Bridges to Transitions Symposium

Saturday, June 24, 2023
9 a.m. to noon
Registration and optional, complimentary continental breakfast open at 8 a.m.

John G. Rangos Sr. Conference Center Auditorium
UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh

Virtual option will be available.

Register here.

Parking will be complimentary for patients and family members in the North Garage on the UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh campus. Instructions and detailed maps will be provided to attendees.

Optional, Complimentary Conversation and Connections Luncheon to follow formal program adjournment until 2 p.m. All course attendees are welcome, with an emphasis on providers and families.

Program Overview

UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh’s Bridges to Transitions Symposium is designed to assure that patients diagnosed as children with inherited or acquired chronic disease, their families, and the applicable multi-disciplinary health care team are readily able to access mental, emotional, social, and educational resources needed to successfully navigate the clinical and personal changes that occur during the transition from pediatric to adult care.

This symposium highlights the importance of psychosocial support experts and clinicians working in tandem to provide comprehensive care for patients diagnosed with enduring and progressing conditions who are approaching or currently undergoing the critical transition period.  The program format and content are designed to provide critical and holistic updates in best practice care delivery across this wide range of specialists working in unison to care for this often complex, vulnerable, and evolving patient population. With successful integration of clinical and social science best practices by a dedicated multi-disciplinary team, the transition period can be a time these patients learn, grow, and thrive.

Learning Objectives

  • Enhance recognition of the importance of utilizing a multi-specialty team to facilitate optimal transition from pediatric to adult care clinically, mentally, emotionally, and socially for each unique patient.
  • Increase awareness of common clinical, social, societal, and other challenges faced by transitioning patients and how to employ effective navigation strategies.
  • Explore the challenges of and opportunities presented by rapidly changing technology and other current cultural trends, such as social media, in care delivery for this patient population.
  • Improve awareness of and ability to facilitate access to a strong support network and other critical resources essential to optimal pediatric to adult transition of care.

Course Directors

Andrew McCormick, MD
Medical Director, UPMC Vascular Anomalies Center
Director, Healthy Transitions Program
UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh
Associate Professor of Pediatrics
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine

Arvind Hoskoppal, MD
Director, Adult Congenital Heart Disease Program
UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh
UPMC Heart and Vascular Institute
Associate Professor of Pediatrics
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine

Invited Faculty

Adrienne Kovacs, PhD, CPysch
Equilibria Psych
Toronto, Canada

Target Audience

The Bridges to Transitions Symposium is a unique educational event designed to benefit a multi-dimensional audience including:

  • All members of the multi-disciplinary healthcare team involved in the care of pediatric patients transitioning to adult care.
  • Any patient and/or loved one who wish to share their experience transitioning from pediatric to adult care.
  • Any patient and/or loved one who wish to learn more ahead of future transitions of care.
  • Any patient and/or loved one who wish to establish or strengthen their support network in the care transition community.
  • Any patient and/or loved one who wish to attain improved access to the critical resources available to transitioning patients at the local and regional level.
  • Any students, trainees, researchers, staff, corporate, quality, or leadership healthcare professionals interested in learning more or vested in the care of the lifelong management patient population we serve, with an emphasis on the critical transition period.
  • Any members of the community who want to learn more or get involved in making our region’s communities more equitable, accessible, and optimal for all our community members.
  • Any disease pathology support group members or advocates who believe they can provide benefit to or receive benefit from the planned programming and networking opportunity for the transitions of care community.

Continuing Education Credits

This activity is approved for the following credit: AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™, ANCC, and AAPA Category 1 CME. Other health care professionals will receive a certificate of attendance confirming the number of contact hours commensurate with the extent of participation in this activity.

Registration Information

Please register here.

Contact Us

With questions on availability of in-person and virtual attendance, please contact:

Angela E. Kinnunen, MPA
Project Manager, Heart and Vascular Institute
412-770-4949
kinnunenae@upmc.edu