NEC Symposium Chicago

The NEC Society, Cincinnati Children’s, and UNC Children’s recently presented the NEC Symposium in Chicago, the world’s largest meeting dedicated to NEC.

Watch highlights from the NEC Symposium & stay tuned for future meetings!

Building a World Without NEC

The NEC Society has organized the NEC Symposium biennially since 2017, uniting the global community for a world without NEC. The NEC Symposium in Chicago, which happened September 7-10, 2025, brought together 250+ clinicians, scientists, patient-family leaders, and others dedicated to advancing innovative strategies to better understand, prevent, diagnose, and treat NEC.

Clinicians, Scientists, Patient-Families, and Advocates

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Educational Sessions from World Renowned Faculty

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Global Leaders in NEC Research and Pediatric Medicine

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Global Institutions in Pediatric and Neonatal Medicine and Research

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20+ Educational Sessions & World-Renowned Faculty

The NEC Symposium propels science by presenting a transformative learning experience for renowned leaders, bedside clinicians, researchers, and trainees. The NEC Symposium’s 20+ educational sessions are designed collaboratively by the co-chairs, Scientific Advisory Council, and Key Opinion Leaders. Participants benefit from dynamic opportunities to dive into basic science and innovation, focused on how clinicians and scientists can improve the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of NEC.

The Chicago NEC Symposium inspired participants with rigorous science and humanized stories dedicated to improving the field’s ability to understand, prevent, diagnose, and treat NEC.

“It's very exciting to be here, to hear these stories, and to see the number of people who are in this room who are families, who are clinicians, who come at this from the research perspective and the clinical perspective. All of it together creates a community that is creating change. It's inspiring. It's impressive. This is a powerful thing that is happening."

Mark Del Monte, J.D.CEO of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)

“Anyone working on NEC should attend the NEC Symposium because the relationships and collaboration that happen at our meeting are transformational. We weave together patient-families and clinician-scientists to galvanize our community into action.”

Jennifer CanvasserFounder & Executive Director , NEC Society, Mother to Micah

“I have dedicated my career to infants at risk of NEC and more than a decade to the NEC Society. The NEC Symposium is a rare opportunity to collaboratively confront and break down barriers to move closer toward a world without NEC.”

Jae Kim, MD, PhDDirector of Neonatology at Cincinnati Children's

“Bringing together patient-families and multi-disciplinary stakeholders at the NEC Symposium allows us to push the boundaries of research and reimagine what is possible. In Chicago, we will engage and support trainees and early career investigators because they are essential to developing innovative solutions for this complex, catastrophic disease.”

Misty Good, MD, MSDivision Chief of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine at UNC Children's