest have been mitigated prior to the commencement of the activity.

Member Information

Role in activity

Nature of Relationship(s) / Name of Ineligible Company(s)

Ajay Jain, MD
Anthony Rejent Endowed Professor of Pediatrics, Pharmacology and Physiology, Chief, Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, Director, Pediatric Liver Transplantation, Saint Louis University School of Medicine and SLUCare Group at SSM Health

Course Director, Course Planning Committee, Faculty

Nisha Mangalat, MD, CNSC
Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Fellowship Director, Pediatric Gastroenterology
Saint Louis University School of Medicine, SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital

Course Director, Course Planning Committee, Faculty

Nothing to disclose

Rahiya Rehman, MD, FAAP
Assistant Professor Pediatrics; Director, NOURISH Program; Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition
Saint Louis University School of Medicine, SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital

Course Planning Committee

Nothing to disclose

Martine Saint-Cyr, MD
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
Washington University School of Medicine

Course Planning Committee

Darla Shores, MD, PhD
Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition
Washington University School of Medicine

Course Planning Committee

Praveen Goday, MBBS, CNSC
Director, Nutrition and Feeding Programs, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Clinical Professor of Pediatrics, The Ohio State University
American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition

Faculty

David Hackam, MD, PhD
Garrett Family Professor of Pediatric Surgery; Pediatric Surgeon-in-Chief
Johns Hopkins University

Faculty

Grant or research support-Abbott (Relationship has ended)

Jessie Hulst, MD, PhD
Associate Professor, Department of Pediatrics & Nutritional Sciences
University of Toronto; Staff physician, Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition, Group for Improvement of Intestinal Function Treatment (GIFT), The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada

Faculty

Consulting Fee-Danone Inc (Relationship has ended)|Grant or research support-Nestle (Relationship has ended)|Speakers Bureau-Abbott (Relationship has ended)|Speakers Bureau-Nutricia Europe|Other: Medical Monitor-Sterile Inc.

Ryan Hurt, MD
Professor of Medicine and Professor of Nutrition, Chair Division of General Internal Medicine, Program Director Home Parenteral Enteral Nutrition
Mayo Clinic

Faculty

Consulting Fee-Nestle Nutrition|Grant or research support-Zealand Pharm

Sivan Kinberg, MD
Director, Pediatric Intestinal Rehabilitation Center; Assistant Professor of Pediatrics (in Biomedical Informatics), Division of Pediatric GI, Hepatology & Nutrition
Columbia University Medical Center

Faculty

Stanislaw Klek, MD, PhD
Professor & Head, Intestinal Failure Center, Stanley Dudrick's Memorial Hospital, Poland
Chairman, European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism (ESPEN)

Faculty

Scott Magness, PhD
Professor, University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill, NC State University Lampe Joint Departments of Biomedical Engineering
UNC Departments of Medicine, Cell Biology & Physiology

Faculty

Nothing to disclose

Shweta Namjoshi, MD, MPH
Clinical Associate Professor
Stanford University School of Medicine

Faculty

Membership on Advisory Committees or Review Panels, Board Membership, etc.-Takeda (Relationship has ended)|Membership on Advisory Committees or Review Panels, Board Membership, etc.-Alcresta (Relationship has ended)

Nikhil Pai, MD
Associate Professor, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania
Director of Clinical Trials, Center for Microbial Medicine, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

Faculty

Speakers Bureau-Abbott (Relationship has ended)|Grant or research support-Takeda

Brenda Poindexter, MD, MS
Chief, Division of Neonatology; Professor of Pediatrics
Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and Emory University

Faculty

Nothing to disclose

Jeffrey Rudolph, MD
Division Director, Pediatric Gastroenterology; Director, Intestinal Care & Rehabilitation; Associate Professor
Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh / UPMC

Faculty

Nothing to disclose

Ronald Sokol, MD
Distinguished Professor, Pediatrics-Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition; Bruce and Bev Endowed Chair in Child Health Research; Chief Scientific Officer- Child Health, Children’s Hospital Colorado
Director, Colorado Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute, University of Colorado Anschutz, Aurora, Colorado

Faculty

Kelly Tappenden, PhD
Dean and Professor
University of Utah

Faculty

Consulting Fee-Takeda Pharmaceuticals|Consulting Fee-Ironwood Pharmaceuticals|Consulting Fee-Alcresta Therapeutics

Paul Wales, BSc, MD, MSc, FRCSC, FACS, FASPEN
Professor of Surgery, Surgical Director, Intestinal Rehabilitation
Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center

Faculty

Grant or research support-Baxter Pharmaceuticals|Grant or research support-Zealand Pharm|Grant or research support-SterileCare Inc|Grant or research support-Takeda

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