Post‑NICU Nutrition & Long‑Term Growth Trajectories: Building a Stronger Start Beyond the Neonatal Unit
Speaker: Professor Mark Johnson
Mark Johnson is Professor of Child Health at the University of Southampton and an honorary consultant neonatologist at Southampton Children’s Hospital. Mark graduated in medicine from the University of Southampton in 2004. He was awarded a prestigious NIHR doctoral research fellowship to fund his PhD, which focused on change management in neonatal nutritional. Mark's research centres around the nutritional care and growth of premature babies, and the implementation of practice change in order to improve care, and he has published on these topics widely. He has also contributed to national and international guidance on nutritional care, including the recent ESPGHAN enteral nutrition guidance.
The transition from neonatal care to home can be a defining period for preterm infants, with nutrition playing a central role in supporting catch-up growth, neurodevelopment and longer-term health. This webinar will provide HCPs with an evidence-informed and practical overview of post-NICU nutrition, including growth challenges after discharge, feeding approaches in the community, breast milk fortification, nutrient-enriched formulas and micronutrient optimisation.
Led by Professor Mark Johnson, Professor of Child Health and honorary consultant neonatologist, the session will explore how nutritional decisions made around discharge can influence growth trajectories and how HCPs can support families with realistic, consistent and individualised guidance. Attendees will gain practical insights into monitoring growth from discharge through toddlerhood, recognising when nutritional strategies may need to be adjusted, and applying key takeaways to support stronger starts beyond the neonatal unit.
Thursday 19th November 2026 7:30 - 8:30pm GMT (25 min presentation + Q&As)
This one-hour session will include an interactive Q&A with the speaker.
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