Samantha Christensen (far right in photo) and her team (all students in audiology, special education, and healthcare administration programs) took the first-place prize in the research competition at the annual Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) conference. The team worked for over a year on the project, which evaluates the effectiveness of the MED-EL LittleEARS auditory questionnaire, and categorizes the skills for easier digestion and interpretation by parents and providers. The team was made up of students from the University of Utah and other institutions.
Team:
- Samantha Christensen, MHA student, University of Utah
- Madeline Ogden, AuD student at University of Utah
- Emily Burnett, AuD student at Idaho State University
- Nicole Jaeggli, AuD student at Idaho State University
- Lacey Long, EdD student at Minot State University
The research project was undertaken as part of Christensen’s training with the Utah Regional Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (URLEND) research grant through the department of Maternal & Child Health (MCH). URLEND covers the five-state area of Utah, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, and Wyoming. It is conducted jointly by the University of Utah Health Sciences Center (Department of Pediatrics) and Utah State University (Institute for Disability Research, Policy, and Practice), and the Sorenson Legacy Foundation Center for Clinical Excellence. Professionals, graduate students, and community members are trained to move beyond discipline boundaries to provide optimal services to children with special health care needs.