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Faculty

Rene Amaya

MD
Practice Director - Pediatric Wound Care
Pediatrix Medical Group

Dr. Amaya earned his medical degree from UT Southwestern Medical School in Dallas and completed his residency in pediatrics at Phoenix Children’s Hospital/Maricopa Medical Center in Phoenix. He then returned to Texas for a three-year fellowship in pediatric infectious diseases at Texas Children’s Hospital/Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.
Board-certified in pediatric infectious diseases by the American Board of Pediatrics, Dr. Amaya expanded his scope of practice in 2013 to include pediatric wound care. He currently provides hospital-based consultations in both pediatric infectious diseases and pediatric wound care across five hospitals in the Houston area. He serves as Director of Infectious Disease and Wound Care for the Pediatrix Medical Group, Gulf Coast Division.
Dr. Amaya is a Board Member of the International Society for Pediatric Wound Care. He is widely recognized for his research in complex pediatric wound care, focusing much of his work on neonatal wounds. He has authored numerous scientific abstracts, peer-reviewed journal articles, and textbook chapters, including contributions to both editions of Neonatal and Pediatric Wound Care. He is a frequent speaker at national and international wound care conferences and seminars.
Outside of medicine, Dr. Amaya maintains a balanced lifestyle through yoga, pilates, and swimming. He is also a certified yoga instructor.

2026 Sessions

Innovation Theater Lunch: Complex Problems. Simple Solutions. Continuing the Benefits of Pure Hypochlorous Acid in a New Antimicrobial Wound Gel to Support Antimicrobial Stewardship Strategies (non-accredited)

Infection remains one of the most common complications of chronic wounds, which can remain open for months and create ongoing opportunities for microbial contamination and infection. At the same time, antimicrobial resistance is a growing global threat, a significant proportion of antibiotic use is considered unnecessary or inappropriate, and the pipeline for new antibiotics continues to shrink. Reinforcing the importance of antimicrobial stewardship.<br>
So, what role can topical wound care play?<br>
Pure hypochlorous acid (pHA) provides broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity with no known microbial resistance, offering a stewardship-minded approach to managing wound bioburden. Traditionally used as a solution for cleansing and wound bed preparation, a new sustained gel format raises an important question: <b>What more could pHA do beyond cleansing?</b><br>
This session will explore emerging clinical evidence for Vashe® Antimicrobial Wound Gel, including its potential to extend contact time and support antimicrobial activity, wound acidification, debridement, and healing. Through clinical cases spanning complex adult wounds to the first reported uses in pediatric and neonatal patients, attendees will discover how a trusted molecule in a new format may offer a simple solution to increasingly complex wound care challenges.<br>
Sponsored by Urgo Medical North America.

Presenter (IT)

Friday, October 16 12:15–1:45 PM
Innovation Theater
Faculty

Rene Amaya

MD
Practice Director - Pediatric Wound Care
Pediatrix Medical Group

Dr. Amaya earned his medical degree from UT Southwestern Medical School in Dallas and completed his residency in pediatrics at Phoenix Children’s Hospital/Maricopa Medical Center in Phoenix. He then returned to Texas for a three-year fellowship in pediatric infectious diseases at Texas Children’s Hospital/Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.
Board-certified in pediatric infectious diseases by the American Board of Pediatrics, Dr. Amaya expanded his scope of practice in 2013 to include pediatric wound care. He currently provides hospital-based consultations in both pediatric infectious diseases and pediatric wound care across five hospitals in the Houston area. He serves as Director of Infectious Disease and Wound Care for the Pediatrix Medical Group, Gulf Coast Division.
Dr. Amaya is a Board Member of the International Society for Pediatric Wound Care. He is widely recognized for his research in complex pediatric wound care, focusing much of his work on neonatal wounds. He has authored numerous scientific abstracts, peer-reviewed journal articles, and textbook chapters, including contributions to both editions of Neonatal and Pediatric Wound Care. He is a frequent speaker at national and international wound care conferences and seminars.
Outside of medicine, Dr. Amaya maintains a balanced lifestyle through yoga, pilates, and swimming. He is also a certified yoga instructor.

Faculty

Kara Couch

MS, CRNP, CWCN-AP, FAAWC
Director, Wound Care Services
George Washington University Hospital

Ms. Couch graduated with her Master of Science in Nursing (FNP) from Georgetown University in 2002.  Currently, she works as the Director of Wound Care Services at The George Washington University Hospital in Washington DC.    She is an Associate Research Professor of Surgery at the School of Medicine and Health Sciences at George Washington University.  Her wound care interests include caring for persons with limb loss/limb differences, complex abdominal wounds and use of technology in wound healing.
Ms.  Couch is the current Chair of the Alliance of Wound Care Stakeholders and the Immediate Past-President of the Association for the Advancement of Wound Care (AAWC).  Kara is a Fellow of the Association for the Advancement of Wound Care.  She is an editorial board member of the Journal of Wound Management, the International Wound Journal and WoundSource 2026.   Kara is currently working towards a Doctor of Nursing Practice in Systems Leadership at the University of Pennsylvania with an expected graduation date of August 2027.
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