The SENTAC podcast

A little different from the usual SENTAC Podcast output, this episode features a SENTAC Young Members Committee webinar on a problem nearly every researcher faces: over half of accepted conference abstracts never make it to publication. Our speakers shared the practical system they use to close that gap — drafting the manuscript alongside the abstract instead of after it.  Listeners will find helpful tips to keep in mind as they prepare their talks and posters for the upcoming annual meeting in Nashville.

Topics covered:

• Why momentum dies between the conference and the manuscript — and how to prevent it
• Drafting introductions, methods, and figures before your results are even finalized
• Capturing audience Q&A at the podium or poster to strengthen your discussion section
• Authorship: setting expectations early, the CRediT taxonomy, and who belongs on the byline
• Choosing a journal — impact factor, open-access costs, and spotting predatory journals
• Writing cover letters that actually move reviewers
• Responding to peer review without losing your cool (or the reviewer)
• Where AI fits — and where the panel draws a hard line

Speakers:

• Dr. David Zopf — Chief of Pediatric Otolaryngology and Director of Innovation, University of Wisconsin–Madison
• Dr. Sara Mazzarelli — Associate Professor and Director of Audiology, University of Wisconsin–Madison Department of Otolaryngology
• John Monday — Speech-Language Pathologist and doctoral student, University of Wisconsin–Madison, focused on communication outcomes in children with craniofacial disorders

Recorded as a SENTAC Young Members Committee webinar.
Full webinar available for free to members at https://sentac.memberclicks.net/webinars

In this episode of the SENTAC Podcast, Dr. Michael McCormick speaks with pediatric otolaryngologist Dr. Alanna Windsor, MD, and speech-language pathologist Hannah Tahan-Jackson about the multidisciplinary care of children with aerodigestive disorders at Children's Hospital at Montefiore in the Bronx, NY.
Cases discussed include vocal fold paralysis, tracheo-esophageal fistula, laryngeal cleft, laryngotracheal reconstruction, and laryngomalacia.
The conversation highlights how collaborative decision-making between ENT and speech & language pathology improves diagnosis, perioperative planning, and long-term outcomes, with an emphasis on the value of integrated aerodigestive clinics to reduce family burden while creating cohesive care plans for medically complex children.
Listeners will gain practical insights into swallowing evaluation, family counseling, surgical decision-making, and postoperative follow-up. The episode underscores that successful aerodigestive care depends on strong interdisciplinary partnerships and a shared commitment to patient- and family-centered care.

Host: Michael McCormick, MD: Pediatric Otolaryngologist, Children's Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI
Email [email protected] with podcast topic suggestions or if you would like to be a guest on The SENTAC Podcast.

Guests:
Dr. Alanna Windsor
Assistant Professor and Pediatric Otolaryngologist
Montefiore Einstein / Children's Hospital at Montefiore

Hannah Tahan-Jackson, MS, CCC-SLP
Senior Speech & Language Pathologist at Children's Hospital at Montefiore
Assistant Professor at New York Medical College
Instagram: @thefeedingslp_ & @hannahjt26

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.

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 protected]

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 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: [email protected]. 

Please reach out to the SENTAC Communications Committee if you have interest in sharing your work on the podcast.
Michael McCormick: [email protected] (episode host)
Madison Howe: [email protected]

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 [email protected].
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: [email protected]
Madison Howe: [email protected]

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)

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

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.