Blog

Recommended Uniform (Newborn) Screening Panel (RUSP) Update

Author: Dr. Megan Pesch In the fall of 2018, the National CMV Foundation formed a sub-committee including CMV parents, researchers and public health experts, to create a nomination package. The shell of the application was submitted, however additional data was requested by the Committee. Read more to learn about our application's status.

Early Career Research Award Recipient: Dr. Pesch

Dr. Megan Pesch is a Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrician at the University of Michigan and one of our 2020 early career CMV research award recipients! Dr. Pesch's research will investigate social-emotional and behavioral concerns in children with congenital CMV.

Early Career Research Award Recipient: Dr. Kakkar

Dr. Fatima Kakkar is a pediatric infectious disease specialist and clinician-researcher at CHU Sainte-Justine in Montreal and her research will focus on determining the best newborn screening test for the province of Quebec. She is one of our 2020 early career CMV research award recipients! 

Early Career Research Award Recipient: Jennifer Jenks

Jennifer Jenks is an MD PhD student in the Medical Scientist Training Program at Duke University School of Medicine and is one of our 2020 early career CMV research award recipients! Jennifer's research investigates the rational design of CMV vaccines.

Congenital CMV Evaluation and Treatment and the COVID-19 Pandemic

In efforts to help limit the spread of SARS-CoV2 and minimize the risk of COVID-19 to patients, providers and staff, many governing bodies are categorizing essential and non-essential clinical guidelines to help with prioritization and planning. While maintaining and adjusting safety procedures that work best for each institution, state agency, and community is paramount, neonatal cytomegalovirus (CMV) screening, evaluation and treatment should continue to be performed per routine institutional protocols and considered essential patient care.

Lurie Children's Hospital: Improving Awareness and the Timely Diagnosis of cCMV in Illinois

Our goal is to be able to provide a rapid diagnosis for those newborns who fail their hearing screens in the newborn nursery, when the hearing loss is attributable to infection with CMV during pregnancy.  Recent research has revealed treatment options for those newborns found to have hearing loss from congenital CMV, to optimize hearing outcomes and neurodevelopment. 

Flushing Hospital: Raising Congenital CMV Awareness

Congratulations to the Flushing Hospital Medical Center team, led by Dr. Shirley Pinero-Bernardo, on being one of our selected recipients for the 2019 Public Health Awareness Mini Grant!

Early Career Research Award Recipient: Dr. Talavera-Barber

Dr. Maria Talavera is one of our 2019 early career CMV research award recipients! Congratulations Dr. Talavera! Learn more about her project here.

Early Career Research Award Recipient: Dr. Pinninti

Dr. Swetha Pinninti from the University of Alabama at Birmingham is one of our 2019 early career CMV research award recipients! Congratulations Dr. Pinninti! Learn more about her project here.

Top 5 Takeaways from CMV 2019

Before we dive into the key discussion points – one underlying theme was ever-present from our perspective – it was and continues to be deeply moving to see how many global professionals are devoting their lives to advancing congenital CMV research. Please know that we see you. And we appreciate you.