We are a great looking group! Thanks for making this year’s NTD conference a fantastic experience in beautiful Vancouver.
Neural Tube Defects, Microcephaly and Chornobyl Radionuclides
August 6, 2024
Dear Colleagues,
I am pleased to include two links of my scheduled presentation. One is a direct link via internet to a YouTube video that is only open to you and our team (https://youtu.be/yPMVcNk-qFQ). Another link is to a file that you may download and show from your own computer machines without need of internet (https://drive.google.com/file/d/1SqZ_m9CTZ8pFid267hmAxyHnrsgVF8wk/view?usp=sharing).
Until soon and with best wishes,
W.
===
W. Wertelecki, M.D.,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wladimir_Wertelecki
TODAY'S THE DAY!!
Welcome to Vancouver, BC! We're here waiting to check you in. Stop by and see us.
UPDATE!
That moment of rest was very short lived. Since last we communicated, 9 speakers dropped out of the meeting, requiring me to rearrange the entire program. Unfortunately, the program was already printed and so when you pick up your program book, I want you to consider a few things.
1. I used a new printer here in Canada, and unfortunately, I did not communicate clearly my desires. So, the cover art does not actually cover the binder. It is lovely work, provided by Rachel Keuls, which you will find on page 1. So, all of the binders are plain boring white. No good. The pens depicted above will be available to you to personalize your covers and the best decorated cover will be selected, and the winner will get a lovely prize.
2. The agenda is completely re-arranged. If you received a letter telling you that your abstract was selected and you will be presenting your work on Tuesday morning, it is not necessarily true. Please refer to the agenda (final version 5-that means after 24 draft versions we still did 5 more versions once we thought it was final). We have printed out this version and you can replace the ancient version in your program book with our best thinking of the agenda as of 5pm July 31st.
3. Be kind….there may be regrettable errors in your academic title, your salutation, typos in the program. The Directory is not in perfect alphabetical order as some late registrations came in and we thought we were almost done with the program. We are amateurs and actually have day jobs so all this coming at us at the last minute just might have resulted in mistakes. I have personally never been one to let perfection be the enemy of progress (Churchill) so I don’t think this is perfect. But darn close. If you find a mistake and it bothers you, then it was Xue’s fault. Not really.
4. I would like to request that you submit your presentation ppt to OneDrive that Xue has set up for you as below. I know people like to make last minute changes, but it would be nice to have them before the start of the meeting. I was required today to submit my ppt for a conference in November!!! Craaazeeee! Do try.
Upload your Presentation using the LINK below, or you can upload it to Xue when you register the conference on August 11th.
Password: 2024NTD
PPT file name must include “FirstName -LastName-Presentation title”
See you in Vancouver! Can’t wait.
Our Agenda is LIVE!!!
Check out the official agenda HERE.
NTD 2024 conference - Must Read for those ATTENDING
For those presenting: Congratulations on your abstract acceptance for the 13th International Conference on Neural Tube Defects to be held August 11 – 14, 2024 at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
Participants should plan to arrive by Sunday afternoon, August 11th, in time for registration (12:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. Pacific Standard Time) and a welcome reception that evening. The reception will be held on the Rooftop, NEST Student Activity Center (SAC). This will be followed by a special lecture by Prof. Bruce Lanphear to be held in the Nest SAC Performance Theatre. The meeting will conclude Wednesday evening, August 14th.
ACTION ITEMS
1. CONFERENCE REGISTRATION – You will see Jen and Xue in the Lobby of Gage Residence who will help you with conference registration.
LINK to register for the workshop - https://ntdconference.com/registration-form
2. HOUSING RESERVATIONS - Note: housing accommodations MUST be made separately from the meeting registration by all attendees. The nearest airport is Vancouver International Airport (YVR)- 13 km / 8 mi. Taxi, Uber, car rentals and public transit are available from the airport (~ 25-minute drive). The lodging for the meeting is primarily at the Walter Gage Residences - 5959 Student Union Blvd, Vancouver BC V6T 1K2.
3. We also want your headshots for the program book.
Please send your headshot to xue.gu@bcm.edu
4. We are trying to finalize the program schedule and booklet. If you submitted an abstract that did not include the title, authors and affiliation (yes, some of you didn’t do that) and want to correct it, this is your last chance. Otherwise, it will be printed as we received it, as we do not have time to standardize the appearance of 70+ abstracts. Please submit changes to Xue.Gu@bcm.edu.
5. Platform presentation: please prepare a 20-minute talk for the platform presentation. Trainees are required to prepare a 15-minute talk.
6. Poster: Poster size cannot be greater than 4 feet wide by 4 feet tall (48 x 48 inches or 121 x 121 centimeters). We highly recommended 3 feet wide by 4 feet tall (92 cm x 122 centimeters)
The organizing committee looks forward to seeing everyone in beautiful British Columbia next month. We are excited about the meeting, and I think we will all have a great experience.
Dear Neural Tube Defect Community...
Did you think I was beginning to forget about you? No messages of encouragement for 2 weeks? So here we are again. I want to thank you for sending in your last minute abstracts. We now have quite a full agenda that continues to evolve. I am only on the 8th iteration of the meeting program. Usually we go through about 20 versions before it goes to press. I am sending this off with my newly connected Starlink wifi system (thank you Uncle Elon). I am now up on Vancouver Island, offshore from where we will meet in August. I am in a beautiful forest and chanced upon a young Black Bear last night. Happy to take more abstracts, especially for posters if you have more late breaking science to share with the community.
Please send the abstract to xue.gu@bcm.edu
We also want your headshots for the program book.
https://bcmedu-my.sharepoint.com/:f:/g/personal/xueg_bcm_edu/EjOLbQZ0ZehKnKnNbQ-eY9MBYbXp935O1XTVM9kBBGzIHQ?e=HDhORb
Password: NTD2024
Registration is super easy, and it can be accomplished by completing the registration form on our NTD Conference website. There is no deadline so you can recruit your friends at any time. https://ntdconference.com/registration-form
Once you are registered, be sure to submit your payment.
The link to reserve your housing is below.
For any questions or concerns, please contact Xue.Gu@bcm.edu
NEW ABSTRACT DEADLINE IS MAY 30th
I am happy that we continue to receive very exciting looking abstracts, but we still have room on the program for more so please keep them coming. The abstract deadline has been extended until the end of the month so there is time to submit. Please remind your friends who plan to attend, but have not yet submitted their abstracts, to send them in. We will need to get the program put together and the booklet printed. Please remind your colleagues. 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/:f:/g/personal/xueg_bcm_edu/Ek37EHSCvDRErAvSAAac000BEkvLUorbW_TKEeUviviFDQ?e=UDXfq9
Password: NTD2024
We also want your headshots for the program book. After the last reminder I got a few more submitted (see above) but I want you to have a chance to send in your own.
https://bcmedu-my.sharepoint.com/:f:/g/personal/xueg_bcm_edu/EjOLbQZ0ZehKnKnNbQ-eY9MBYbXp935O1XTVM9kBBGzIHQ?e=HDhORb
Password: NTD2024
Registration is super easy, and it can be accomplished by completing the registration form on our NTD Conference website. There is no deadline so you can recruit your friends at any time. https://ntdconference.com/registration-form
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
NEW ABSTRACT DEADLINE IS MAY 30th
I am happy that we continue to receive very exciting looking abstracts. We still need many more so please keep them coming. 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.
Password: NTD2024
We also want your headshots for the program book. Remember, if you don’t send one, I will select one for you (see above) Only 12 of you have submitted your lovely headshots.
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.
The link to reserve your housing is below.
For any questions or concerns, please contact Xue.Gu@bcm.edu
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.
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.
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.
The link to reserve your housing is below.
For any questions or concerns, please contact Xue.Gu@bcm.edu.
NEW ABSTRACT DEADLINE IS MAY 1st...SOLAR ECLIPSE SPECIAL EDITION
I am happy that we continue to receive very exciting looking abstracts. Please keep them coming. The abstract deadline has been extended. I know there are many of you who plan to attend but have not yet submitted your abstract. 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.
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!
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.
The link to reserve your housing is below.
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.
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!
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.
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:
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:
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:
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:
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
13th International Conference on Neural Tube Defects, August 11-14, 2024 on the campus of the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Happy Holidays!!
Happy Holidays to the Neural Tube Defect Community. Wishing you all the best in the coming New Year. I thought it would be good to reach out to you and remind you that the conference is going to be held in August, NOT IN OCTOBER this coming year, so it means that we will be setting the abstract submission deadline earlier than in the past. The organizing committee would like to receive your abstracts by May 1, 2024. Complete details are available on the ntdconference.com website. We hope to update the website soon with details and maps about Vancouver. Wishing everyone a peaceful (we need that more than ever) holiday and look forward to your abstracts in 2024!
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.
Conference AGENDA is now live!
We’ve been busy working on the best conference schedule we could come up with. There were so many great abstracts, thank you for all your excellent submissions. Come ready to hear from all your colleagues. You can access the agenda here.
VIRTUAL PARTICIPANTS: We need your help! Please look for an email from Xue on your participation next-steps. We will send you a link to access all the live conference sessions soon.
We cannot wait to welcome you to Austin in just a few weeks. The weather is cooling down. Have you picked out your costume yet?