This is a must-attend event for anyone interested in group B Strep. Attend to hear leading international experts share about the latest in group B Strep research, prevention policies, testing options, antibiotic usage, and the progress towards a maternal group B Strep vaccine.

TOPICS COVERED

The conference will be a mix of lectures, poster presentations, panel discussions and Q&A sessions.

• Day One (12 July) will be chaired by Dr Eddie Morris, President of the Royal College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists. The day’s Keynote speaker is Dr Carol J Baker, affectionately known as the “godmother” of group B Strep research, who will give an overview and history of group B Strep prevention over the last 50 years. The rest of the morning will focus on GBS epidemiology, chaired by Dr Caroline Trotter and Dr Colin Brown, with presentations on topics ranging from the neurodevelopmental outcomes of GBS infection, maternal invasive GBS disease, antimicrobial resistance and the mode of transmission of late-onset GBS disease.
• The afternoon sessions on Day One will be chaired by Prof Paul Heath and Prof Shabir Madhi, and are focused on GBS vaccines, with updates from the developers of the two leading GBS vaccines – MinervaX and Pfizer, plus a summary of the recent World Health Organisation GBS vaccine assessment and what’s needed to ensure a GBS vaccine successfully prevents GBS infection in babies.
• Day Two (13 July) will be chaired by Dr Kathryn Gutteridge, Immediate Past President of the Royal College of Midwives. It will begin with a keynote speaker from Prof Philip Steer on group B Strep and maternity care. The rest if the morning will focus on GBS microbiology and testing, chaired by Dr Gopal Rao and Dr Jim Gray, with presentations on laboratory diagnosis of GBS colonisation, a midwife’s role in testing for GBS, the evidence for accuracy of PCR testing for GBS, and the challenges of setting up ECM testing in an NHS hospital.
• Day Two’s afternoon session will be chaired by Dr Kate Walker and Mrs Phillipa Cox, and is focused on GBS in clinical care. It will cover diverse topics including attitudes to GBS testing in pregnancy, two hospitals’ experiences of introducing PCR and ECM GBS testing as part of the ongoing GBS3 trial, answering the top FAQs from women about GBS and increasing knowledge and awareness of group B Strep in a hospital setting.
• Parents will share their and their families’ experiences of group B Strep in each half-day session, including maternal GBS infection, early-onset GBS infection and late-onset GBS infection and exploring the ongoing impact of GBS on their lives.

WHO SHOULD ATTEND?

• The event is suitable for anyone with an interest in group B Strep and microbiology, maternity or neonatal care.
• It will be of particular interest to microbiologists, obstetricians, midwives, neonatologists, paediatricians, public health specialists, and GPs.

SPEAKERS TO INCLUDE

• Dr Carol J Baker, whose ground-breaking research led to >80% reduction of neonatal GBS disease in the USA. Fellow keynote speaker, Prof Philip Steer, is emeritus professor of obstetrics at Imperial College, past President of BAPM, editor emeritus of BJOG – an International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology and Chair of GBSS' Medical Advisory Panel.
• Emelie Alsheim (PhD student, University of Bath)
• Dr Annaliesa Anderson (Senior Vice President & Chief Scientific Officer, Pfizer Inc)
• Dr Luca Bedetti (Neonatologist and PhD student, University Hospital of Modena)
• Dr Alberto Berardi (Head of Neonatal Intensive Care, Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria Policlinico)

Join the two-day virtual conference from anywhere in the world. Each day has a different focus - Day One covers epidemiology and vaccines, Day Two testing and clinical practice. The conference recordings will be available to registrants for 3 months after the event.