{1}
##LOC[OK]##
{1}
##LOC[OK]## ##LOC[Cancel]##
{1}
##LOC[OK]## ##LOC[Cancel]##
<< Return to Main Site
Penn Medicine
  • Sign In
  • Home
  • Live Courses
  • RSS's
  • On-Demand Learning
  • Non-CME
  • About Us
  • State Required CME
  • FAQs
  • Planning Resources
  • Help
Close Login
{1}
##LOC[OK]##
{1}
##LOC[OK]## ##LOC[Cancel]##
{1}
##LOC[OK]## ##LOC[Cancel]##

Penn Medicine personnel only - click the button on the left. All others - please login with the email address you used to create your account.

Penn Key Credentials Sign-In
Email and password Sign-In
Enter your email and password to login:

*
*
Login

New to CloudCME? Create an Account:

Create New Account
Back to Login Provider Forgot Your Password?

Forgot Your Password?







Back to Login
{1}
##LOC[OK]##
{1}
##LOC[OK]## ##LOC[Cancel]##
{1}
##LOC[OK]## ##LOC[Cancel]##
Email is required Invalid: Enter valid email address
First Name is required
Last Name is required
Password is required


Password Requirements

  • Must be between 8 and 16 characters in length
  • Must Contain at least 1 upper case character
  • Must Contain at least 1 lower case character
  • Must contain at least 1 numeric character
  • Must contain at least 1 of the following ! * @ # $ % ^ & + =
Confirm password

Passwords must match
Password must be between 8 and 16 characters and contain the following:
•at least 1 upper case character
•at least 1 lower case character
•at least 1 numerical character
•at least 1 special character

  • -- Select Degree --
  • APRN
  • AS
  • ASCP
  • BS
  • BSN
  • BSRT
  • BSW
  • CCT
  • CGC
  • CNM
  • COMT
  • CRNA
  • CRNP
  • CSW
  • CTR
  • CVT
  • DDS
  • DMD
  • DNP
  • DO
  • DO, PhD
  • DPM
  • DPT
  • DVM
  • EdS
  • EMT
  • EMT-P
  • GC
  • JD
  • LCSW
  • LICSW
  • LMSW
  • LNM
  • LPN
  • LSW
  • MA
  • MBBS
  • MBChB
  • MD
  • MD, DDS
  • MD, DMD
  • MD, JD
  • MD, MBA
  • MD, MPH
  • MD, MS
  • MD, MSCE
  • MD, MSPH
  • MD, PhD
  • MPH
  • MS
  • MS, CCC-SLP
  • MSCC, LPC
  • MSHA
  • MSN
  • MSN, CNS
  • MSPH
  • MSW
  • None
  • NP
  • OD
  • OT
  • Other
  • OTR
  • OTR/L, BCP
  • PA-C
  • PharmD
  • PhD
  • PsyD
  • PT
  • RCES
  • RD
  • RDCS
  • RN
  • RN, BSN
  • RN, OCN
  • RPh
  • RT
  • RTT
  • SLP
  • VMD
Degree is required
Please enter your degree:
You must enter a degree

Profession is required




Back to Login
Close Search Site Search: Enter your search terms in the field below to view results.

please enter a term to search
Close Specialties
{1}
##LOC[OK]##
{1}
##LOC[OK]## ##LOC[Cancel]##
{1}
##LOC[OK]## ##LOC[Cancel]##

Williams Syndrome Annual Conference


LIVEAPACMECNEPT
Williams Syndrome Annual Conference Banner

  • Overview
  • Register
  • Schedule
  • Faculty
  • Venue/Hotel
  • Exhibitors
Add to Calendar Williams Syndrome Annual Conference 9/29/2025 8:00:00 AM 9/30/2025 6:00:00 PM America/New_York For More Details: https://upenn.cloud-cme.com/williams-syndrome2025 Description: The first International Conference on Research in Williams Syndrome will take place on September 29-30, 2025 at the STUDY at University City (20 S. 33rd St,Philadelphia, PA), hosted by the Armellino Center of Excellence for Williams Syndrome (ACE-WS). ACE-WS is a comprehensive program for clinical care, research, and education for individuals with Williams syndrome across the lifespan. ACE-WS is a joint program ... Study Hotel false MM/DD/YYYY


Date & Location
Monday, September 29, 2025, 8:00 AM - Tuesday, September 30, 2025, 6:00 PM, Study Hotel, Philadelphia, PA

Course Overview

The first International Conference on Research in Williams Syndrome will take place on September 29-30, 2025 at the STUDY at University City (20 S. 33rd St, Philadelphia, PA), hosted by the Armellino Center of Excellence for Williams Syndrome (ACE-WS). ACE-WS is a comprehensive program for clinical care, research, and education for individuals with Williams syndrome across the lifespan. ACE-WS is a joint program between the University of Pennsylvania and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

Please join us to learn about the latest research in Williams syndrome (WS), a rare (1 in 7500) neurodevelopmental syndrome caused by hemizygous deletion of ~27 genes at 7q11.23. WS is characterized by developmental delay, distinctive cognitive and behavioral phenotypes, visual processing deficits, cardiovascular defects, gastrointestinal problems, and more. There will be sessions devoted to genetics, behavioral health, cognition and development, brain and behavior, cardiovascular disease, and community engagement.

The Armellino Center partners with the Williams Syndrome Association (WSA; a national non-profit organization supporting families impacted by Williams syndrome) and with the WS Clinical Consortium (consisting of the 10 WS Specialty Clinics in the US, including the clinic operated by ACE-WS), which operates the Collaborative Registry for Williams Syndrome (CReWS).


Target Audience
Specialties - ALL SPECIALTIES

Learning Objectives

After completing this activity, participants should be able to:


  1. Recognize molecular mechanisms underlying physiological and behavior manifestations of WS
  2. Generate intake questions to screen for common medical, developmental, psychological and behavioral health concerns in WS
  3. Differentiate indicators of behavioral health difficulties that may respond well to interventions specific to WS versus those that do not
  4. Locate resources for research specific to WS
  5. Identify risk factors for poor health outcomes in people with WS
  6. Determine needs and barriers affecting quality of life of individuals affected by WS and their families
  7. Integrate WS patient community input into research proposals

Registration

Registration

The registration fee for the International Conference on Research in Williams Syndrome Annual Conference 2025 is $300 for non-affiliates, $50 for Penn Medicine and CHOP faculty and clinicians, $500 for industry representatives. There is no fee (though registration is required) for students, postdocs, ACE-WS affiliates, and WSA staff.

PLEASE NOTE: You must be signed into UPenn Cloud CME to register for an activity. If you do not already have a UPenn Cloud CME profile, first create one before registering for this activity. Start by clicking on the "SIGN-IN" button in the toolbar at the top left. Then click the "SIGN-IN WITH EMAIL AND PASSWORD” option, followed by clicking "CREATE NEW ACCOUNT" for your initial entry. DO NOT CREATE A NEW PROFILE IF YOU ALREADY HAVE ONE. Penn Medicine employees must sign in with the PennKey and password option.



For those applying for the Trainee Traveling Scholarship
Travel support up to $1000 (domestic) or $1500 (international) will be considered for trainees that wish to present a poster.

Applications for travel support are due June 15, 2025. Awards will be announced July 15, 2025.

CLICK HERE to submit the following information:

  • Estimated costs for travel

  • Number of requested nights at the hotel

  • Title of poster

  • Tell us why you are requesting travel support and whether you have additional funds for travel from another source. Include a description of how this support will benefit your work in Williams syndrome

    • (500 words max)

For those interested in Submitting an Abstract
Thank you for your interest in presenting your findings!

You can submit an abstract for a poster only, or you can submit your abstract to be considered for a presentation slot. If you wish to be considered for a talk, you can choose whether or not you will present a poster if not selected for a talk. Please be aware that speaking slots are limited.

If you wish to be considered for a talk, abstracts are due by August 1, 2025. Talks will be selected from abstracts by August 15, 2025.

Abstracts for poster only will be accepted on a rolling basis through September 1, 2025.

CLICK HERE to submit your abstract.


Accreditation

In support of improving patient care, Penn Medicine is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.  

Designation of Credit
Physicians: Penn Medicine designates this live activity for a maximum of 120.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Physician Assistants: AAPA accepts certificates of participation for educational activities certified for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ from organizations accredited by ACCME or a recognized state medical society. PAs may receive a maximum of 120.00 Category 1 credits for completing this activity.

Nurses: This program provides 120.00 NCPD Hours.

Additional Accreditation for Occupational Therapists and Speech Therapists is under review.


Credits
AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ (120.00 hours), APA Psychology (120.00 hours), NCPD Hours (ANCC) (120.00 hours), Non-Physician Attendance / Participation (120.00 hours), Physical Therapist Contact Hours (120.00 hours)

the STUDY at University City
20 S. 33rd St.
Philadelphia, PA

A block of rooms has been reserved for International Conference on Research in Williams Syndrome attendees at The Study University City, located at 20 South 33rd Street, Philadelphia, PA. The room rate is $239 per night for a king room and $279 per night for a king study room, not including taxes and fees. Click HERE to reserve your overnight room. Contact The Study directly at 1.215.387.1400 if you need additional assistance making your room reservation.

Mitigation of Relevant Financial Relationships


Penn Medicine adheres to the ACCME’s Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Education. Any individuals in a position to control the content of a CE activity, including faculty, planners, reviewers or others are required to disclose all relevant financial relationships with ineligible entities (commercial interests). All relevant conflicts of interest have been mitigated prior to the commencement of the activity.

Alba Aizpuru-Gómez, Biomedical scientist
Predoctoral researcher
Universitat de Barcelona
Barcelona, Spain
Boaz Barak, PhD
Tel Aviv University
Savion, SC,
Savion, Israel
Karen Berman, MD
Chief, Clinical & Translational Neuroscience
NIH, Intramural Research Program
Bethesda, MD
Edward S. Brodkin
Associate Professor
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA
Jana Ruiz Castro
00
Ya-Chin Chen, MSc
Postdoc research fellow
Massachusetts general hospital
Malden, MA
Wendy Chung, MD, PhD
Chair
Boston Children's Hospital
Brookline, MA
Claudia Da Silva Camargo, PhD
DC
Michele M Disco, CGC
Genetic Counselor
Columbia University Medical School
New York, NY
Anne Ashley Field, OTR/L, BCP
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
Havertown, PA
Marisa Fisher, PhD
Professor
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI
Dasha Fleyshman, PhD
PSOM
Broomall, PA
Madeline H Garvey, BS
Predoctoral IRTA Fellow
Clinical and Translational Neuroscience Branch
Washington, DC
Brielle Gehringer, MS
Genetic Counselor
Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA
Vitor Neves Guimaraes, PhD
Naama Harari, MS
Tel Aviv University
ramat gan, IL,
ramat gan, Israel
Michael J Iadarola, PhD
Senior Research Scientist
Clinical Center, NIH
Washington , DC
Paige Kaplan, Other
Bonita P Klein-Tasman, PhD
Professor
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Milwaukee, WI
Kristen Kouvel, DPT
Senior Clinical Program Director
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
Haddon, NJ
Beth Kozel, MD, PhD
Professor
Nationwide Children's Hospital
Delaware, OH
Jocelyn Krebs, PhD
Director
University of Pennsylvania
Malvern, PA
Darby Krugel, BS
NIMH
Washington, DC
Brendan Lemieux , Other
CT
Mark Levin, MD
Medical director
ACE-WS, Upenn
Garrett Park , MD
Elizabeth M Liffley
PhD Candidate
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI
Carolyn Mervis, PhD
Armellino Center of Excellence for Williams Syndrome
South Portland, ME
Barbara Pober, MPH
Co-Director Williams Syndrome Program / Geneticist
Massachusetts General Hospital / Harvard Medical School
Guilford, CT
Sara Procknow, MD, PhD
Dr
Washington University in St. Louis
Saint Louis, MO
Caroline G Richter, PhD
Assistant Professor
University of Alabama at Birmingham
Birminhgam, AL
Sarah Schaefer
Executive Director
Williams Syndrome Association
Palm Bay, FL
Emily Scott, MS, OTR/L
OT III
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
Philadelphia, PA
Makaela Somma, MS, CCC-SLP
Speech-Language Pathologist
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
Philadelphia, PA
Robyn Thom, MD
Massachusetts General Hospital
Lexington, MA
Benjamin Yerys, PhD
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
Philadelphia, PA
Brianna Young, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee; Kennedy Krieger Institute Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Baltimore, MD

Monday, September 29, 2025
 
Welcome

Welcome from ACE-WS
8:00AM - 8:15AM
Jocelyn Krebs, PhD

Welcome from ACE-WS
8:15AM - 8:30AM

 
Plenary Session

Williams Syndrome Research, Past and Future
8:30AM - 9:15AM
Barbara Pober, MPH

Williams Syndrome Research, Past and Future
9:15AM - 10:00AM
Paige Kaplan, Other

Voices of the WS community
10:15AM - 10:45AM
Brendan Lemieux , Other

 
Lunch and Lunchtime

Outcome Measures in WS: Behavior and Cognition
11:15AM - 12:15PM
Edward S. Brodkin

Wet Lab Tools: Joining Forces in Creating Resources
11:15AM - 12:15PM
Dasha Fleyshman, PhD

 
Session 1: Brain and Cognition

Williams Syndrome Offers a Rare and Precious View of the Path from Genes to Neural Circuits to  Behavior & Back Again
12:30PM - 1:15PM
Karen Berman, MD

From Gene to Therapy: Gtf2i, Myelination, and Brain Development in Williams Syndrome
1:15PM - 2:00PM
Boaz Barak, PhD

Novel Multimodal Neuroimaging Reveals Differences in Circuit-Level Brain Features in Williams Syndrome Associated with Social and Visuospatial
2:00PM - 2:20PM
Madeline H Garvey, BS

Cerebral White Matter Lesions in Adults with Williams Syndrome: A Pilot FLAIR MRI Study
2:20PM - 2:40PM
Ya-Chin Chen, MSc

Neuronal and Non-neuronal Expression of Select Genes in the 7q11.23 Williams Syndrome Critical Region in Human Cerebral Cortex
2:40PM - 3:00PM
Michael J Iadarola, PhD

Coffee Break
3:00PM - 3:15PM

 
Session 2: Cardiovascular Function, Aging, and Mouse Models

Cardiovascular Disease in Williams Syndrome: Human Data and Animal Model Insights
3:15PM - 4:00PM
Mark Levin, MD

Who, What, When—Therapeutics for Elastin Insufficiency in Williams syndrome.
4:00PM - 4:45PM
Beth Kozel, MD, PhD

Regulation of Elastin Transcription- Insights from Patients with SVAS
4:45PM - 5:05PM
Sara Procknow, MD, PhD

Cardiovascular Effects of Pediatric-Dose Allopurinol and Losartan in a Murine Model of Williams-Beuren Syndrome: A Comparative Study
5:05PM - 5:25PM
Alba Aizpuru-Gómez, Biomedical scientist

Premature Aging in Williams-Beuren Syndrome: Neural and Cardiovascular Insights from a Murine Model
5:25PM - 5:55PM
Jana Ruiz Castro

Poster Session: Appetizers and Drinks Served
6:00PM - 7:30PM

Tuesday, September 30, 2025
 
Session 3: Behavioral Health

Assessment and Treatment of Anxiety in Williams Syndrome
9:00AM - 9:45AM
Robyn Thom, MD

Efficacy of Play- and Humor-Infused Gradual Exposure Therapy for Young Children with Williams Syndrome
9:45AM - 10:30AM
Bonita P Klein-Tasman, PhD

Community-Engaged Development of the Distance-Delivered Social Skills Training Program for Adults with Williams Syndrome
10:30AM - 11:15AM
Marisa Fisher, PhD

Exploring Depression Among Adults with Williams Syndrome
11:15AM - 11:35AM
Elizabeth M Liffley
 
Lunch and Lunchtime Interest Groups

A Therapy Panel Discussion with PT,OT, And Speech
11:35AM - 12:45PM
Kristen Kouvel, DPT
Emily Scott, MS, OTR/L
Anne Ashley Field, OTR/L, BCP

 
Session 4: Development, Education, and Executive Functioning

Children and Adolescents with Williams Syndrome: Language and Literacy
1:00PM - 1:45PM
Carolyn Mervis, PhD

Potential treatment targets to improve daily living skills during the transition to adulthood
1:45PM - 2:30PM
Benjamin Yerys, PhD
Personality Traits and Neural Substrates Across Development in Williams Syndrome and 7q11.23 Duplication Syndrome
2:30PM - 2:50PM
Darby Krugel, BS
Mastery Motivation in Young Children with Williams Syndrome or Down Syndrome
2:50PM - 3:20PM
Caroline G Richter, PhD
Cognitive Ability Patterns of Older Children and Adolescents with Williams Syndrome
3:20PM - 3:40PM
Vitor Neves Guimaraes, PhD
Coffee Break
3:40PM - 4:00PM

 
Session 5: Community Engaged and Community Based Participatory Research

Community-Based Participatory Research Model: Application to Racially Marginalized Individuals with Williams Syndrome and Their Families
4:00PM - 4:20PM
Brianna Young, PhD

Centering Families in Science: A novel methodology to identify research priorities in Williams syndrome
4:20PM - 4:40PM
Naama Harari, MS
Patient-centered research agendas: Panel discussion
4:40PM - 5:30PM
Brendan Lemieux , Other
Closing Remarks
5:30PM - 6:00PM

Standard exhibit space is available during this event at $1,500 per table. Each exhibitor will receive a standard 6’ table.  A tablecloth and electricity will be provided if required. Your company will be acknowledged in the conference materials and signage and by the course director(s) at the welcome address. 

Please get in touch with us at [email protected].


Office of Continuing Medical and Interprofessional Education, Penn Medicine, JMEC, SPE, 6th Floor, 3400 Civic Center Boulevard, Building 421, Philadelphia, PA 19104-5162 
Contact us:  [email protected] | 215-898-8005 © 2019 The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania. Privacy Policy
 
UPenn is Joint Accredited for Interprofessional Continuing Education
In support of improving patient care, Penn Medicine is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.
ABIM CME MOC Accredited Logo