The Corporation participated in various sessions of the conference held in Santiago, addressing topics related to complex surgeries, the care of pediatric surgical patients, clinical simulation, and the analysis of results from the “Creciendo sin Espera” program.
Contributing its experience, knowledge, and analysis, the MATER Corporation participated in the 2026 Ibero-American Congress on Pediatric Surgery, held in Santiago from September 1 to 4, an event that brought together professionals from various countries to discuss advances and lessons learned in the field of pediatric surgery.
The conference featured Dr. José Manuel Escala, president and founder of Corporación MATER, who, as part of the specialized urology sessions, participated in the roundtable discussion on complex bladder surgery.
Meanwhile, the head nurse at Corporación MATER, Constanza Olivares—who is also president of the Pediatric Surgical Patient Care Branch of the Chilean Society of Pediatric Surgery— together with Carolina Concha, a nurse at MATER, were in charge of coordinating the First Interdisciplinary Conference on Pediatric Surgical Patient Care, held during the pre-conference and aimed at strengthening the skills of non-medical professionals who are part of the comprehensive care team for children and adolescents undergoing surgical procedures.
As Carolina Concha explained, preparing for this event took several weeks of work, from developing the program and inviting speakers to coordinating hands-on workshops and promoting the event among professionals from various disciplines. “In the end, we were able to bring together 27 professionals in person and 12 online, and it was very enriching to share experiences and learn from leading experts in different fields,” she says.
Clinical Simulation and Patient Safety
During the conference, Carolina Concha also participated as a presenter with the talk“Clinical Simulation in the Management of Pediatric Surgical Patients: Education, Team Training, and Patient Safety.” “It was very rewarding for me to see all the preliminary work come to fruition and, especially, to be able to participate and represent MATER at such an important event,” she says.
Analyze the results to continue improving
As part of the Congress’s scientific program, MATER also participated in the Urology Free Papers session, where Carolina Concha presented a study based on patients who underwent surgery as part of the “Creciendo sin Espera” program’s pediatric surgeries between 2024 and 2026.
The research brought the program’s field experience into the scientific realm while also evaluating its own results. “It allowed us to present the work we do at MATER at a scientific conference, but also to take it a step further. It’s not just about operating on and following up with our patients, but also about analyzing our results, generating evidence, and using that information to continue improving the quality and safety of care,” explains Carolina.
The study was made possible thanks to the work of the volunteer professionals who participate in the outreach efforts and the team at Creciendo sin Espera, a program led by nurse Antonia Heusser.
MATER’s participation in the Ibero-American Congress on Pediatric Surgery provided an opportunity to share not only its clinical experience and expertise in interdisciplinary work, but also its approach to health care—that is, to support patients, evaluate outcomes, and generate knowledge that will enable continued improvements in the care of children.
