2026 HOPE-NE Symposium Agenda

Hypertension in Obstetrics: Prevention & Education (HOPE-NE) 

Morning Sessions

8:00 – 8:30 a.m. 
Registration, Breakfast & Networking

8:30 – 8:45 a.m. 
Welcome & Opening Remarks

8:45 – 9:45 a.m.
Mechanisms of Preeclampsia
Ananth Karumanchi, MD
Professor, Medicine, Director, Renovascular Research Center, Cedars-Sinai, Los Angeles, CA 

9:45 – 10:15 a.m.
Biomarkers for Risk Stratification of Preeclampsia
Sarosh Rana, MD, MPH
Professor & Chair, OB-GYN, UNMC, Omaha, NE 

10:15 – 10:30 a.m. 
Break

10:30 – 11:00 a.m. 
Severe Hypertension in Pregnancy: AIMing for Better Control in Nebraska
Ann Anderson Berry, MD, PhD, FAAP, FANP
Professor, Pediatrics, Vice-Chair Research, UNMC, Omaha, NE 

11:00 – 11:30 a.m. 
STAMPP-HTN Program
Sarosh Rana, MD, MPH

Rebecca Rimsza, MD
Assistant Professor, Maternal Fetal Medicine, Ob/Gyn
Director, STAMPP-HTN Program
Director, BRIDGE Educational Research Collaborative
UNMC, Omaha, NE 

11:30 AM - 12:00 p.m.
Rural Health Perspective
Todd Pankratz, MD
OB-GYN, Mary Lanning Healthcare, Hastings, NE 

Lunch

12:00 – 1:30 p.m.

Afternoon Sessions 

1:00 – 1:30 p.m.
Hands-On Nursing Training: Implementation of STAMPP-HTN Program
Melissa Buman, EdD, MSN, NE-BC, RNC-OB, C-EFM
Director, Women and Infant's Services, UNMC, Omaha, NE

KP Gesch, BSN, RN, C-EFM
Nursing Professional Development Specialist
Women and Infant Services, Nebraska Medicine, Omaha, NE                      

1:30 – 2:00 p.m.
PULSE Program and Cardio OB Clinic
Neil Hamill, MD
Associate Professor, Maternal-Fetal Medicine, OB-GYN
UNMC, Omaha, NE 

2:00 – 2:30 p.m.
Cardiology Perspective
Christina Dunbar Matos, DO
Assistant Professor, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine
Medical Director, Cardiovascular Telemetry and Cardiac Rehab
UNMC, Omaha, NE

2:30 – 3:00 p.m.
Cardiovascular Dysfunction in Pregnancy and Peripartum
Sajid Shahul, MD
Professor, Anesthesiology, Associate Dean for Clinical Research, College of Medicine
UNMC, Omaha, NE 

3:00-3:15 p.m.
Break

3:15 – 3:35 p.m.
Precision Medicine for Two: Targeted Drug Delivery Approaches for Safer Pregnancies
Lynda Harris, PhD
Associate Professor, Research, OB-GYN
UNMC, Omaha, NE 

3:35- 3:55 p.m.
Biomarker Sources in PE Pregnancies
Augustine Rajakumar, PhD
Professor, Research, OB-GYN
UNMC, Omaha, NE 

3:55-4:15 p.m.
Bioflavonoid Luteolin as PE Therapeutic
Adrian Wiegman, PhD
Assistant Professor, Research, OB-GYN
UNMC, Omaha, NE

4:15 – 4:30 p.m.
Closing Remarks