In response to feedback from our most important constituents—you—NICHQ is delighted to announce that we are rejoining our two signature events, The Obesity Congress and the Annual Forum for Improving Children’s Healthcare, to be held March 8-11, 2010, in Atlanta, Georgia.  

Folding these two important events into one comprehensive summit will allow attendees with travel and budget restraints to maximize their conference attendance, which is increasingly important in today’s turbulent economy. The Annual Forum for Improving Children’s Healthcare and Childhood Obesity Congress promises to be the largest pediatric quality conference in the US, and by pairing with the Childhood Obesity Congress, will feature best practices in childhood obesity assessment, prevention and treatment.

Conference Format and Dates

**Workshops on popular topics may be offered more than once, so please be prepared to repeat your presentation.

Conference Registration

The Annual Forum for Improving Children’s Healthcare and Childhood Obesity Congress conference registration fee will be waived for a maximum of two presenters in each Workshop or Exploratorium.  Storyboard presenters are required to cover registration fees. All presenters are responsible for their own travel and lodging costs. NICHQ will not reimburse these expenses.

Scholarships Available

NICHQ is offering five scholarships to our Annual Forum to a parent or family member of a child with special healthcare needs. Please download the NICHQ Family Leader Application for more information and instructions.

Thank you to all who submitted abstracts for the 2010 Annual Forum for Improving Children's Healthcare and Childhood Obesity Congress!

Evaluation of Proposals

NICHQ utilizes an international committee of child health, parent partners and quality improvement experts to review all proposals using the following criteria:

• Practical take home value for participants
• Results achieved to date
• Sustainability of results
• Potential for replication
• Involvement of patients and families
• Discussion of how disparities are addressed
• Effectiveness of educational approach

Proposal Notification Process

The key contact will be notified regarding proposal selection for presentation via email in mid-November. All proposals will be considered for all events including storyboard presentation.

More Information

For further information on the Annual Forum, visit NICHQ's Web site at www.nichq.org or contact Laura Falvey, NICHQ Forum Project Coordinator:
Phone: (617) 391-2712 
Fax: (617) 391-2701 
E-mail: lfalvey@nichq.org