Complications from exposure to substances of dependency during pregnancy (including recreational, illicit, and some prescription drugs, as well as alcohol and smoking) do not end once the infant withdraws from those substances. Substance exposure impacts neuronal development and function, as well as foetal growth; in many children, exposure is also associated with multiple adverse lifestyles that negatively impact their future. Those who work with and care for these individuals need to have up-to-date knowledge of potential issues in order to predict, prevent and protect children from future harm after intrauterine substance exposure. Together we can impact services, caregiving, research, and eventually policies - improving outcomes for exposed children, their families, and future generations.
Join Neonatologist Dr. Ju-lee Oei and Registered Nurse Dr Stacy Lee Blythe for an informative talk, which will include information on the biological impact of substances of dependency, current knowledge about the long-term outcomes for children, and potential pathways and plans to mitigate known harms.
This webinar is for professionals in medicine, nursing, mental health, social services, developmental therapies, child care, and education. Parents, caregivers, and family members are also most welcome to attend, however please note the content and pace will be aimed towards professionals.
Dr. Ju-lee Oei, MBBS (UNSW), MD (UNSW), Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (2000) Affiliations: Neonatologist, Royal Hospital for Women, Randwick, NSW; Conjoint Professor of Pediatrics at UNSW Sydney; Visiting Medical Officer in Addiction Medicine, Murrumbidgee Local Health District, NSW; and Honorary Associate Professor at the NHMRC Clinical Trials Centre, University of Sydney; Visiting Professor to the University of Malaya and the North West Children’s Hospital and University of China.
Dr. Oei’s clinical and research specialty is in the care of the high risk infant, including those requiring admission to a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and children of mothers with drug-use disorders. She provides care to sick newborn infants admitted to one of the busiest Neonatal Intensive Care Units in New South Wales. She is also the lead clinician in the Chemical Use in Pregnancy Service (CUPS) team, a multidisciplinary team providing care to mothers and infants affected by substance use disorders during pregnancy. She is currently the lead of the NSW Substance Use in Pregnancy and Parenting Guidelines (2022) and health lead of the long-term strategy to prevent harm to children exposed to prenatal opioids for the United Nations Office of Drug Control (2022). She has contributed to publications for the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine on maternal drug use. She has an extensive collaborative network with researchers, clinicians and policy makers from Australia and overseas in more than 20 universities and 10 countries, and is a prolific author of peer reviewed journal articles.
Dr Stacy Lee Blythe, RN, BN(Hons I), Grad Cert Dev Trauma, Grad Cert Teaching (HE), MBA, PhD
Affiliations: Senior Research Fellow, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Western Sydney University, Deputy Director Translational Research and Social Innovation Group at the Ingham Institute
Dr Stacy Blythe is a Registered Nurse and a Research Academic. Her research focuses on the health and well-being of children in out-of-home care and their families (both birth and foster families). As a lecturer in Infant Mental Health, she is particularly interested in infants who are prenatally exposed to harmful substances (eg. illicit drugs). In addition to her nursing, teaching and research qualifications, Stacy has post graduate certification in Developmental Trauma. Stacy has also been an authorised foster carer for 16+ years. Drawing on her skills as a nurse, knowledge as a researcher and experience as a carer, Stacy provides training to health care workers, social service providers and foster carers in relation to working with children who have prenatal substance exposure and/or have experienced trauma.
This special event is open to:
- professionals
- members and non-members of AFHK
and is FREE FOR ALL PARTICIPANTS.
Accredited Continuing Education Activity by The Hong Kong Psychological Society Ltd. as approved by their DCP, DEP and DCoP (Education Psych, Counselling Psych and Clinical Psych).
Other CEU/CME/CPD credits are pending and will be updated here once approved.
There will be a Q&A session at the end, and our presenters and AFHK team welcome those registering to send any questions they have about the topic in advance. This will help the team plan for this. Please send your questions to outreach@afhk.org.hk. All questions will be acknowledged but we may not have capacity to reply over email, and depending on the volume, may not be able to answer all.
This webinar is proudly brought to you by Mother's Choice Hong Kong (http://motherschoice.org) and Adoptive Families of Hong Kong.
As a volunteer organisation, we rely on our members and donors' support to help us organise and offer events such as these. Please consider donating here: https://afhk.org.hk/donation
