The 15th International Neonatology Conference — NEOCON 2026, themed "Hottest Topics in Neonatal Medicine" — takes place at W Abu Dhabi on Yas Island from 4 to 6 September 2026. Pre-conference workshops run on 4 September, with the main scientific conference on 5 and 6 September. Now in its fifteenth edition, the meeting has become a fixture of the Gulf neonatal calendar, pairing internationally recognised neonatal researchers with the clinicians running NICUs across the UAE and wider region.
The programme is built around what is actually changing in neonatal practice rather than settled consensus: respiratory support strategies and the shift toward less invasive ventilation, neonatal haemodynamics, prematurity outcomes and neurodevelopmental follow-up, neonatal infection and antimicrobial stewardship, nutrition and growth in the preterm infant, quality improvement in the NICU, and the multidisciplinary organisation of neonatal transport and surgical care.
Two hands-on pre-conference workshops run on 4 September. The first covers mechanical ventilation and pulmonary graphics, working through common bedside respiratory problems using real waveform interpretation. The second is a dedicated non-invasive ventilation workshop. Both are practical, small-format sessions aimed at neonatologists, paediatric residents, respiratory therapists and NICU nurses who want skills they can apply on the unit the following week.
The faculty combines global and regional expertise. Confirmed speakers include Peter Davis, Professor of Neonatal Medicine at The Royal Women's Hospital, Melbourne; Eric Eichenwald, Division Chief of Neonatology at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia; Nicolas Bamat and Dustin Flannery, also from CHOP and the University of Pennsylvania; Rebecca Martinez from Children's Hospital of Los Angeles and USC Keck School of Medicine; and Rajiv Parapurath Kovumal, formerly of Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences, Kochi. Regional leadership is strong: conference chairs Aiman Rahmani, Chief of Neonatology at Tawam Hospital, Al Ain, and Junaid Khan, Director of Medical Education at Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City, Abu Dhabi, are joined by Hakam Yaseen of the University of Sharjah, Khaled El Atawi of Latifa Hospital NICU, Dubai, Iftikhar Jan Suleman, Chair of Paediatric Surgery at Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City, and Moghis Ur Rehman of Sheikh Khalifa Medical City.
An abstract submission track allows regional trainees and clinicians to present research and quality improvement work, and a scientific and advisory board oversees programme content. Sponsorship and exhibition opportunities are managed by the organising office, MENA Conference, based in Abu Dhabi.
For neonatologists, paediatricians, NICU nurses, respiratory therapists and paediatric surgeons across the GCC, NEOCON offers a compact, high-density update from faculty who lead the trials that change neonatal guidelines — without leaving the region.
