PC9 - Touch a Life, Impact a Lifetime: Trauma-Informed Care in the NICU

Preterm birth is an adverse early life event altering the developmental trajectory of the hospitalized infant. This session presents the neurophysiology of early life adversity mediated by toxic stress. Understanding the affective vulnerabilities and experience-expectant needs of the developing human, the trauma-informed clinician is poised to mitigate the toxic stress associated with early life adversity through the translation of evidence-based best practices in age-appropriate care and reduce long-term morbidity for this fragile patient population.