At the 2019 LRC Summit, Robert White, M.D., Director of the Regional Newborn Program at Beacon Children’s Hospital and Chair of the Standards Committee for NICU Design will give a keynote titled, “Impact of the Physical Environment on the Wellbeing of Patients, Families, and Caregivers.”
The Lighting Research Center (LRC) at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s 2019 Summit will be held from October 15-17 in Troy, New York. This conference aims to inspire discussion and shape the future of lighting, where the industry plays a strategic, recognized role in benefiting society and the environment. Participants will learn how lighting can be used to address the critical issues of the 21st century — from improving human health to enhancing food production to managing renewable energy in the new electric grid. Wednesday, October 16 is a full day with keynote speakers for each of this year’s themed pillars: Lighting for Healthcare & Humanity, Agricultural Lighting, and Lighting & the Grid.
Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs) used to be bright, noisy, crowded places where caregivers and patients alike were under great stress, and families were largely excluded. Construction groups and medical groups each had their own separate sets of guidelines, but no existing organization had the breadth of expertise needed to address the disparate needs of all those who were affected by the construction and operation of NICUs.
“Like many projects, this one started with the repeated observation that someone should fix this,” said Dr. White.
Today, the Recommended Standards for Newborn ICU Design have been incorporated into hospital construction and clinical practice guidelines, referenced in numerous scientific articles, and inspired similar documents by organizations worldwide, most notably a project recently approved by the European Union.
“As new fields of endeavor appear, the need for multidisciplinary leadership will grow,” Dr. White said.
Dr. White is a graduate of the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and has been Director of the Regional Newborn Program at Beacon Children’s Hospital since 1981. His primary interest has been in advancing structural and operational strategies to provide the optimal NICU environment of care for babies, families, and caregivers. To this end he has written many papers, co-founded and chairs the Consensus Committee to Establish Recommended Standards for Newborn ICU Design, and co-directs the Gravens Conference on the Physical and Developmental Environment of the Newborn and the International Conference on Brain Monitoring and Neuroprotection in the Newborn.
Click here to learn about this keynote and other programming.
