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.

Four Seasons Hotel St. Louis

999 North 2nd Street, St. Louis, MO 63102

A room block will be available. Reservation details coming soon. 

PIONEER Symposium Planning Committee

Dr. Ajay Jain - Course Director, Planning Team

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)

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

Nothing to disclose

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

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

Douglas Burrin, PhD
Professor of Pediatrics
Research Physiologist – Baylor College of Medicine / USDA-ARS CNRC

Faculty

Praveen Goday, MBBS, CNSC
Professor of Pediatrics, Ohio State University College of Medicine
Director, Nutrition and Feeding Programs, Nationwide Children’s Hospital

Faculty

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

Faculty

Jessie Hulst, MD, PhD
Associate Professor, Department of Pediatrics & Nutritional Sciences
University of Toronto / The Hospital for Sick Children

Faculty

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

Faculty

Sivan Kinberg, MD
Assistant Professor, Director of the Pediatric Intestinal Rehabilitation Center
Columbia University Irving Medical Center

Faculty

Stanislaw Klek, MD, PhD
Professor; Head, Intestinal Failure Center
Stanley Dudrick’s Memorial Hospital / National Cancer Institute

Faculty

Shweta Namjoshi, MD, MPH
Clinical Associate Professor of Pediatrics; Medical Director, Intestinal Rehabilitation & Nutrition Support
Stanford University / Stanford Medicine Children’s Health

Faculty

Nikhil Pai, MD
Attending Physician
Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition at 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

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

Faculty

Ronald Sokol, MD
Distinguished Professor, Pediatrics-Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition. Director, Colorado Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute
Associate Medical Director, Pediatric Liver Center and Liver Transplantation

Faculty

Kelly Tappenden, PhD
Professor
Dean of the University of Utah College of Health

Faculty

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

Faculty

Click here to view the Exhibit Prospectus

Abstract Poster and Oral Presentation Submission Guidelines

• Authors may submit an unlimited number of abstracts.
• Abstracts must be submitted via the symposium website. Submission via fax or email will not be accepted.
• The abstract text is limited to 2,500 characters, excluding titles, authors, institutions, tables, and images.
• The maximum file size for images is 4MB.
• Abstracts should include key study details: background/aim, methods, results, and conclusions.
• Drug names must align with international nomenclature.
• Submissions may include:
  • Original Research
  • Video Presentations
  • Novel Case Reports
  • Innovative Technology Applications
• Abstracts must be submitted by July 10, 2026, 5:00 p.m. CST. Late submissions will not be considered. 
• Presenting authors must submit full disclosure forms before the symposium. They may not be employees of ineligible companies if the abstract content relates to their employer's business line or products.
• All expenses, (e.g., registration, airfare, lodging) related to submission and presentation are the responsibility of the presenter.

You will be contacted shortly after the deadline has passed with further instructions and next steps.