The theme for NANT 11 is: Cultivating Connection.
We have learned new things about connection in 2020. We learned how much we miss being together in person, how much value we garner from our personal and professional communities. We supported NICU parents through a new version of separation with unknown risks and challenges. We were isolated from our own parents, extended families, and friends. We connected verbally while six feet apart, through eye contact over the brim of a mask.
We grieved the loss of the in-person experience at NANT 10 and then you turned around and showed up for each other online six weeks later, redefining what is possible in the realm of virtual togetherness.
But you already knew a lot about connection. As neonatal therapists, cultivating connection in the NICU is our number one priority. We know that facilitating bonding and connection between parents and babies creates vital neural pathways for health and development. We strive to cultivate meaningful connections with our colleagues in support of a shared vision for babies and families. We build lifelong relationships with our work friends. We count down the days until we get to see each other at the conference. We text each other during virtual events, feeling each other’s real presence, even from across the globe.
And we strive to do better.
We wish to build bridges between professions, be an example of collaborative research efforts, close the gap on racial and ethnic disparities in maternal-infant care, discover new connections between clinical practices and evidence, and more.
What would it look like if we ran after connection? If we cultivated it at every turn?
What research, CQI, best clinical practices, and lessons can you share?
Show us. Share with us. Lead us.
In order to improve neurodevelopmental outcomes, neonatal therapy must continue to grow and evolve as a specialty, and neonatal therapists must continue to grow and evolve as clinicians, researchers, collaborative team members, and leaders.
Your brilliance is requested not only by NANT, but by the tens of thousands of babies you can positively affect all over the globe by presenting at an internationally attended professional conference.
We invite you to submit an abstract for NANT 11. Any profession (or parent) with relevant content may submit.
Submissions will be accepted for Main Conference Oral Presentations, Poster Presentations, and Pre-Conference Sessions.
Click here to submit an abstract and/or review the submission process.
The Conference Committee looks forward to reviewing your submissions.
