2024 Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Conference
March 17-19, 2024 • Denver, CO
| Bridging the Congenital CMV Knowledge Gap in Massachusetts: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Clinical Resource Development
Bridging the Congenital CMV Knowledge Gap in Massachusetts: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Clinical Resource Development
Congenital cytomegalovirus (cCMV) is the most common infectious cause of birth defects in the United States. Each year, approximately 1/200 babies are born with cCMV, of whom about 20% will develop long-term health problems such as hearing loss, developmental delays, visual impairment, and seizures. Despite this clinical burden, public awareness of cCMV remains low, with about three-fourths of women in 2020 reporting lack of awareness of the risks of cCMV infection during pregnancy. Anecdotal investigations into provider awareness similarly show major knowledge gaps among clinicians regarding cCMV. With legislation pending in Massachusetts mandating prenatal education and universal screening, providing information to healthcare providers about cCMV prevention and management will be a critical component of implementation. Generated by an interdisciplinary team of clinicians, advocates, and other stakeholders, the aim of this work is to develop resources that apply to a wide range of clinical learners, support decision-making in real time, and encompass all aspects of cCMV care. Materials will be accessed online and focus on two components relevant to clinical settings: 1) an interactive, case-based learning module about cCMV prevention and optimal messaging to patients, and 2) cCMV management guidelines, including a clinical checklist, which outline standards of care. Content will not only align with published resources (e.g. Red Book or UpToDate), but also offer information specific to Massachusetts medical practice. Following distribution to providers, the program will be evaluated to determine effectiveness in addressing knowledge gaps and specificity to different provider roles related to cCMV prevention or management. We will detail this interdisciplinary development process and will discuss future aims to maintain accuracy of the program, with the hope to create materials that will likely be helpful to the Massachusetts Department of Health provider outreach when the pending cCMV bill becomes law.
- Participants will recognize current congenital CMV knowledge gaps that exist among healthcare providers and the general public.
- Participants will describe two approaches to cCMV clinical education.
- Participants will discuss the importance of an interdisciplinary approach in cCMV clinical resource development.
Presentation:
3478265_16410MeredithBraza.pdf
Handouts:
Handout is not Available
Transcripts:
CART transcripts are NOT YET available, but will be posted shortly after the conference
Presenters/Authors
Rebecca Sandvos
(Co-Presenter,Author,Co-Author), Massachusetts CCMV Coalition , becki.sandvos@gmail.com;
Rebecca is a second year medical student at University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School. She is interested in pursuing pediatrics and has a passion for CMV advocacy.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
No relevant financial relationship exists.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.
AAA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
Financial relationship with University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School
Massachusetts CCMV Coalition .
Nature: Summer research grant provided by University of Massachusetts
Non-financial support and review provided by Massachusets CCMV Coalition .
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.
Meredith Braza
(Primary Presenter,Co-Presenter,Author,Co-Author), Boston Children's Hospital, meredith.braza@childrens.harvard.edu;
Meredith D. Braza, AuD, CCC-A is a pediatric audiologist in the Department of Otolaryngology and Communication Enhancement at Boston Children’s Hospital. Her primary clinical and professional interests include comprehensive inpatient and outpatient diagnostic assessment, interprofessional education, and care coordination for patients with medical and developmental complexities. Dr. Braza also serves on the Board of Directors for the Massachusetts Congenital cCMV Coalition, an interdisciplinary organization aimed at raising awareness and promoting education for congenital cytomegalovirus.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
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Nonfinancial -
AAA DISCLOSURE:
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Financial relationship with Financial: Boston Children's Hospital
Non-financial: Massachusetts cCMV Coalition.
Nature: Financial: Receives salary for employment
Non-financial: Serves on Board of Directors.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.
Brenda Allair
(Author,Co-Author), New England Consortium on Deafblindness, brenda.allair@perkins.org;
Brenda Allair is the Lead Educational Consultant at the New England Consortium on Deafblindness and a Teacher of Students with Visual Impairments (TVI) with a strong focus on early childhood and family support. In her nearly 20 years in the field of Early Education, Brenda has worked to provide families with the skills and knowledge they need to not only allow their child to access the world but to also be active, involved members of their chosen communities. As the Lead Educational Consultant at the New England Consortium on Deafblindness (NEC) Brenda provides training and support to families and professionals to allow children who are deafblind to meaningfully engage in their homes, schools, and communities.
She has been an advisor on several state and national projects to engage families of children with special health care needs and has a special interest in supporting families of children with deafblindness and complex health care needs.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
• Receives Salary,Grants for Employment,Teaching and speaking,Consulting,Membership on advisory committee or review panels from New England Consortium on Deafblindness.
• Receives Salary for Employment from Perkins School for the Blind.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.
AAA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
Financial relationship with New England Consortium on Deafblindness.
Nature: Funded by the Federal Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP).
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.
Peter Colleran
(Author,Co-Author), Massachusetts cCMV Coalition, petercolleran11@gmail.com;
Peter Colleran is a Physician Assistant in Hospital Medicine at UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester, MA and an Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine at Bay Path University in East Longmeadow, MA. His clinical interests are in Cardiology, Infectious Disease, Rheumatology and musculoskeletal disorders. Peter is the father of 3 sons, and his second son, Logan, was born with cCMV in 2017 and succumbed to a 4-month battle with the disease.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
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Nonfinancial -
AAA DISCLOSURE:
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Nonfinancial -
Vanessa Colleran
(Author,Co-Author), Massachusetts cCMV Coalition, vanessavoas@gmail.com;
Vanessa Colleran is an educator, licensed in the areas of reading, special education, (mild to moderate disabilities), and elementary education. She currently works as an elementary reading specialist in Shrewsbury, MA. Previously, Vanessa worked as a special education teacher in Worcester, MA and a special education teacher and reading specialist in Boston, MA. Vanessa is the mother to three beautiful boys, her oldest son Sam, her son youngest Julian, and her son in heaven, Logan. Logan was born with cCMV and passed away from the disease at 4 months old. Since then, she has become an advocate for cCMV prevention and awareness. Vanessa serves on the Community Advisory Board for the CMV Transmission and Immune Tracking (TransmIT) Study, a research collaboration between UMASS Chan Medical School and Moderna Inc. Vanessa also serves as the Massachusetts cCMV Coalition's Vice President.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
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Nonfinancial -
AAA DISCLOSURE:
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Nonfinancial -
Cheryl Glovsky
(Author,Co-Author), Mass Eye and Ear, cheryl_glovsky@meei.harvard.edu;
Dr. Cheryl Glovsky is an audiologist at Massachusetts Eye and Ear with nearly 25 years of experience. She is currently the Universal Newborn Hearing Screening (UNHS) program coordinator for Massachusetts General Hospital, Newton-Wellesley Hospital, and Cambridge Health Alliance. Dr. Glovsky also acts as the liaison to the Department of Public Health. Dr. Glovsky’s clinical interests include providing patient care to all populations, ranging from pediatric to elderly. She is proficient in a wide variety of services including hearing aids and assistive listening devices, cochlear implants, and specialized diagnostic evaluations. She earned her Master’s degree at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia, and her Doctorate of Audiology from A.T. Still University.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
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Nonfinancial -
AAA DISCLOSURE:
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Nonfinancial -
Tracy Evans Luiselli
(Author,Co-Author), New England Consortium on Deafblindness, tracy.luiselli@perkins.org;
Tracy Evans Luiselli, Ed.D., NEC Director, received her Masters in Severe Special Needs/Deafblind Education from Boston College and Doctorate in Early Childhood Special Education from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, with certifications in Vision, Moderate Special Needs, and Severe Special Needs. She has successfully coordinated and implemented a multistate OSEP grant since 1999. Dr. Evans Luiselli has extensive consulting and training experience with schools and agencies serving children who are deafblind, and her academic activity has included adjunct faculty appointments at Boston College, Simmons College, and Granite State College. With over thirty-five years of experience in the field of deafblindness, Tracy presents frequently at local, state, and national levels. Her areas of interest include assessment and instruction for children who are deafblind, increasing awareness about the impact of congenital cytomegalovirus, brain-based visual impairment, and organizational leadership and management. As well, she emphasizes the importance of supporting family engagement in all aspects of educational programming, including helping parents develop home-based routines that support their children’s communication and independence.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
• Receives Salary for Employment,Management position,Teaching and speaking,Board membership,Consulting,Membership on advisory committee or review panels from New England Consortium on Deafblindness.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.
AAA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
Financial relationship with New England Consortium on Deafblindness - funded by the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP).
Nature: Federal TA grant.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.
Barbara Morris
(Author,Co-Author), Massachusetts cCMV Coalition, pioneerhearingservices@msn.com;
Barbara Morris, AuD, PASC has a Bachelor of Science in Communication Disorders and a Master’s Degree in Audiology, both from UMASS Amherst and a Doctorate in Audiology from the Arizona School of Health Sciences at A.T. Still University in Mesa, Arizona. She is Board Certified in Audiology by the American Board of Audiology (ABA) and holds Specialty Certification in Pediatric Audiology from the ABA. She served on the committee which developed the legislation mandating Universal Newborn Hearing Screening (UNHS) in Massachusetts and recently retired as the Coordinator of Newborn Hearing Screening for Baystate Health. She is a Past President of the Massachusetts Speech-Language & Hearing Association and Past Chair of the Massachusetts Audiology/Speech-Language Pathology Board of Registration. Dr. Morris currently serves on the Massachusetts cCMV Coalition's Board of Directors.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
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Nonfinancial -
AAA DISCLOSURE:
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Laura Gibson
(Author,Co-Author), UMass Memorial Health, laura.gibson@umassmed.edu;
Dr. Gibson is an Adult and Pediatric Infectious Disease physician at UMassMemorial Health and an Associate Professor of Medicine and of Pediatrics at UMass Chan Medical School in Worcester, MA. As a clinician, she serves a variety of patient populations, including people with a low immune system, pregnant women, and children. As a physician-scientist over more than 20 years, she also combines patient care with translational research. Her work focuses on CMV and other viruses in people who can develop severe illness, particularly infants with cCMV. She is leading the CMV Transmission and Immune Tracking (TransmIT) Study, a community-based collaboration with Moderna, Inc. to understand CMV transmission among young children in group care settings and the factors that might lower the risk of spread to pregnant caretakers. Dr. Gibson founded the Massachusetts Congenital CMV Coalition (MCC) and is currently serving as its President.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
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AAA DISCLOSURE:
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