Our 2024 Group B Strep in Pregnancy & Babies virtual conference will be a must-attend event for anyone interested in group B Strep.
Group B Strep is the leading cause of severe infection in newborn babies in the UK. Our one-day virtual conference will bring together leading experts to talk about group B Strep, prevention policies, testing options, antibiotic usage, and the progress towards a GBS vaccine.
Location: Online only (sessions will be recorded and available for 3 months after the event)
Who should register? The conference is designed for health professionals interested in group B Strep and working in maternity/neonatal care, including:
- Obstetricians
- Microbiologists
- Midwives
- Neonatologists
- Public Health Specialists
- GPs
- All Health Professionals
- Paediatricians
The conference is accredited for 7 hours of CPD by the Royal College of Pathologists.
Programme
The conference programme is available here. A list of speakers is available here.
09:00 – 09:05
Welcome: Ms Jane Plumb MBE, Co-Founder and Chief Executive, Group B Strep Support
09:05 – 09:10
Introduction: Dr Alison Bedford Russell, Neonatal Clinical co-Director, Liverpool Neonatal Partnership. Member of the Group B Strep Support Medical Advisory Panel.
09:10 – 09:24
Zac’s story, Hannah and Tim Taylor-Smith
09:24 – 09:43
Group B Strep – a global issue, Jane Plumb MBE, Co-founder and Chief Executive of Group B Strep Support
09:43 – 10:03
Group B Streptococcus (GBS) disease incidence, England, Dr Theresa Lamagni, Senior Epidemiologist, Healthcare-Associated Infection & Antimicrobial Resistance, UKHSA
10:04 – 10:22
Placental Streptococcus agalactiae DNA is associated with neonatal morbidity and fetal cytokine storm at term, Professor Gordon Smith, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Cambridge, UK
10:22 – 10:46
Antenatal testing for GBS. Implications for the baby, Dr Shalini Ojha, Professor of Neonatal Medicine, University of Nottingham, UK
10:46 – 11:11
Panel Discussion, chaired by Dr Alison Bedford Russell, with Hannah and Tim Taylor-Smith, Jane Plumb MBE, Dr Theresa Lamagni, Professor Gordon Smith, and Dr Shalini Ojha
11:11 – 11:26
BREAK
11:26 – 11:31
Introduction, Dr Kathryn Gutteridge, Honorary Associate Professor, Psychotherapist, and past President of the Royal College of Midwives
11:31 – 11:48
GBS3 Trial: an update, Professor Kate Walker, Professor in Obstetrics, Nottingham, UK
11:49 – 12:08
Current care – What do midwives need to be discussing with pregnant women and birthing people? Phern Adams, Research Midwife, Birmingham Women’s Hospital
12:08 – 12:16
GBS testing through the GBS3 Trial: uptake of swabs and associated issues in a large maternity unit, Emma Pugh, Clinical Specialist Research Midwife, Cardiff and Vale University Health Board
12:16 – 12:23
The incidence of Group B Streptococcus Early Onset Disease reduced after implementation of optimal maternal cultures for antenatal screening, Dr Sofia Mazzotti, Paediatric and Neonatology Resident, University Hospital of Modena
12:23 – 12:48
Panel Discussion, chaired by Dr Kathryn Gutteridge, with Professor Jane Daniels, Phern Adams, Emma Pugh and Dr Sofia Mazzotti
12:48 – 12:53
Close of Morning Session: Jane Plumb MBE
12:53 – 13:33
LUNCH
13:33 – 13:38
Introduction: Professor Asma Khalil, Professor of Obstetrics and Maternal Fetal Medicine at St George’s Hospital, University of London, Vice President for Academia and Strategy at Royal College of Obstetricians & Gynaecologists
13:38 – 13:54
Quinn’s story, Natalie Lockyer
13:54 – 14:05
Antibiotics for GBS prophylaxis and the microbiome, and why we need a vaccine. Professor Philip Steer, Emeritus Professor of Obstetrics at Imperial College. London. Past President of the British Association of Perinatal Medicine and the section of O&G of the Royal Society of Medicine. Chair of the Group B Strep Support Medical Advisory Panel.
14:05 – 14:32
Progress towards a GBS vaccine in the UK, Professor Paul Heath, Professor and Honorary Consultant in Paediatric Infectious Diseases at St George’s University Hospital, London, UK.
14:32 – 14:50
Overview of Group B Streptococcal Vaccines, Professor Kirsty Le Doare, Professor of Vaccinology and Immunology at St George’s University Hospital, London, UK.
14:50 – 15:03
Developing a Maternal GBS Vaccine to Prevent Invasive GBS Disease in Infants, Dr Johannes Beeslar, Executive Director of Vaccine Clinical Research & Development at Pfizer, GBS Clinical Research Lead.
15:04 – 15:16
Minervax’s AlpN vaccine: overview and clinical data from the development of a novel GBS vaccine, Dr Jeannett Dimsits, Vice President of Clinical Development, Minervax
15:17 – 15:42
Panel Discussion, chaired by Prof Asma Khalil, with Natalie Lockyer, Professor Philip Steer, Professor Paul Heath, Professor Kirsty Le Doare, Dr Johannes Beeslar and Dr Jeannett Dimsits.
15:42 – 15:57
BREAK
15:57 – 16:02
Introduction, Professor Philip Steer
16:02 – 16:20
Maternal outcomes after giving birth to a child with invasive GBS disease, Dr Erzsébet Horváth-Puhó, Associate Professor, Aarhus University
16:20 – 16:27
The long-term risks of mental health disorders following neonatal, invasive Group B Streptococcus disease are modified by premature birth and maternal educational level. Malene Risager Lykke, PhD student, Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Aarhus University
16:28 – 16:34
Development of a serocorrelate of protection against invasive Group B Streptococcal disease (iGBS): A collaborative African-European project (PREPARE), Dr Kostas Karampatsas, Paediatric Infectious Diseases Consultant, St George’s University of London
16:35 – 17:04
Perinatal GBS Disease: What The Future Holds, Dr Carol J Baker, Professor of Pediatrics at McGovern Medical School, University of Texas, USA
17:05 – 17:30
Panel Discussion, chaired by Professor Philip Steer, with Dr Erzsébet Horváth-Puhó, Malene Risager Lykke, Dr Kostas Karampatsas and Dr Carol J Baker
17:30 – 17:35
Summary and Close, Jane Plumb MBE
The Organising Committee will consider abstracts on group B Strep from a scientific or healthcare perspective. Abstracts covering themes such as prevention, diagnosis, recognition and treatment, health systems research, sequelae and their management, pathogenesis, pathophysiology, epidemiology, health economics, disease burden, immunology, or microbiology will be considered.
Abstracts need to be submitted to one of the following categories:
1. Epidemiology
2. Vaccines
3. Microbiology and testing
4. Clinical care
5. Advocacy and engagement
6. Other
The abstracts should be written in English and the presenting author is required to ensure that all co-authors are aware of the content of the abstract before submission.
- Professor Philip Steer FRCOG, Imperial College London (Chair)
- Dr Carol J Baker, McGovern Medical School, Houston, Texas
- Dr Alison Bedford Russell, Liverpool Neonatal Partnership
- Ms Philippa Cox, London Maternity Clinical Network
- Dr Kathryn Gutteridge, Freelance Consultant Midwife
- Ms Diane Jones, North East London Integrated Care System and Clinical Commissioning Group
- Dr Sonali Kochhar, University of Washington Department of Global Health
- Dr Edward Morris CBE, NHS England
- Ms Jane Plumb MBE, Group B Strep Support
- Dr Guduru Gopal Rao OBE, London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust
Buy your tickets
If the above form doesn’t work, you can buy a ticket directly here
Conference Sponsors & Support
Financial support was provided as GMG Knowledge Gap Grant from Pfizer Inc, Pfizer have provided only financial support and had no input into the content provided.
For more information on our Conference Sponsors, visit our Sponsor Wall.
Silver Sponsors
Bronze Sponsors
If you are interested in sponsorship opportunities for this conference, please contact our Advocacy and Information Manager, Oliver Plumb at oliver.plumb@gbss.org.uk or call him on 0330 120 0798.
