A Healthy You and 22q Conference 2026

Saturday, September 19, 2026, 8:00 AM - 4:30 PM,  Nationwide Children's Hospital Education Center

Community Program Attendance (5.00 hours), Non-Accredited (5.00 hours)

An opportunity to participate in live “chat rooms” with local and national experts will allow for roundtable discussion. Some sessions and chat room discussions will be broadcast live on the internet and will be available for playback on demand at a later date.

Program Date:
September 19, 2026 | 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Location:
Nationwide Children’s Hospital Education Center
700 Children’s Drive | Columbus, OH 43205

Who Should Attend?
Parents, guardians, family members, caregivers of children with 22q,
children with 22q and their siblings. Children must be accompanied
by their parent or guardian.

Cost:
$35 each adult
$75 health care professionals
Teens and children are free

Child Care

Children in the Pre-K group will have structured activities but will also be

allowed plenty of free play. Children must be age 3 or older.

Friday, September 18, 11 a.m. - 2:40 p.m.

• Individual Mini-Consults

• With Lisa Linder

Navigating Adult Benefits: 20 minute one-on-one sessions (18+ only)

Meet with Lisa Linder, adult benefits consultant for personalized guidance on adult transition and benefits. Bring questions and if applicable, Social Security denial letters, Full Scale IQ (FSIQ) and adaptive functioning assessments to discuss next steps for accessing SSA, Medicaid waivers and other adult services.

Recommend attending the at young adult transition workshop on Saturday

Limited availability. Pre-registration required.

This is only for families attending the conference with 22q young adults aged 18 or older.

**Consults held in the Nationwide Children’s Education Center

Email [email protected] to schedule your time slot between 11 am and 2:40 pm 

Family Dinner | Friday, September 18

If you’re in town Friday evening, please plan to join other 22q families for dinner at Hofbrauhaus Columbus, 800 Goodale Blvd, Columbus, OH 43212. Dinner starts at 5 p.m. and lasts until 8 p.m. You will reserve your spot when you register for the conference. Dinner is $10 per adult and $5 per child. NO REFUNDS will be given. Pre-registration required, no drops ins can be accepted.

 ***Dinner is for conference attendees only.

Conference Agenda | Saturday, September 19 | 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

7:30 a.m. - Continental Breakfast

8 a.m. - Welcome

8:15 a.m. - Keynote: This is My Journey and I Love It!

                    Tessa Koller

8:45 a.m. - Planning for the Future: Navigating Adult Benefits

                    Lisa Linder

9:30 a.m. - Break

9:45 a.m. - Medical and Developmental Panel

                       - Moderator: Richard Kirschner, MD

                       - Dental/Orthodontics: Kara Morris, DDS

                       - Gastroenterology: Kent Williams, MD

                       - Endocrinology: Kathryn Obrynba, MD

                       - Hematology: Amanda Jacobson-Kelly, MD

10:30 a.m. - Mental Health

                       - Richard Gilcrist, MD

                       - Ari Rabkin, PhD

11 a.m. - Teen/Young Adult Panel

12 noon. - Family Lunch

12:45 p.m. - Roundtable Briefing

                        - Roundtable Sessions **a link will be provided in  your confirmation email to select breakout session choices

3:50 p.m. - 22q Family Foundation

                        - Lindsey Garcia, Executive Director

4 p.m. - Special Message from Japan

                        - Richard Kirschner, MD

4:10 p.m. - Closing Remarks and Video

                        - Richard Kirschner, MD

Teen Group: Teen (12-15) Agenda

7:45 a.m. - Getting to Know You Games

8 a.m. - Play Strong

9 a.m. - Flying Horse Farms

11 a.m. - Amazing Magic

11:30 a.m. - Self Advocacy/Transition to Adulthood Activity

12 noon. - Family Lunch

1 p.m. - Art with Tessa

2 p.m. - OSU Mobile STEM Lab

3 p.m. - Free Choice (Art, UNO, Games)

4 p.m. - Closing (main auditorium)

4:10 p.m. - Closing Video

School Age Group: Kids (7-11) Agenda

7:45 a.m. - Getting to Know You Games

8 a.m. - Play Strong

10 a.m. - Flying Horse Farms

11 a.m. - Amazing Magic

11:30 a.m. - Time with Dr. K

12 noon. - Family Lunch

1 p.m. - Art with Tessa

2 p.m. - OSU Mobile STEM Lab

3 p.m. - Free Play (Art, UNO, Games)

3:45 p.m. - Evaluation

4 p.m. - Closing (in Stecker)

4:10 p.m. - Closing Video

22q Walk and Family Brunch | Sunday, September 20, 9-11 a.m.

Whetstone Park of Roses Open Air Shelter House

3901 N. High St, Columbus, OH 43214

If you attend the walk, wear comfortable clothes. Food will be provided for all families that pre-register.

No charge,

The park is 5-6 miles from Nationwide Children’s Hospital. If you have questions, contact [email protected]

Cancellation Policy

Cancellations received in writing no less than 20 days before the course will be refunded, less a 20% administrative fee. No refunds will be made on cancellations received after that date. Please send cancellation requests to [email protected].

Nationwide Children's Hospital reserves the right to cancel or postpone this program if necessary; in the event of cancellation, course fees will be fully refunded. We are not responsible for other costs incurred such as non-refundable airline tickets or hotel penalties.

Accessibility Statement
 
Nationwide Children's Hospital is committed to ensuring that its programs, services, goods and facilities are accessible to individuals with disabilities as specified under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Amendments Act of 2008.  If you have needs that require special accommodations, including dietary concerns, please contact the CME Conference Coordinator.

The registration form for this activity is currently unavailable.

 Hotels:

A block of rooms has been reserved at:

The Drury Plaza Hotel

88 E. Nationwide Blvd ,Columbus, OH 43215.

Reference Nationwide Children’s Hospital 22q Family Conference to receive this rate. $138 per night plus tax . Parking is $22 per day.

Amenities include complimentary hot breakfast, free wi-Fi, complimentary evening snacks and onsite facilities.

Use corporate code 10168537 when booking your room. special rate available until August 21.. Reservations may also be made by calling 1-800-325-0720 and referring to group number 10168537 or line using this link below.

Book HERE.

Home2Suites by Hilton

412 East Main St., Columbus, OH 43215

Reference 22q Family Conference to receive reduced rate of $179 per night plus tax for queen studio suite with sleeper sofa.

Free parking. Complimentary breakfast. Book by August 17 to receive this special conference rate.

Book HERE 

The Nationwide Children's Hospital® adheres to ACCME Criteria, Standards and Policies regarding industry support of continuing medical education. Disclosure of faculty and their commercial relationships will be made prior to the activity.

Saturday, September 19, 2026