On September 20-22, 2019, Congenital Hyperinsulinism International (CHI) in partnership with Kongenitaler Hyperinsulinismus e.V. and Lobby4Kids held the 2019 Congenital Hyperinsulinism Family Conference in Vienna, Austria. The conference featured world-renowned physicians, researchers, and specialists who treat children with congenital hyperinsulinism (HI), as well as parent and patient advocacy leaders. There were opportunities for HI families to meet and share their experiences with other HI families. The family conferences are always a fantastic opportunity to learn more about all aspects of the condition and to meet and get to know members of the global HI community.
The conference was held at the Renaissance Wien Hotel, Ullmannstrasse 71, Linke Wienzeile , 1150 Vienna. Located in Rudolfsheim-Fünfhaus, the 15th district, centrally located west of the inner city. It borders the 6th and 7th districts so it is very close to the famous shopping mile Mariahilfer Street and is also close to the Vienna Zoo. There was a welcome reception on Friday evening from 18.00 to 20.00. The conference sessions began at 9.00 on Saturday 21.9.2019. There was a hyperinsulinism community dinner at the hotel for all conference attendees at 19.00. The final day of the conference began at 9.00 on Sunday 22.9.2019 and ended by 16.00.
Topics included:
- HI Stories – Family Presentations on Life with Hyperinsulinism
- The Psychological Burden of Living with Hyperinsulinism
- Managing HI at School
- HI Global Registry
- HI Patient Advocacy Around the World
- Decoding Your Genetics Report
- Guidelines for Detecting Hypoglycemia
- The Mechanism of Disease with Congenital Hyperinsulinism
- Diagnosing Congenital Hyperinsulinism Including Genetic Evaluation
- Imaging in the Diagnosis of Congenital Hyperinsulinism
- Networking Break
- Current Treatments for Congenital Hyperinsulinism
- Long-term Outcomes for Patients with Congenital Hyperinsulinism
- Recent International Academic Research I
- Recent International Academic Research with Biotech/Pharma
- Ask the Experts Panel (Endocrinologists, Geneticists, Biotech/Pharma)
There was also be special programming for young adults, teens, and children, in addition to babysitting available during conference sessions.
The weekend kicked off with a family visit to Schönbrunn Palace on Friday afternoon, 20.9.19, at 15.00. This excursion was free of charge to families. Duration of the visit was about 90 minutes – a 1 hour special guided tour through the Imperial State rooms and 30 minutes playing in the interactive children’s museum.
