Posted by Becky JohnsonRescola on August 12, 2025
It’s kind of fun to do the impossible – Walt Disney
I’m here to make an admission – I love Walt Disney World. I never visited as a child and never really had a desire to visit Disney World until I felt that parental pressure to take my kids. And on that first visit – I was hooked! I loved the magic and escape. Disney is fundamentally designed to innovate, inspire, and ignite – all through bold imagination. Therefore, I am thrilled that my first community conference as Executive Director will be taking place in Orlando!
I understand not everyone feels this way about Disney or Central Florida – and yet I hope you will consider joining us. While Disney World describes itself as the “Most Magical Place on Earth,” I also believe ICN community conferences to be magical in their ability to bring together people from across the network. Community conferences are where we learn, work together, and align our goals to improve care for kids with IBD.
Our #ICNCC25F draft agenda has just been posted - check it out to see the exciting sessions our community has planned đź’šđź’™Â
We have a lot of exciting opportunities to innovate taking place at this year’s in-person conference! We’ll be hosting a Learning Health Network workshop to teach others who are interested in the successes and continued challenges of a mature network. We’ll be partnering with iUSCAN (Intestinal Ultrasound Group of the United States and Canada) to offer training in use of intestinal ultrasound. And our COMBINE pilot sites will be meeting to accelerate shared decision-making in clinical settings based on study findings.
Our conference is designed to inspire. It is a unique, one-of-a-kind event that connects centers from across the country, engaging patients, families, and health care professionals from a variety of disciplines. Sharing our stories and ideas inspires us all to grow together as a network and we hope to infuse a bit of fun into the community conference setting. What’s better than inspiration and fun in the Florida sunshine?
Finally, we hope this conference ignites us. We’re here to plan and take bold action. I hope you leave the conference ready to have an impact on the work you’re doing at each center and in every community. I want every attendee to leave energized and ready to tackle whatever comes next.
I hope you will join me! I’d love to meet each and every one of you in person. I know in today’s environment, it is difficult to justify travel. I know the conference is pricey – and please believe this is a top priority for me, to make this community conference more affordable in future years. But this year is so important as we navigate leadership changes and external uncertainties together – and seize the opportunity to learn from and support one another.
If the barriers are too high, please reach out to me – I’d love to hear your feedback and discuss creative solutions. Otherwise, I do hope you’ll find a way to prioritize the conference and to join us because your presence makes a difference – and you bring a special magic unique to your experience. So – SEE YA REAL SOON!
📌 ICN Community Conferences happen twice a year and are a time for healthcare providers, patients, caregivers, researchers and improvers to all teach and all learn, to share and develop new and innovative approaches to improve pediatric IBD care and outcomes, to further our research, and to build our community.
We are excited to be hosting our Fall 2025 Community Conference in Orlando, FL from September 17 to 19! We hope you will visit our conference event page for details about the conference, including registration, event agenda, hotel information, funding justification letter, and additional training opportunities!