17th ANNUAL EARLY HEARING DETECTION & INTERVENTION MEETING
March 18-20, 2018 • Denver, CO
EHDI FAMILY LEADERSHIP AWARD
Nominations are invited for the Antonia Brancia Maxon Award for EHDI Excellence to be presented at the 2018 National EHDI Meeting in Denver, Colorado. This award honors the life and work of Dr. Antonia Brancia Maxon to promote effective Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) programs for all newborns, infants, and young children. Dr. Maxon was a pioneer in EHDI programs, beginning with her leadership in the Rhode Island Hearing Assessment Project in the late 1980's. She was one of the first to recognize the feasibility and value of universal newborn hearing screening and was a tireless advocate for connecting screening programs with timely and appropriate diagnosis and early intervention.
Her extensive contributions to creating excellent EHDI programs were abruptly ended by a tragic automobile accident in May of 2007. In memory of her contributions, an Award for EHDI Excellence is presented each year at the National EHDI Meeting to honor an individual who has made outstanding contributions to achieving excellence in EHDI programs nationally or in a particular state or region.
Presentation of the 2018 Antonia Brancia Maxon Award for EHDI Excellence will be made on Monday March 19, 2018 at the National EHDI Meeting in Denver, Colorado. More about the National EHDI Meeting, including past nominees and recipients can be found below.
Melissa Tumblin
Melissa is an advocate for promoting educational and public awareness about Microtia/Atresia (M/A) and hearing loss as prompted by her daughter's condition. She is an influential community leader, providing people with support and connection. Her contributions have led to overall improvement of the EHDI service system.
Due to Melissa's contributions to the M/A community, those who are affected by these conditions know of the options available to make the best decisions regarding child care, early intervention, and other services. Melissa founded the largest global support group on Facebook for families affect by M/A and founded the Ear Community, a non-profit devoted to empowering families as they advocate for the needs of their children with M/A. In addition, Melissa worked tirelessly to get November 9th as a day to raise awareness and support for M/A. Melissa has worked to help bridge the gap between those with M/A and medical professionals. To this end, she is a co-investigator, along with researchers from Harvard and Vanderbilt, on a research grant for studying genetic factors in M/A. Melissa also works with early interventionists to help them understand what technologies are available to help children with M/A.
Melissa provides astonishing support to those with deaf or hard of hearing children. Melissa has served as a member of the Board of Directors of Hands & Voices in Colorado and of the Family Advisory Council for the D/HH group at Children's Hospital. She is an active member in IEP meetings, helping families through the process of enrolling their children in educational settings where they are most likely to succeeded.
Melissa works across the globe to raise awareness of M/A and hearing loss and has presented at numerous medical and hearing-related conferences. In addition, Melissa has delivered webinars through Audiology Online. Lastly, Melissa has received several awards including Oticon's Advocacy Award.