“Environmental influences on perinatal health and disease”
Sept 13-15, 2024 | Providence, Rhode Island

The PRS Annual Meeting travels east to Providence, Rhode Island, September 13-15, 2024. This stimulating scientific meeting is taking place in a favorite East Coast historic city where invited internationally renowned speakers will lead the annual three-day event. Intentionally a smaller meeting, scientific discussions between all levels of perinatal investigators are encouraged throughout the weekend.

Providence offers the charm of a quaint New England town with the “hip sophistication of a big city.” It has revitalized its downtown and earned the nickname of The Creative Capital because of its creative arts scene. So, whether you are passionate about history, an art or museum enthusiast, love to walk and hike, or just want to join the multitude of leaf “peepers,” there are plenty of reasons to attend PRS in 2024!
The Renaissance Providence Hotel is the location of the 54th meeting and a striking example of Providence’s unique architecture. The conveniently located, downtown hotel dates back to the 1920s, and once served as a Masonic Temple. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Providence has a number of worthwhile sites to visit, including the “Mile of History“ with its charming old homes, churches, and businesses, Ivy League’s Brown University, and the award-winning WaterFire sculpture installation on three downtown rivers. Nearby trips of interest include visiting the Roger Williams Park Zoo, Newport’s Cliff Walk, and Mansions’ tours as well as numerous state beaches.

Providence also offers a wide assortment of cuisines. It is perhaps best known for Italian specialties in its Little Italy neighborhood, seafood favorites: Rhode Island-style calamari and clam chowder, and clam cakes. In addition, the city is home to Johnson & Wales University – a global leader in culinary education – whose innovative graduates can be found in many local restaurants.
For additional information about Providence, visit GoProvidence – Providence Warwick Convention & Visitors Bureau.
Traveling to Providence is easy with Rhode Island T.F. Green International Airport a convenient 10-15 minute drive to the Renaissance hotel. If you choose to fly into Boston’s Logan International Airport, the drive takes approximately an hour and there is also the option to take an Amtrak train.

Photographers Credits: Providence in the Fall: Sloat Daniel; WaterFire: Joe King; Washington St Bridge, Providence River: Billy Wilson; Rhode Island Capital: Tony Kent; Providence Anthenaeum Interior: Kenneth C. Zirkel; Providence Renaissance Hotel: Marriott.
Welcome from the President
Greetings!
The Council and I want to welcome PRS members, guests and speakers to the upcoming 54th Annual Meeting of the Perinatal Research Society as we look forward to gathering in Providence, Rhode Island, September 13 – 15.
The theme for the 2024 meeting is “Environmental Influences on Perinatal Health and Disease.” Our invited speakers will bring a wide array of outstanding presentations that will provide insight on factors in our environment that impact maternal, fetal, and newborn well-being. Pregnancy represents a window of particular susceptibility due to the complexity of the biological processes required for fetal development.
Our speakers will highlight factors from chemical exposures to non-chemical stressors such as low socio-economic status and climate change, which also intensify health disparities. I hope the combination of epidemiological, translational, and mechanistic presentations will be highly stimulating, and in keeping with the mission of PRS will generate new ideas and collaborations for both established and early career investigators.

PRS President
The opening speaker for the Friday evening session is the PRS Liley Lecture award winner, Judy Aschner, MD, Professor of Pediatrics, Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine, Director, Center for Discovery and Innovation, Hackensack Meridian Health. Her presentation titled, “Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes: A Focus on the Most Vulnerable” will set the tone for our weekend.
Since the inception of PRS, more than 50 years ago, our goals have included encouraging discussions of important scientific advances in perinatal research by featuring nationally renown speakers who provide insights on current developments in the field. In doing so, we also hope to give early career investigators the opportunity to meet with senior members and hopefully leave with new ideas for their research and find potential new collaborators. We will also set aside time to reunite with old friends and make new friends over our three days in Providence.
In addition, we want to welcome our early career researchers as they attend the pre-meeting Young Investigators Grant Writing workshop and are guided by PRS senior investigators in shaping their grant proposals. We look forward to the hearing them share their novel research proposals at the meeting.
As for our 2024 location, Providence, Rhode Island blends the historic charm of a New England town with a revitalized city center. It is home to Brown University with Newport’s Mansions and Cliff Walk nearby. The seafood and Italian cuisine are noteworthy and you can find a wide variety of places for interesting walks including the “Mile of History,” numerous city parks, and along the three downtown rivers.
We look forward to seeing you in Rhode Island in September as we take a deeper look at how environmental factors can influence perinatology. If you have any questions, please email PRS at staff@perinatalresearchsociety.org.
Irina Buhimschi, MD
PRS President
News & Updates
• Registration is Currently Closed. Email staff@perinatalresearchsociety.org if you have specific circumstances.
PRS Pre-Meeting NIH-Reckitt/Mead Johnson Nutrition Young Investigator Grant Writing Workshop, SEPT 11 – 13, 2024
In addition, PRS NIH-Reckitt/Mead Johnson Nutrition Young Investigator Workshop is a two-day pre-meeting, September 11-13, 2024 with successful applicants also attending the Annual meeting, September 13-15. The workshop utilizes immersive, active-writing, and active-oral presentation design, with one-on-one feedback from NIH-funded faculty-mentors drawn from the PRS membership. Applications for the program are due May 31. See the Young Investigator Program page for more information.


2024 PRS Annual Meeting Speakers
Speaker | Institute |
---|---|
Lauren Aleksunes, PhD, PharmD | Rutgers University |
Judy Aschner, MD | Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine |
Valene Garr Barry, PhD | Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis |
Mercedes Bravo, PhD | Duke University |
Sean M Cullen, MD, PhD | Weill Cornell Medical College |
Rahul D’Mello, MD, PhD | Oregon Health & Science University |
Laura Goetzl, MD, MPH | University of Texas Health Science |
Thaddeus Schug, PhD | National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences |
Kartik Shankar, PhD | University of Colorado |
Almudena Veiga-Lopez, DVM, PhD | University of Illinois |
Andrew Wolfe, PhD | National Institutes of Health, Center for Scientific Review |
Blair Wylie, MD, MPH | Columbia University |
Lindsay Zhou, MD | Monash University |


