National CMV Foundation Podcast

Lisa Eickel is a Speech-Language Pathologist who has spent most of her professional career working with birth to elementary school-aged children.  Her professional passions include working with early communicators, children who are non-verbal, and those that use Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) to communicate.  She has served as the CMV Community Alliance Chair for Virginia with the National CMV Foundation for two years.  Lisa is a mom to three feisty and fun little boys (1, 4, and 6 years old).  Her four-year-old son, Owen, was born with congenital CMV in 2017. Lisa lives in Ashburn, Virginia with her husband of 9 years and can be found cheering on the James Madison University Dukes, enjoying Virginia's wineries, or trying to find some serenity with a good book when she isn't wrangling her tribe of boys.

In this episode, Khaliah chats with Richard Hughes IV, JD, MPH, who is Vice President of Public Policy at Moderna. He is a nationally recognized vaccine thought leader and has led many efforts to expand access to vaccines and preventive services and improve public health outcomes.

Previously, Richard was managing director at Avalere Health, where he founded and led the firm’s vaccines group. Prior to joining Avalere, Hughes practiced healthcare law and served as a strategic advisor at Epstein, Becker and Green. He previously held roles with Merck and the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, and as a gubernatorial appointee to the Arkansas State Board of Health.

Hughes previously held an academic faculty appointment as a professorial lecturer in health policy and management at the George Washington University’s Milken Institute School of Public Health. He earned his JD from the George Washington University Law School and MPH from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. 

Along with Cody Stevens of PMG Awareness, Khaliah sits down with Tammy Boyd, JD, MPH, for this month's podcast episode; highlighting the launch of the Rare Disease Diversity Coalition, just in time for Rare Disease Day. Tammy Boyd is the Director of Health Policy and Legislative Affairs at the Black Women’s Health Imperative in Washington, D.C. Black Women’s Health Imperative launched the Rare Disease Diversity Coalition to address the extraordinary challenges faced by rare disease patients of color. The Coalition brings together rare disease experts, health and diversity advocates, and industry leaders to identify and advocate for evidence-based solutions to alleviate the disproportionate burden of rare diseases on communities of color.

In this episode, we sit down with Sharon Wood, Senior Project Manager at CMV Action. We chat about how they've changed their programming in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, what they're planning for 2021, and much more. Enjoy!

In this episode, we speak to Kayla Keenan, Executive Director of the Canadian CMV Foundation. Years of volunteering with community organizations led her to pursue a career in non-profit management. Today, she is privileged to work alongside a team of incredibly passionate and dedicated volunteers who are committed to eradicating congenital CMV infections. Originally from New Brunswick and a true East-Coaster at heart, she currently lives in Saskatchewan with her husband and their two dogs.

We learn about the history of CMV Canada, the focal points of the organization, what they're doing to handle programming and activities in light of COVID-19, and maybe just a little bit about poutine. Enjoy!

In this episode, we sit down with Khaliah Fleming, MPH, MCHES, and executive director at the National CMV Foundation, and Amanda Devereaux, RN, BSN, and Program Director at the National CMV Foundation. We discuss their roles in the organization, their work in the CMV space, and speak on equity and disparities in the maternal health space. Enjoy!

In this episode, Khaliah and Shayne chat with Dr. Sallie Permar, National CMV Foundation Board Director, Professor of Pediatrics at Duke University, a member of the Duke Human Vaccine Institute, an affiliate of the Duke Global Health Institute, and Associate Dean of Physician-Scientist Development at Duke University Medical School. We speak about her CMV research, how COVID-19 has affected it, why attention should still be placed on CMV, and much more. Enjoy!

In this episode, Khaliah and Shayne chat with Lori Panther, MD, MPH, and Director of Clinical Development, Infectious Diseases at Moderna based in Cambridge MA. We discuss where Moderna is at in their CMV vaccine quest, why a vaccine is critical, clear up some common myths around vaccination, and much more. Enjoy!

In this episode, Khaliah and Shayne sit down with CMV Dads Nic and Andy to discuss their CMV journeys so far, what they're doing to raise CMV awareness in their communities and abroad, what needs to change for CMV education, and much more! We hope you enjoy the episode, and please remember to subscribe, review, and rate the podcast.