PIONEER Symposium
Saint Louis University School of Medicine's PIONEER Symposium is a premier conference dedicated to advancing the care of pediatric patients with intestinal failure.
2026 Symposium Details
- Date: Saturday, Aug. 29, to Sunday, Aug. 30
- Location: Four Seasons Hotel St. Louis, 999 N. Second St., St. Louis, MO 63102
- Keynote Speaker: Eugene Kranz, former NASA chief flight director
Event Overview
The Pediatric Intestinal Rehabilitation: Opportunities in Nutrition, Emerging Clinical Evidence and Experimental Research (PIONEER) Symposium is an annual multidisciplinary forum that spotlights research breakthroughs, cutting-edge therapies and the evolving landscape of intestinal rehabilitation.
The event brings together leading experts from pediatric gastroenterology, surgery, dietetics, pharmacy and nursing. Participants explore studies and cross-disciplinary partnerships that improve outcomes for pediatric patients with intestinal complexity, sparking innovation in this fast-evolving field.
Attendee Impact
- Clinical and Experimental Strategies: Describe emerging strategies in the management of pediatric intestinal failure, including surgical innovation, nutrition optimization and regenerative therapies.
- Complication Analysis: Analyze mechanisms and management of complication such as parenteral nutrition-associated liver disease, bacterial overgrowth, feeding intolerance, etc.
- Nutrition Strategies and Evaluation: Evaluate current approaches to enteral and parenteral nutrition, including strategies to promote growth, intestinal adaptation and prevention of liver injury.
- Research Insights: Interpret translational research findings on gut-liver signaling, microbiome-host interaction, and organoid or animal models of short bowel syndrome.
- Multidisciplinary Care Models: Apply care models that integrate gastroenterology, surgery, nutrition, pharmacy and nursing to improve patient outcomes.
- Future Challenges and Direction: Identify ongoing challenges and future directions in pediatric intestinal rehabilitation, including biomarker development, novel therapies and collaborative research priorities.