IJNS Journal Club | Cystic Fibrosis Newborn Screening
25 September 2025
Welcome from the Chairs
1st IJNS Journal Club
Cystic Fibrosis Newborn Screening
We invite you to join us for the IJNS Journal Club to discuss the article entitled "Cystic Fibrosis Newborn Screening: A Systematic Review-Driven Consensus Guideline from the United States Cystic Fibrosis Foundation." Early diagnosis and intervention play a pivotal role in managing cystic fibrosis. To help facilitate a more timely and equitable screening process for CF, the US Cystic Fibrosis Foundation convened a multidisciplinary group of experts to develop an evidence-based consensus guideline for CF newborn screening. This guideline is based on a systematic review that synthesizes the latest evidence and expert consensus to provide public health and clinical professionals with recommendations on newborn screening practices for cystic fibrosis.
Join us as we explore the recommendations from the article and discuss their implications for newborn screening practice. We will discuss IRT cutoffs, CFTR panels and sequencing, and communication strategies.
Date: 25 September 2025
Time: 5:00PM CEST | 11:00AM EDT
Webinar ID: 813 7026 9080
Webinar Secretariat: journal.webinar@mdpi.com
Event Chairs
Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital, Chicago IL, USA,
Division of Pulmonary and Sleep Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago IL, USA
Susanna A. McColley, MD, is a pediatric pulmonologist at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago and professor of pediatrics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. She is the Scientific Director for Interdisciplinary Research Partnerships at the Stanley Manne Children’s Research Institute and Editor-in-Chief of Pediatric Pulmonology. Her cystic fibrosis research program aims to reduce health disparities, improve screening and diagnosis, and advance therapeutics. Her clinical and academic career is marked by dedication to mentoring the next generation of researchers and championing equity in child health. Her mission is to contribute to a world where every child can achieve their greatest health and fullest potential.
Marci Sontag is the Executive Director of the Center for Public Health Innovation. She has a Ph.D. in Epidemiology and an M.S. in Biometrics from the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center. Dr. Sontag has studied pediatric clinical outcomes and newborn screening systems since 1995, with a particular focus on cystic fibrosis newborn screening and its long-term follow-up. She is driven to improve the field of public health by applying innovative solutions to common problems and partnering with public health stakeholders at the local, regional, and national levels.
Keynote Speakers
Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle WA, USA,
Center for Respiratory Biology and Therapeutics, Seattle Children’s Research Institute, Seattle WA, USA
Dr. Meghan McGarry is a Pediatric Pulmonologist and Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Washington and Seattle Children’s Hospital. She has formal training in clinical pharmacology, epidemiology, and clinical research. Dr. McGarry’s research focuses on addressing health disparities in cystic fibrosis, including CFTR variant panels used in diagnosis and newborn screening leading to missed diagnoses. Dr. McGarry’s mission is to improve health and quality of life for all children with cystic fibrosis through research, education, advocacy, and community engagement.
Department of Genetic Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore MD, USA
Karen Raraigh, MGC, is an Assistant Professor of Genetic Medicine at Johns Hopkins University. She earned her Master’s in Genetic Counseling from the University of Maryland in 2008 and completed a Fulbright fellowship in Dublin, Ireland from 2008-2009. Her work has focused on genotype–phenotype correlations, patient and provider education, and engagement of genetic counselors with CF clinics. Ms. Raraigh co-leads the CFTR2 project and national efforts to advance CF-specific genetic counseling and professional collaboration in the field. She has contributed to the development of guidelines related to CF carrier screening, newborn screening, genetic counseling, and genetic testing, and is committed to the improvement of CF screening and care through research and education.
Registration
This is a FREE webinar. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information on how to join the webinar. Registrations with academic institutional email addresses will be prioritized.
Certificates of attendance will be delivered to those who attend the live webinar.
Can’t attend? Register anyway and we’ll let you know when the recording is available to watch.
Program
|
Speaker/Presentation |
Time in EDT |
Time in CST |
|
Susanna A. McColley (Co-Chair) Chair Introduction |
11:00 - 11:10 |
17:00 - 17:10 |
|
Meghan E. McGarry (Speaker 1) & Karen S. Raraigh (Speaker 2) Overview of Recommendations for Cystic Fibrosis Newborn Screening |
11:10 - 11:50 |
17:10 - 17:50 |
|
Q&A |
11:50 - 12:05 |
17:50 - 18:05 |
|
Closing of Webinar Marci K. Sontag (Co-Chair) |
12:05 - 12:15 |
18:05 - 18:15 |
Relevant Special Issue
Advances in Cystic Fibrosis Newborn Screening: From Laboratory Testing to Diagnosis
Guest Editors: Prof. Dr. Susanna A. McColley and Dr. Marci K. Sontag
Sponsors and Partners
Organizers
