Frustrated by the frequent incidence of patients returning to the hospital with wounds that were not healed, Sharon Baranoski, MSN, RN, CWCN, APN, MAPWCA, FAAN, launched a wound care-focused educational conference 30 years ago that we know today as the Clinical Symposium on Advances in Skin & Wound Care: The Conference for Prevention and Healing. A conference center in Matteson, Illinois, was the site of the very first conference, which since has traveled to several cities across the United States. New Orleans played host to celebrate the 30th annual symposium, presented by Wolters Kluwer, publisher of Advances in Skin & Wound Care. To show how much has changed in the past 3 decades, Ms Baranoski took attendees on a stroll down memory lane with a photo montage that included a look back at what was making the news and pop culture headlines in 1985.
Preconference workshops, general and breakout sessions, exhibits, posters, and a smorgasbord of delicious food welcomed symposium attendees. Among the highlights was the first JoAnn Maklebust Memorial Lecture and Keynote Address, paying tribute to the former co-editor-in-chief of Advances in Skin & Wound Care and founding member of the National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel. The wound care community lost Dr Maklebust last year following a long illness. "NPUAP-EPUAP-PPPIA International Pressure Ulcer Prevention and Treatment Guidelines: How Do You Use Them?" was the address delivered by Diane Langemo, PhD, RN, FAAN; Laura Edsberg, PhD; and Ms Baranoski.
A number of special awards were presented, as well as poster abstract winners, which are featured in the accompanying sidebar.
An OUCH! Race Series 5K Fun Run/Walk Event was held in conjunction with the symposium. OUCH! events are part of the Wound Reach Foundation, which was donating the race proceeds to create a clinical research grant via the Wound Healing Society Foundation.
Attendees had the opportunity to visit with vendors and get the latest updates on new technology and products, as well as network with colleagues and esteemed faculty members during exhibit hall hours.
A dinner satellite symposium on "Modern Wound Healing Technologies for Managing Diabetes" was supported by Acelity, San Antonio, Texas. Moderator of the session was Lawrence DiDomenico, DPM, and presenters were Paul Kim, DPM, and Katherine Lincoln, DO, FAAFP.
Wolters Kluwer Health/Lippincott Williams & Wilkins extends a special thank-you to the following organizations for their support of this year's meeting: Acelity; American College of Hyperbaric Medicine; American Professional Wound Care Association; BSN Medical; Hitachi Aloka Medical America, Inc; Organogenesis, Inc; MiMedx; SteadMed Medical, LLC; and TEI Medical, Inc.
2015 Award Winners
* The winners of the 2015 Sharon Baranoski Founder's Award were Jeffrey A. Niezgoda, MD, FACHM, FACEP, FAPWCA, and Karen Zulkowski, PhD, DNS, RN, CWS. Funding for this award was supported by an educational grant from Wolters Kluwer.
* Winners of the 2015 Roberta S. Abruzzese Publishing Award were Mary Ellen Posthauer, RDN, LD, CD, FAND; Merrilyn Banks, PhD; Becky Dorner, RDN, LD, FAND; and Jos M. G. A. Schols, MD, PhD, for the article "The Role of Nutrition for Pressure Ulcer Management: National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel, European Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel, and Pan Pacific Pressure Injury Alliance White Paper." The award was accepted by Laura E. Edsberg, PhD. This award was supported by an educational grant from Advances in Skin & Wound Care.
* Diane Langemo, PhD, RN, FAAN, was the 2015 recipient of the Outstanding Peer Reviewer Award. This award was supported by an educational grant from Advances in Skin & Wound Care.
* The Eric P. Kindwall Award of Excellence in Clinical Hyperbaric Medicine was presented to Keith van Meter, MD, FACEP, FACHM. This award was supported by the American College of Hyperbaric Medicine (ACHM).
* W. T. "Ted" Gurnee received The Kenneth Locklear Visionary Award. This award was supported by the ACHM.
* The ACHM also gave Special Recognition in Memory of William Zamboni, MD (1958-2015).
Awards also were given for posters in the categories of original investigation, case study/series, and education/system/other.
* Original Investigation: Poster 75 "Findings Related to the Bates-Jensen Wound Assessment Tool (BWAT): The Pressure Ulcer Detection (PUD) Study" by Barbara Bates-Jensen, PhD, RN, MN, CWOCN, Division of Geriatrics VA GLA Geriatric Research Education Clinical Center, UCLA School of Nursing and School of Medicine, Los Angeles, California.
* Case Study/Series: Poster 9 "A Retrospective Case Study of the Cost-effectiveness of Using Negative Pressure Wound Therapy in Patients with Pressure Ulcers in the Public Service of Brazil," by Michel Szamszoryk, MSN, RN, Emedcal, Brazil; Adriana Andrade, WOCN, RN, and Carla Oliveira, RN, Public Health Department of the Federal District, Brazil; Maria Izabel Pereira, WOCN, RN; Alessandra Garcia, WOCN, RN; and Katia Camargo, WOCN, RN, all with Emedcal, Brazil; Ana Tolentino, PhD Student, MSN, MBA, RN, Federal University of the State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; and Viviane Carvalho, PhD, MSN, RN, Professor at the Guarulhos University, Sao Paulo, Brazil.
* Education/System/Other: First-Place Tie: Posters 65 and 70 65: "SKINDEEP Tool for Pressure Ulcer Prevention in Critical Care Neonatal and Pediatric Population Undergoing Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO)," by Vita Boyar, MD; Karen Clemens, RN; and Marcia Zinger, RN; Cohen Children's Medical Center of New York, Hofstra North Shore-LIJ School of Medicine.
70: "Decreasing Operating Room-Related Pressure Ulcers Using a Multidisciplinary Approach," by Suzanne Bailin, BSN, RN, CNOR, Texas Children's Hospital Pavilion for Women, and Constance Tasker, BSN, RN, Texas Children's Hospital.
Symposium photos/courtesy Mary Dunbar and Karyn Cousart