NEW ABSTRACT DEADLINE IS MAY 1st

I am happy that we continue to receive very exciting looking abstracts. We still need many more so please keep them coming. The neurosurgeons are particularly lacking in submitted abstracts.

I know you are coming so please submit your abstracts. The abstract deadline has been extended.

There are many of you who plan to attend but have not yet submitted your abstract. Please remind your colleagues. This is going to be a wonderful meeting. We are still lagging behind in our registrations. It would be great if you would think about registering for the conference in the next week or so.

https://bcmedu-my.sharepoint.com/personal/xueg_bcm_edu/_layouts/15/onedrive.aspx?id=%2Fpersonal%2Fxueg%5Fbcm%5Fedu%2FDocuments%2FNTD%202024%20conference%20abstract&ga=1

Password: NTD2024

We also want your headshots for the program book. Remember, if you don’t send one, I will select one for you. That is not an idle threat! Only 12 of you have submitted your lovely headshots.

https://bcmedu-my.sharepoint.com/personal/xueg_bcm_edu/_layouts/15/onedrive.aspx?id=%2Fpersonal%2Fxueg%5Fbcm%5Fedu%2FDocuments%2FNTD%202024%20conference%20headshot&ga=1

Password: NTD2024

Registration is super easy, and it can be accomplished by completing the registration form on our NTD Conference website:

https://ntdconference.com/registration-form

Please answer ALL of the questions on the form and provide us with a jpeg of yourself for our conference program book. Once you are registered, be sure to submit your payment.

https://host.nxt.blackbaud.com/registration-form/?formId=927989c3-beb3-4c3a-ad61-96a24a11c669&envId=p-bRxUBQv9J0W7FN7-sX91mg&zone=usa

The link to reserve your housing is below.

https://reserve.suitesatubc.com/vancouver/availability.asp?hotelCode=%2A&startDate=08%2F11%2F2024&endDate=08%2F15%2F2024&adults=1&children=&rooms=1&requesttype=invBlockCode&code=+%20G240811A

For any questions or concerns, please contact Xue.Gu@bcm.edu.

NTD 2024 conference-New abstract deadline is May 1st

I apologize for any problems you may have encountered trying to submit your abstract today. In true Murphy’s Law fashion, our link expired today.  But we have a new link that is currently operational for you to submit your abstracts. We have extended the deadline until May 1st but the later you submit your abstract the greater the likelihood of a poster assignment. 

NTD 2024 conference abstract

Password: NTD2024

 

We also want your headshots for the program book.  Remember, if you don’t send one, I will select one for you.  That is not an idle threat!

 

NTD 2024 conference headshot

Password: NTD2024

 

Registration is super easy, and it can be accomplished by completing the registration form on our NTD Conference website:

https://ntdconference.com/registration-form

 

Please answer ALL of the questions on the form and provide us with a jpeg of yourself for our conference program book.  Once you are registered, be sure to submit your payment.

https://host.nxt.blackbaud.com/registration-form/?formId=927989c3-beb3-4c3a-ad61-96a24a11c669&envId=p-bRxUBQv9J0W7FN7-sX91mg&zone=usa

 

The link to reserve your housing is below.

https://reserve.suitesatubc.com/vancouver/availability.asp?hotelCode=%2A&startDate=08%2F11%2F2024&endDate=08%2F15%2F2024&adults=1&children=&rooms=1&requesttype=invBlockCode&code=+%20G240811A     For any questions or concerns, please contact Xue.Gu@bcm.edu. 

 

Rick

ONLINE REGISTRATION IS NOW LIVE!!!

Please register early so we know we have sufficient participation to pay our bills---and we want to see you all in Vancouver, British Columbia in August. Click HERE to register and pay.

Do GLP-1 agonists cause NTDs? These drugs are reshaping (no pun intended) our societies. Do we know anything about the reproductive risks involved? I hope some of you out there have explored this question and can share your insights.

This is the link to register for the upcoming conference. We might have a shorter link soon but please do register. Having recently registered for a few conferences, paying very high registration fees just to attend and maybe get a free cup of coffee, our conference has a very friendly rate of $600 ($450 for trainees). This includes a welcoming reception and lecture on Sunday night (August 11) and breakfasts and lunches and a poster session heavy hor d’oeuvres. Plus…swag. That’s right. You heard me…..meeting swag to the first 100 registrants. Don’t be late!

The link to reserve your housing is live, and you can make those arrangements any time. Click HERE to reserve your room. THE ROOM BLOCK CLOSES JULY 11. 2024.

For any questions or concerns, please contact Xue.Gu@bcm.edu.

Have a great week.

March 3rd is the world Birth Defects Day. Honor it.

NTD 2024 conference-Housing & Abstract link

Dear Neural Tube Defect Community,

Let us congratulate one of the NTD Organizing Committee Members Dr. Philip Lupo on his recent conquest of the Houston Marathon.  It was a very cold winter day for Houston, and Philip distinguished himself with a sub 9 minute average for the race.  Way to go!  Philip is putting that kind of enthusiasm into whipping up more epidemiological abstracts for the meeting. 

 

It is now possible to reserve your rooms for the upcoming NTD conference live online. As you can see in the link below, the guest rooms are all well equipped with kitchen facilities and walk in showers.  It is about a 5 minute walk from the guest rooms to the meeting sites.  There is a booking link on the bottom of the NTD conference website but here is a direct housing link:

 

Direct housing link: https://reserve.suitesatubc.com/vancouver/availability.asp?hotelCode=%2A&startDate=08%2F11%2F2024&endDate=08%2F15%2F2024&adults=1&children=&rooms=1&requesttype=invBlockCode&code=+%20G240811A

 

If anyone requires letters of invitation for their institutions or visa needs, please feel free to contact Xue (Xue.gu@bcm.edu) and she will provide the necessary letter.


Let’s get those abstracts submitted!!  First abstract submitted gets a huge surprise.

 

UPLOAD ABSTRACTS BY USING THE BELOW LINK & PASSWORD:              

 

https://bcmedu-my.sharepoint.com/:f:/g/personal/xueg_bcm_edu/EnULMO_yICxKtiNAwCmUGOYBnqZiYqT2xxG7vA71RNXDdA?e=OPmR2A

 

Password: NTD2024
Have a great week. Be productive. Prevent preventable birth defects.


Rick et al.

CALL FOR ABSTRACTS

13th Biannual International Conference on Neural Tube Defect

University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada

August 11 - 14, 2024

ABSTRACT SUBMISSION DEADLINE: April 1, 2024

UPLOAD ABSTRACTS BY USING THE BELOW LINK & PASSWORD:               

https://bcmedu-my.sharepoint.com/:f:/g/personal/xueg_bcm_edu/EnULMO_yICxKtiNAwCmUGOYBnqZiYqT2xxG7vA71RNXDdA?e=OPmR2A

Password: NTD2024

For any questions or concerns, please contact Xue.Gu@bcm.edu

**Please note this new submission procedure

We strongly encourage all participants at this meeting to share their  relevant research or clinical expertise encapsulated in an abstract.  The abstracts accepted for platform and poster presentations will be selected by a committee of experts in the areas of neurosurgery, clinical genetics, genetics and genomics, molecular biology, pediatrics, epidemiology, teratology, and developmental biology.  As always, priority will be given to research of the highest caliber delineating mechanisms of normal and abnormal neural tube morphogenesis, those describing new genomic patterns of inheritance, and papers providing new insights into old problems.

Abstract acceptance notification: May 1, 2024

As always, we encourage you to submit your best work for consideration in any area related to malformations and morphogenesis with an emphasis on mechanisms leading to a better understanding of the spectrum of NTDs and their proper management. In addition to general topics there will be several sessions dedicated to the following focus areas:

  • Fetal Surgery for Spina Bifida (SB) Repair

  • Epidemiology of NTDs: Health Disparities and Global Issue

  • Maternal Nutrition, One Carbon Metabolism and NTDs

  • Gene-Environmental Interactions and Risk for NTDs          

Although abstracts in the above focus areas will be given priority for presentation, abstracts which report research on any aspect of malformations and morphogenesis will be considered.

ABSTRACT SUBMISSION GUIDELINES – NEW THIS YEAR

**Abstracts submission electronically only by using this link:  

https://bcmedu-my.sharepoint.com/:f:/g/personal/xueg_bcm_edu/EnULMO_yICxKtiNAwCmUGOYBnqZiYqT2xxG7vA71RNXDdA?e=OPmR2A

Password: NTD2024

Please follow the style guidelines of the abstract format listed below, and adhere to the following specifications:

  • Each person should submit 1 abstract (only)

  • Page size: 8.5” x 11” (US Letter)

  • Number of pages: one (1)

  • Margins: Top – 1”; Bottom – 2”; Left – 1.25”; Right – 1”

  • Text Alignment: Left

  • Typeface: Arial

  • Type size: 12 Point

  • Abstract Title: All caps and centered on the page

  • Authors: Underline the name of the presenting author

  • Institution:  Italics

  • Trainees only: indicate if you are a pre or postdoctoral student, fellow, or resident.

  • File name must be “LastName_NTDAbstract”

PLEASE NOTE – Abstracts that are submitted without correct formatting or file name will be returned for correction and resubmission.  Please check that you have turned off track changes.  Do not reduce font or margin size to allow abstract to fit.

REGISTRATION

Online registration will be available shortly. A message will be sent out when registration and hotel accommodations go live online.

TRAINEES

Participation by graduate students, fellows, residents, and post-doctoral trainees at this meeting is highly encouraged. Special sessions have been set aside for presentations by trainees only. Please indicate your status at the time of your abstract submission. In addition, you must also identify a faculty member who will be attending the meeting and has agreed to serve as your mentor.

We are currently seeking funding to provide support for travel and registration for trainees, which will be awarded on a competitive basis as determined by abstract quality and individual need/circumstances.

LOCATION

The meeting will be held at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada

Please note – Housing accommodations will be made separately from the meeting registration.

Participants should plan to arrive Sunday afternoon, August 11th, in time for registration (1:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. Pacific Standard Time) and a welcome reception that evening.  The meeting will conclude late afternoon on Wednesday, August 14th. 

Courtesy of Robert Cabrera

2024 NTD Conference - AUGUST 11-14, 2024

SAVE THE DATE: University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

As we continue to add new names to our mailing list, I am sending out this second Save the Date message to remind everyone to set these days aside (and probably several more to explore the beautiful city and countryside) for the next International Conference on Neural Tube Defects. We have finalized the arrangements now to hold the 13th International Conference on Neural Tube Defects in beautiful British Columbia on the campus of my alma mater, the University of British Columbia.  The campus is located at the western tip of the Point Grey Peninsula in Vancouver.  We will be providing more details to follow in the new year concerning registration, abstract submission deadlines and more.  As always, we welcome trainees to participate and we have set aside multiple sessions for their oral presentations. We know that grant dollars are difficult to come by in these challenging times, so we are making every effort possible to raise donations to offset the expenses and keep registration costs as low as possible.  At the present time, fortunately for some, the currency exchange rate for Canadian dollars can be quite favorable.

Covering nearly 1000 acres in size, the stunning campus is surrounded by forest on three sides and ocean on the fourth, and is just a 30 minute bus ride to Vancouver's downtown core. The campus has been located on this site for most of its 100-year history; a location that is the traditional territory of the Musqueam people. We will have a free afternoon to tour the remarkable Anthropology Museum, the Japanese Gardens, the infamous Wreck Beach and so much more.  You can take a virtual tour (https://you.ubc.ca/tours-events/virtual-tour/#). Contact me at: finnell@bcm.edu for more information.

SAVE THE DATE: AUGUST 11-14, 2024

DO YOU KNOW WHERE THIS IS????

Get your passports out and get ready to head north…..the 13th International Neural Tube Defect Conference is leaving Austin, Texas for ……..Vancouver, British Columbia, CANADA! That’s right, we will be hosting next year’s meeting in beautiful British Columbia on the campus of my alma mater, the University of British Columbia. The campus is located at the western tip of the Point Grey Peninsula in Vancouver. We will be providing more details to follow shortly, but we hope everyone can start thinking about making plans to attend. The setting is spectacular. Covering nearly 1000 acres in size, the stunning campus is surrounded by forest on three sides and ocean on the fourth, and is just a 30 minute bus ride to Vancouver's downtown core. The campus has been located on this site for most of its 100-year history; a location that is the traditional territory of the Musqueam people. We will have a free afternoon to tour the remarkable Anthropology Museum, the Japanese Gardens, the infamouse Wreck Beach and so much more. You can take a virtual tour.

2022 Conference Photos are up!

Want to relive all the exciting moments from the 2022 conference?

We were so thrilled to host the 12th International Conference on Neural Tube Defects in Austin, TX again. It was a year of FIRSTS!…First costume-themed poster session (but not the last?) and first time ever doing hybrid in-person and Zoom sessions. Lessons were learned to ensure the next conference will be even better. We hope you can join us for the next one. Until then, you can browse through the collection of conference photos, to remind you of the amazing science we shared and the fun we had. You can find the gallery by going to the NTD 2022 tab at the top of the page and selecting 2022 Conference Photos or click HERE.