Our Keynote Speakers

Dr David Sweet

"Alternative Modes of Surfactant Administration"

David Sweet graduated from Queen’s University Belfast in 1990 and trained in Paediatrics and Neonatal Medicine in Northern Ireland and Western Australia.

Appointed as a consultant Neonatologist in the Regional Neonatal Unit in the Royal Maternity Hospital in Belfast in 2003 and Honorary Clinical Lecturer for the Dept of Child Health, Queen’s University in 2007. He has 35 peer reviewed publications and review articles to date, mostly related to newborn respiratory care and the evolution of neonatal bronchopulmonary dysplasia.

David is the Northern Ireland Co-ordinator of several multi-centre trials and maintains an active interest in Perinatal Research and Evidence-based medicine. He is first author of all 5 editions of the European Guidelines on the Management of RDS. – 2007 - 2019

Colm Darby

"Neonatal Vaccination - Promoting Conversations with Vaccine Hesitant Parents"

Colm is an Advanced Neonatal Nurse Practitioner.

He is Chair of the Neonatal Nurses Association in Northern Ireland.

He has won Neonatal Nurse of the Year and was a finalist at the RCNi Awards for Advanced Clinical Practice 2020.

Sarah Bates

"Optimal Cord Management"

Dr. Bates is a Consultant Paediatrician & Neonatologist at Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

She is the PERIPrem Project Neonatal Operational Clinical Lead

Dr Bates is also member of the BAPM Executive Committee and the Neonatal CRG LNU/SCU Representative

Alison Rea

"Bereavement in Neonatal Units"

Alison Rea is a member of the bereavement team at Birmingham Women's and Children's NHS Foundation Trust.

With over 23 years midwifery experience she has cared for many couples experiencing the loss of a baby. She now spends all of her working time providing specialist support to bereaved families and help and advice to the medical teams who care for them.

Irene Beirne

"Neonatal Nuggets – a novel approach to teaching in a busy neonatal unit"

Irene is an Advanced Nurse Practitioner in Neonatology in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), University Maternity Hospital Limerick, Ireland. Irene has almost thirty years neonatal experience, working in large level three NICU’s nationally and internationally.

She has presented at many conferences both nationally and internationally. Her most recent research ‘providing culturally sensitive care in the neonatal setting to infants whose parents are from the Irish Traveller Community’ has been published in the Journal of Transcultural Nursing.

Irene carries the profession of Nursing in high regard and endeavours to provide family centred care for all infants and their families. She is committed and dedicated to providing high quality neonatal care to newborn infants and their families. Her research and special interests include: cultural care, family centred care, prevention of late onset sepsis, oral immune therapy and development of quality improvement plans and initiatives.

Dr Michael Narvey

"Advances in the Management of Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia"

Dr. Narvey began his training in Pediatrics at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg where he completed a year of further training in Neonatology. This was followed by two years of Neonatal fellowship at the University of Alberta in Edmonton.

Afterwards he began his career as a Neonatologist in the same city and over the 6 years he spent there, his career included both clinical and administrative duties including 4 years as the Fellowship Program Director and two years as the Medical Director for a level II unit. In late 2010 he accepted a position in Winnipeg to become the Section Head of Neonatology and continues to hold this post.

In 2016 he took on the additional role of Medical Director of the Child Health Transport Team. In 2015 he became a member of the Canadian Pediatric Society’s Fetus and Newborn Committee and in 2019 took over as Chair of the same. In this capacity he also serves as a liaison member on the Committee on the Fetus & Newborn for the AAP.