The SENTAC podcast

Culturally Responsive Pediatric Dysphagia Care

SENTAC Communications Committee — Mon, 16 Feb 2026 12:49:51 -0800

In this episode, Dr. Michael McCormick chats with speech and language pathologist Jenan Maaz (IG: @jenan.slp):

Bilingual, multiethnic practicing Speech-Language Pathologist with a specialty in swallowing/feeding across the lifespan and DEI
Board Certified Specialist in Swallowing and Swallowing Disorders
Experience in all medical SLP settings primarily in acute care and NICU
Certified MBSImP clinician, and a FEES provider for patients across the lifespan.
Assistant Professor at CSU, Stanislaus

Jenan explains why culturally responsive care is essential in pediatric feeding evaluations, but also in other aspects of our care for these children. They discuss how language access, food insecurity, family feeding traditions, and provider bias can all shape evaluations and outcomes—often in ways clinicians may not immediately recognize.
From rethinking the label “noncompliant” to adapting diet recommendations around culturally familiar foods, this conversation offers practical, team-based strategies that clinicians can hopefully implement right away.
If you care for children with feeding or swallowing disorders, this episode will challenge assumptions and provide concrete steps to strengthen both safety and trust with families.

If you have a topic for a future SENTAC podcast or are interested in recording one yourself, please reach out to Mike McCormick.

Improving Hearing Outcomes through Raised Awareness: The CMV Conversation

SENTAC Communications Committee — Tue, 04 Nov 2025 14:51:15 -0800

In this episode, SENTAC speaks with a group of passionate pediatric audiologists from across the country to shine a light on one of the more under-detected causes of newborn hearing loss — congenital CMV. They share stories from the front lines of advocacy, discuss the challenges of limited screening and awareness, and celebrate the progress being made in their states. The conversation blends clinical insight, personal motivation, and grassroots determination to change how we identify and support children affected by CMV. Tune in to hear how collaboration and advocacy are rewriting the story of newborn hearing health — one baby at a time.

Host: Michael McCormick, MD: Pediatric Otolaryngologist, Children's Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI

Guests:
Mallory Baker, AuD, CCC-A: Pediatric Audiologist, Seattle Children's Hospital, Seattle, WA; Founder and Director, Washington CMV Project

Kelsey Dumanch, AuD, CCC-A: Pediatric Audiologist, Children's Minnesota, St. Paul, MN

Meg Pearson, AuD, CCC-A: Pediatric Audiologist, Seattle Children's, Seattle, WA

Kristen Ponturiero, AuD, CCC-A: Pediatric Audiologist, UNC Health, Chapel Hill, NC

Lucy Woerfel-Reising, AuD, CCC-A: Pediatric Audiologist, Children's Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI

Links:

Children's Wisconsin. Instagram: @childrenswi

Seattle Children’s Hospital. Instagram: @seattlechildrens

Patient education: CMV, CMV and Infant Hearing Testing

Minnesota Children's Hospital. Instagram: @childrensmn
MN Dept of Health: CMV Information

UNC Health. Instagram: @unchealth

Washington CMV Project. Instagram: @wacmvproject, email@wacmvproject.org

What's New In Pediatric Sleep Surgery?

SENTAC Communications Committee — Thu, 02 Oct 2025 19:14:17 -0700

What happens when tonsil and adenoid surgery isn’t enough for kids with obstructive sleep apnea? In this episode, Dr. Michael McCormick sits down with Dr. Taher Valika and Dr. Saied Ghadersohi from Lurie Children’s Pediatric Otolaryngology team to unpack the latest innovations in pediatric sleep surgery. From why sleep apnea matters, to what to do when T&A falls short, to how to utilize sleep endoscopy to provide site-specific airway surgery, including groundbreaking advances in tongue base suspension—the conversation highlights how far the field has come. You’ll also hear about multidisciplinary approaches to pediatric sleep surgery that are helping to reshape outcomes for kids and families.

If you care for children with obstructive sleep apnea—or just want to know what’s next in this field—this episode is packed with insights, real-world experience, and a hopeful look toward the future.
@SENTAC @lurieotolaryngology @chicagoairwaydoc

Dr. Joseph Kerschner: Reflections on Innovation, Advocacy, and the Future of Pediatric Otolaryngology

SENTAC Communications Committee — Mon, 31 Mar 2025 19:10:00 -0700

Dr. Joseph Kerschner is a Pediatric Otolaryngologist at Children's Wisconsin and is now Dean Emeritus at the Medical College of Wisconsin where he served as Dean of the School of Medicine for 14 years. He has also led an NIH-funded lab studying otitis media for over 24 years.

In this unique conversation, Dr. Kerschner reflects on his career and achievements and also that memorable SENTAC meeting in Milwaukee 🥶. He emphasizes how engagement with other disciplines through SENTAC helped shape his research goals and how important it is to talk with the other specialties at your own institution to drive your clinical care and research efforts.

They also discuss the exciting partnership between SENTAC and the International Journal of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology (IJPORL) on a special edition highlighting the best presentations at the 2024 conference in Denver.

The episode also explores some of the current challenges to healthcare and healthcare research, and dives into Dr. Kerschner's passion for health equity and medical sustainability and the environment, and gives examples of how to advocate for your clinical interests and help translate them into policy.

Finally, Dr. Kerschner gives some insight into what he is most excited about for the future of pediatric ENT and what advice he would want young ENTs entering residency to know today.

(QUICK NOTE: This podcast was recorded in early February, prior to the Philadelphia Eagles Super Bowl victory 🦅.)

Dr. Kerschner can be reached with questions via LinkedIn or by email: Kerschnerjoseph100@gmail.com.

Please reach out to the SENTAC Communications Committee if you have interest in sharing your work on the podcast.
Michael McCormick: mmccormick@mcw.edu (episode host)
Madison Howe: mhowe@uams.edu

Integrating and Extending Psychology in Pediatric Craniofacial Care

SENTAC Communications Committee — Mon, 10 Mar 2025 06:23:16 -0700

Dr. Eric Riklin is a pediatric psychologist specializing in care for children with craniofacial conditions. In this interview, he discusses his journey into psychology and his passion for working with children with cleft and other craniofacial disorders. Dr. Riklin reviews the benefits of psychological support within a multidisciplinary cleft team, common challenges such as funding, institutional support, and access to trained specialists, and strategies to overcome these barriers. Lastly, he tells us about a unique online support community that he helped develop - EMBRACE-IT - where kids of all ages with craniofacial conditions can connect via telehealth.

Dr. Riklin can be reached via the below links or by emailing him directly at rikli005@umn.edu.
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/eric-riklin-phd-lp-8927702a
University of Minnesota Cleft/Craniofacial Team: https://linktr.ee/umncleftcraniofacial
Hennepin Healthcare: https://www.hennepinhealthcare.org/provider/eric-riklin-phd-lp/

Online support groups through MyFace: https://www.myface.org/online-groups/

Other resources from this episode:
NCTSN: https://www.nctsn.org/resources
Psychology Today: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us
211 United Way (24/7 hotline for local psychosocial supports and resources): https://211unitedway.org/

Please reach out to the SENTAC Communications Committee if you have interest in sharing your work on the podcast.
Michael McCormick: mmccormick@mcw.edu
Madison Howe: mhowe@uams.edu

The SENTAC Podcast: APP edition

SENTAC Communications Committee — Sat, 15 Feb 2025 12:07:22 -0800

In this episode, we sit down with three experienced pediatric otolaryngology physician assistants to explore their roles within their respective divisions. Our guests—Anita Lazar, PA-C (Rady Children's Health San Diego), Kimberly Donner, M.P.A.S., PA-C (Dallas Children's UTSW), and Tammy Auyeung, PA-C (Boston Children's Hospital)—share insights into their daily responsibilities, how they were trained to excel in pediatric ENT, and what they love most about their specialty. Whether you're a fellow APP, a pediatric Otolaryngologist, Speech pathologist, Audiologist, or anyone who cares for children in this field, this conversation offers valuable perspectives on the critical contributions of PAs in pediatric otolaryngology.

Guests:
Anita Lazar, PA-C (Rady Children's Health San Diego) - Host
Kimberly Donner, M.P.A.S., PA-C (Dallas Children's UTSW)
Tammy Auyeung, PA-C (Boston Children's Hospital)

Navigating Diverse Training Routes: Unraveling the Distinct Paths of SLPs, Audiologists, and Physicians.

SENTAC Communications Committee — Wed, 24 Jan 2024 21:45:47 -0800

In this episode, we engage in a conversation with experts: David Chi, MD; Julian Smith, PhD CCC-SLP; and Madison Howe, AuD, CCC-A. Our discussion revolves around the distinct training pathways for students in various disciplines. We delve into the extent of exposure these students receive to multidisciplinary care during their training, explore the experiences of their trainees in this aspect, and share insights on enhancing exposure and learning opportunities in a pediatric multidisciplinary environment

Cardiac Babies & Feeding Challenges- Perspectives From the Trenches

SENTAC Communications Committee — Wed, 22 Feb 2023 19:44:48 -0800

In this episode, Julian Smith co-hosts the conversation with 3 speech and language pathologists who specialize in working with cardiac babies. The guests are Kimberly Morris SLP Rady Children's, Hallie Clason SLP Texas Children's, and Jeanan Sfeir SLP Dell Children's. Topics discussed include standardized protocols for SLP involvement with cardiac children, chart and bedside assessments, FEES vs MBS. How they approach feeding and swallowing advancement in fragile cardiac patients, as well as how they frame their thought process around children with vagal nerve damage.

Building and Running an Aerodigestive Program with the University of Iowa Aero Team

SENTAC Communications Committee — Sun, 20 Nov 2022 16:49:30 -0800

In this podcast we have a conversation with the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital, Aerodigestive program team members. Their team is comprised of Otolaryngology, Sohit Kanotra, MD, Gastroenterology, Riad Rahhal, MD,MS, Pulmonary, Rebecca Weiner, MD, and Speech and Language Pathology.

The topics discussed include; team formation, team structure, and clinic structure. Aerodigestive team clinical decision making, things ream members have learned from each other, and examples of how patients have had improved care. The team members also reflect on areas of current aerodigestive care short comings and what care will potentially look like in 10-15 years.

A Conversation with the Dallas Children’s Velopharyngeal Incompetence (VPI) Team

SENTAC Communications Committee — Wed, 24 Aug 2022 23:31:46 -0700

In this episode I'm joined by Ron B. Mitchell MD, Yann-Fuu Kou MD, Courtney Van’T Slot SLP, and Caitlin Lentz SLP of the Dallas Children’s Velopharyngeal Incompetence (VPI) Team. We discuss VPI, how and when their team was formed, how their team functions, VPI assessment decision making, therapy and surgical decision making, current VPI care shortcomings, and what ENTs and SLPs often misunderstand about VPI care.
You can learn more about the team and team members by visiting their website. https://www.childrens.com/specialties-services/specialty-centers-and-programs/ear-nose-and-throat/programs-and-services/velopharyngeal-incompetence-clinic.

Successes in Team-based Pediatric Tracheostomy Care

SENTAC Communications Committee — Mon, 18 Jul 2022 21:53:51 -0700

This episode is a conversation with the tracheostomy and ventilator team of Children’s Wisconsin. The multidisciplinary team is composed of an otolaryngologist, pulmonologist, nurse practitioner, speech language pathologist, social worker, dietitian, and respiratory therapists. In this conversation we discuss the origin and structure of the team, and their successes in improving inpatient and outpatient tracheostomy care. The team has been successful in improving parent trach teaching through use of simulation, as well as in early speaking valve assessment and use.

Participants:

Michael McCormick – Pediatric Otolaryngology

Cecilia Lang – NP Team Manager

Jennifer Henningfeld – Pediatric Pulmonologist Medical Director

Grace Flanagan – Respiratory Therapist

Lisa Molkentine – Respiratory Therapist

Christine Bueckers – Speech Language Pathologist

How Quality Improvement Can Help Us Work Better Together In Teams

SENTAC Communications Committee — Wed, 15 Jun 2022 15:58:59 -0700

In this episode we have a conversation with Mike McCormick, Jennifer Lavin, and Josh Bedwell about how we can use quality improvement (QI) to improve our team patient care.

Jennifer Lavin is a pediatric otolaryngologist and works in the center for quality and safety

At Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago. https://www.luriechildrens.org/en/doctors/lavin-jennifer-m-3527/

Josh Bedwell is a pediatric otolaryngologist, surgical director for Quality and Safety for his division, and NSQIP surgeon champion at Texas Children’s Hospital/Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. https://www.texaschildrens.org/find-a-doctor/joshua-r-bedwell-md-facs

Michael McCormick is a pediatric otolaryngologist, quality improvement coordinator for department of otolaryngology, director of surgical quality, and NSQIP surgeon champion at Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee. https://childrenswi.org/physician-directory/m/mccormick-michael-e

The Team Based Approach to Cochlear Implantation

Javan Nation — Wed, 04 May 2022 21:17:00 -0700

In this episode Daniela Carvalho and Keri Colio, two members of the Rady Children's Cochlear implant team, about the approach to evaluating CI candidates, the medical work up prior to implantation, specialists that comprise the team, the surgical implantation, and subsequent activation.

Daniela Carvalho is a pediatric otolaryngologist with an expertise in otology and cochlear implantation. At Rady Children’s Hospital San Diego, she is medical director of surgical services, the director of the hearing program, as well as a professor of surgery at University of California San Diego. She is the current SENTAC president (2022).

Keri Coli is a pediatric audiologist at Rady Children’s Hospital San Diego and serves as the cochlear implant coordinator. She is also the chair of the Young Members Committee for SENTAC.

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