Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility

Since studying American Sign Language (ASL) and Deaf studies as an undergraduate student, I have dedicated my career to improving developmental outcomes for d/Deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) children and their families. Through Deaf studies, I was introduced to Disability Justice and seek to better integrate the social model of disability with clinical practice and research in understanding patient and family goals within an accessibility, anti-ableism framework. As an ally to the Deaf and disability communities, I take my role very seriously and routinely collaborate with and seek feedback from colleagues who identify as members of these communities. As a pediatrician, I also prioritize incorporating parent and family perspectives in both clinical practice and research, since children grow and develop within the context of their families and support networks. To me, accessibility is at the crux of all that I do from ensuring that my patients have access to evidence based developmental assessments, treatments, therapies and educational interventions to considering a child's current and future access to the greater world in my treatment plans so that they may reach their full potential regardless of individual developmental differences or needs.

Regarding service related contributions, since 2021, I have served as the Massachusetts Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Chapter Champion. Through this role, I consult with the Massachusetts Universal Newborn Hearing Screening Program and the American Academy of Pediatrics and work with an interdisciplinary team of public health officials, audiologists, neonatologists, speech pathologists, and patient and family advocates to advise on programing, guidelines, educational materials, and service delivery for DHH children between the ages of 0 to 3 years. As the Director of Health and Wellness at the newly formed Boston University Deaf Center, an initiative combining advocacy, policy and research efforts across healthcare, education, linguistics, psychology, Deaf, and ASL studies, I hope to expand the reach of my work to ensure that all children who are DHH have access to timely, language-based interventions. I also hope to facilitate the establishment of Boston University and Boston Medical Center as a culturally informed and sensitive hub for Deaf health care across all age groups.

For teaching related contributions, I developed and evaluated a pediatric residency curriculum on caring for children who are d/Deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) in the medical home. In an effort to reach a broader audience of clinical practitioners who interface with DHH children and their families, I expanded this work by creating an online educational module in the OPENPediatrics platform alongside an interdisciplinary team of clinical professionals, parent advocates, and Deaf individuals. As a clinical fellow at Boston Children's Hospital, I was invited to participate in the Disability in Medicine and Dentistry Working Group at Harvard Medical School, teaching and mentoring students with an interest in working with patients with disabilities. I have written textbook chapters for medical and audiology students about working with DHH children and their families.

As research related contributions, I have collaborated with the Center for Deaf Health Equity at Gallaudet University on a number of research projects which are ongoing and include evaluating the long-term implications of Language Deprivation and Adverse Childhood Communication Experiences on Deaf adult health. In collaboration with the Boston Children’s Hospital Deaf and Hard of Hearing Program, I helped to develop a clinical database of patients who are both DHH and diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder so we can better understand the intersection of these conditions. My current research endeavors include evaluating educational materials that seek to improve provider comfort and knowledge in caring for DHH patients and establishing and evaluating an interdisciplinary clinical program for DHH children at Boston Medical Center.

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In addition to these self-described keywords below, a list of MeSH based concepts is available here.

Deafness
Deaf Persons
Hearing Loss
Child Development
Disability, Developmental
Sign Language
Hearing Impairment
Autism
Language Development Disorders