The NEC Society is honored to announce that Amena Mebane, Esq. will provide the opening keynote at the NEC Symposium taking place in San Diego, CA, August 28 – 30, 2023. Amena joined the NEC Society’s Board of Directors shortly after she and her husband Brandon tragically lost their daughter Makenna to necrotizing enterocolitis.

Jennifer Canvasser, MSW, the founder and executive director of the NEC Society, shares, “Makenna’s story will inspire the NEC community to collaborate and accelerate patient-centered research. We are so grateful to Amena for honoring her daughter in a way that will help other families avoid this devastating disease.”

Jennifer launched the NEC Society after her son Micah died from complications of necrotizing enterocolitis just before his first birthday. Thanks to support from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, and a generous community of supporters, the NEC Society is now the world’s leading nonprofit organization focused on necrotizing enterocolitis.

The NEC Symposium will bring together clinicians, scientists, patient-families, and other diverse stakeholders from across the US and around the globe. The NEC Symposium will draw upon a broad range of expertise and perspectives to collectively advance the NEC Society’s research and strategic priorities. The 2023 meeting will build upon the earlier meetings and progress, including the 2017 NEC Symposium at UC Davis, the 2019 NEC Symposium at the University of Michigan, and the 2021 NEC virtual convening hosted in partnership with Cincinnati Children’s. Registration will be available at NECsociety.org.