Family Education Day at Emory's Cystic Fibrosis Center

Emory University's Cystic Fibrosis Center is hosting a public education event on Saturday, Feb. 9 at the Emory Conference Center Hotel, 1615 Clifton Rd., from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

This meeting is intended to inform and educate everyone who is affected by cystic fibrosis, including parents, relatives, friends, teachers, coworkers and healthcare providers.

Featured speakers include Lisa Saiman, MD, MPH, professor of clinical pediatrics at Columbia University, who will discuss infection control guidelines; Preston Campbell, MD, executive vice president for medical affairs at the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, who will report on the foundation's clinical research pipeline, and Andres Pelaez, MD, assistant professor of medicine at Emory University School of Medicine, who will describe advances in lung transplantation.

Cystic fibrosis, a genetic disease affecting 30,000 children and adults in the United States, impacts pulmonary function, digestion and reproduction. Symptoms include mucus in the lungs, lung infections, gastrointestinal problems and impaired breathing. The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation estimates that up to 10 million Americans are unknowing carriers of the mutations that cause the disease.

More information about Emory's Cystic Fibrosis Center, which serves more than 450 pediatric and adult patients annually, is available at:http://www.emoryhealthcare.org/departments/childcenter/services/cystic_fibrosis.html

Families who receive care at cystic fibrosis centers other than Emory's are welcome. The event is free.

If you are planning to attend, the Cystic Fibrosis Center requests a courtesy call by Monday, Feb. 4 at 404-727-8951.