National CMV Foundation Podcast

Meet Stephanie English, National CMV Foundation Board President

Listen in to this episode featuring our newly elected Board President, Stephanie English. Stephanie brings over 22 years of experience planning and executing complex healthcare business operation initiatives and driving sustainable business growth for leading multi-billion dollar healthcare insurance companies.

In this episode, Stephanie discusses her journey to the National CMV Foundation and shares her vision for its future, focusing on public health, awareness, and universal screening. 

Meet Matt Partain, Compete4CMV NYC Marathon Team Member

Meet Matt Partain, a pediatric otolaryngologist from Indianapolis, Indiana, and a Compete4CMV team member in this year's NYC Full Marathon. Matt manages the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Multidisciplinary Clinic at the Riley Hospital for Children and decided to run on behalf of the National CMV Foundation to help support the organization's advocacy and outreach efforts for families across the country.

Meet Jacob & John Laufer, Compete4CMV Team Members in this year's NYC Marathon

Jacob and John Laufer are participating in this year's NYC Marathon as part of the Compete4CMV team on behalf of the National CMV Foundation. This November, they are participating in the marathon as part of the "Miles for Milo" initiative, a personal mission inspired by Jacob's son, Milo, who was born with CMV. Through this effort, Jacob and his brother, John, are partnering with the National CMV Foundation to raise funds and awareness to create a brighter future for families affected by CMV.

Meet Carol and Tom Vereecke, Cycling 4 CMV Awareness 55 Creators

Carol and Tom Vereecke are dedicated CMV advocates and the creators of Cycling 4 CMV Awareness 55! In 2020, their granddaughter, Brynn Rose, was born with congenital CMV. Since then, they have worked tirelessly to support their granddaughter and increase CMV awareness. Inspired by their granddaughter and the impact that her CMV diagnosis has had on their family, Carol and Tom have committed to turning their passion for bicycle riding into a labor of love and a mission to educate and empower those affected by CMV. Their goal is to ride in all 50 states over 5 years to raise funds to support the mission of the National CMV Foundation.

Meet Sarah Downing, Vice President of Global Marketing at Advanced Bionics

Sarah Downing is the Vice President of Global Marketing and an audiologist at Advanced Bionics. Based in Valencia, CA, Sarah has been educating, developing, and innovating in the field of cochlear implants for 20 years.  Sarah is passionate about improving accessibility in hearing healthcare and empowering our patients to live a life without limitations. 

Meet Patty Cutshall-Bailey, CMV Community Alliance Chair and Empowering Caregiver Coach

Patty Cutshall-Bailey is an Empowering Caregiver Coach with over three decades of experience in caregiving. She specializes in assisting parents who care for children with developmental disabilities. Patty holds Bachelor's degrees in Management and HR Management and a Master's degree in Business with a concentration on Organizational Psychology and Development. She is a Master Transformational Coach and trained Profound Impact Coach. Patty's coaching approach is centered on empowerment and resilience. She works closely with caregivers to develop personalized strategies for managing stress, fostering self-care practices, and finding balance in their lives. In addition to her coaching practice, Patty is a Community Alliance Chair for the National CMV Foundation and regularly volunteers at local support groups to promote caregiver well-being. Outside of her professional endeavors, Patty enjoys hiking, reading, writing, and spending quality time with her family. 

Meet Mary Uran, National CMV Foundation Board Chair/President

Mary Uran is the Board Chair/President of the National CMV Foundation. Professionally, she serves as the Managing Director of Compass Pro Bono, a national nonprofit providing free strategic consulting to local nonprofits. She recently completed ten years as the Executive Director and co-founder of Girls on the Run Twin Cities (GOTR-TC), a non-profit that empowers girls to know and activate their limitless potential and boldly pursue their dreams. Mary holds a Masters in Public Health from the University of Minnesota School of Public Health and is an alumna of the College of Saint Benedict where she was honored with the Decade Award. Prior to serving as Director, Mary worked for the Network for Public Health Law in Saint Paul, and the National Association of Attorneys General in Washington D.C. She lives in Saint Paul with her husband and three children, and also serves on the board of the Brave Like Gabe Foundation.

Meet Dr. Dave Fabry and Jake Spano of Starkey

Listen in as we chat with Dr. Dave Fabry, Starkey's Chief Hearing Health Officer and Jake Spano, Director of Corporate Social Responsibility with Starkey. Dedicated to delivering the best hearing experience possible, through the innovation of custom hearing aid products and a passion for helping people, Starkey is reinventing the hearing aid. In this episode, learn about Starkey's new hearing aids, advances in hearing technology, hearing education and resources, and Starkey's commitment to corporate social responsibility.

 

Meet Vanessa Colleran, 2023 NYC Full Marathon Compete4CMV Team Member

Vanessa Colleran is an educator who lives in Oxford, MA with her husband, Peter, and sons, Sam & Julian. Vanessa is also the mother to Logan who was born with cCMV and passed away from the disease at 4 months old. Since then, she has become an advocate for cCMV prevention and awareness. Vanessa is the vice president of the Massachusetts cCMV Coalition (MCC). She also serves on the Community Advisory Board for the CMV Transmission and Immune Tracking (TransmIT) Study, a research collaboration between UMASS Chan Medical School and Moderna Inc. In 2023, Vanessa ran the NYC Full Marathon on behalf of the National CMV Foundation as a Compete4CMV team member. 

Meet Danielle Kinkel, Founding Board Member

Danielle is the General Counsel at the Massachusetts Housing Partnership in Boston where she works with real estate developers, banks, government agencies, and non-profits to finance affordable housing developments in the Commonwealth. Danielle has extensive experience layering private and public financing sources and advising on an array of housing policy and corporate governance matters. She is a graduate of the Northeastern University School of Law (J.D.), the Boston College Lynch School of Education (M.Ed.), and the University of Michigan (B.A.), and is a former partner at the law firm of Nolan Sheehan Patten LLP. Danielle first learned about congenital cytomegalovirus when her goddaughter, Evelyn Spytek, was born with a congenital CMV infection which eventually led to significant hearing and vision loss, cerebral palsy, epilepsy, microcephaly, and much more. Danielle remains inspired by Evelyn every day, and is honored to carry out her legacy through the National CMV Foundation and tells Evelyn's story to anyone who will listen. She lives in Somerville, Massachusetts with her husband, Ben, and two sons, Oliver and Sebastian.