International and national burn team medical professionals from trauma centers and burn units are meeting today and tomorrow at Atlantic City's Resorts Hotel & Casino for a comprehensive symposium on the latest trends in burn care.

Hosted by Philadelphia's Center for Advanced Burn & Wound Care at St. Agnes Medical Center, this 24th Annual Mid-Atlantic Burn Conference features two burn teams' experiences during the September 11th attacks on the World Trade Towers and the Pentagon. The Burn & Trauma Research Team from Washington Hospital Center, Washington, DC, and The Burn Response Team from New York Presbyterian Hospital-Weill Cornell Campus in New York are presenting aspects of their disaster plan during the two-day symposium.

Keynote speaker of the 24th Annual Mid-Atlantic Burn Conference is James A. Lederer, Ph.D., chief immunologist and associate director of the Julian and Eunice Cohen Research Laboratory in the Department of Surgery at the Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School. Dr. Lederer's presentation addressed his NIH-funded laboratories' research on the effects of burn injury and trauma on the immune system and current trends in burn immunosuppression.

"We are pleased to host this year's conference," said John J. Millili, MD, St. Agnes' Burn Center Director and Conference Director. "We've put together a dimensionally educational conference that brings together a wealth of experience and knowledge from some of the best burn teams in the world. The conference is dedicated in the memory of the victims of the national tragedy, and in gratitude of the rescue teams who helped to make a difference during the devastation."

Hundreds of burn and trauma doctors, nurses, therapists, nutritionists and social workers from the nation and abroad registered to participate in the conference. Continuing Medical Education credits for the symposium are being provided through the University of Pennsylvania Health System. An exhibitor's hall is also a part of the conference, featuring some of the latest clinical products for burn and trauma care.

St. Agnes Medical Center is a 153-bed, community-based, acute care teaching hospital situated in South Philadelphia. Renowned for its Center for Advanced Burn & Wound Care, St. Agnes offers major programs in emergency services, minimally invasive surgery, women's health, interventional radiology, wellness, renal dialysis, sub acute care, acute inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation, pain management, home care, and transitional care. Its LIFE (Living Independently For Elders) Program is a unique, nationally recognized program for older adults. St. Agnes was founded in 1888 by the Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia and is a member of Mercy Health System and Catholic Health East (CHE), one of the nation's largest Catholic health systems.