Access NTMC Speakers’ Disclosures Here 

MELISSA BLOOMER, MA, CCC- SLP, NTMTC

Melissa is a licensed SLP with nearly 20 years of experience working in a variety of acute care settings, with the last 12 years focused on infant feeding and family-integrated care. Melissa currently works in a Level IV NICU at Medstar Georgetown University Hospital in Washington DC. She is co-chair of the Feeding Committee, sits on the Developmental Care Committee and provides comprehensive education as a professional support for all regional Medstar NICUs. Melissa provides regular physician and nursing education and lectures in the Master’s Programs at Gallaudet, Howard, UDC and GWU in Pediatric Dysphagia. Melissa is passionate about infant-led feeding practices, feeding development and neurodevelopmental care. She strives to support and empower families in providing and advocating for optimized developmental care in the NICU and beyond.

MARY COUGHLIN, MS, NNP, RNC-E

Mary Coughlin, MS, NNP, RNC-E is the Founder and President of Caring Essentials Collaborative, LLC and a graduate of Northeastern University where she received her baccalaureate and master’s degrees in nursing. Ms. Coughlin has assumed roles as staff nurse, charge nurse and neonatal nurse practitioner culminating in her current position with Caring Essentials Collaborative. With a clinical background that spans over 30 years, Ms. Coughlin is the internationally recognized expert in the field of trauma-informed, age-appropriate care in the NICU. A leader in the field of neonatal nursing and international key-note speaker Ms. Coughlin is a published author of multiple publications including Clinical Practice Guidelines for Age-Appropriate Care of the Premature and Critically Ill Hospitalized Infant for the National Association for Neonatal Nursing (NANN), Transformative Nursing in the NICU: Trauma-Informed, Age-Appropriate Care and her latest book entitled: Trauma-informed Care in the NICU: Evidence-Based Practice Guidelines for Transdisciplinary Neonatal Clinicians. Ms. Coughlin lives in Boston Massachusetts with her husband Dan and their dog George.

ANN DAVIS, M.Ed. RRT-NPS

Ann is a licensed respiratory care practitioner and neonatal pediatric specialist who has cared for neonatal patients for over 34 years. She has worked in a 60 bed, single family room, level 3 NICU as a staff therapist and trainer, as an infant monitoring specialist, and as an educator for the interdisciplinary NICU team. In her role as an infant monitoring specialist, Ann was a co-author for a white paper detailing the use of documented event monitoring for pre-discharge screening. Her committee work included providing education for the small baby team initiative and she worked with Creative Therapy Consultant President Kara Ann Waitzman and other NICU professionals to develop the best practice for skin-to-skin transfer of the intubated infant. Ann also developed a comprehensive neonatal stabilization training and continuing competency program for birthing center respiratory therapists within the hospital network. As adjunct faculty at a local community college, Ann developed and facilitates an online short term certificate program focusing on respiratory care of the newborn. She also provides classroom and simulation laboratory instruction to future respiratory therapists focusing on physiology, disease processes, and best practices unique to the neonatal and pediatric patient.

RACHEL HARRIS, OTD, OTR/L, CNT, NTMTC

Rachel received her clinical doctorate in Occupational Therapy from Washington University School of Medicine. During her time at Washington University, she was actively involved in research related to maternal mental health and neonatal feeding outcomes. Rachel worked in a level IV NICU at Medical City Dallas Children’s Hospital for five years, where she also saw infants through home health with torticollis, plagiocephaly, and developmental delays. Rachel currently works in a Level III NICU in Chicago, is on the Creative Therapy Consultants’ team, is an NTMC presenter, and is passionate about improving outcomes for neonates and their families.

AUNE HJARTARSON NUNN, OT Reg. (Ont), CNT, NTMTC

Aune is an Occupational Therapist in the NICU at McMaster Children’s Hospital in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. She received her undergraduate degree and Occupational Therapy Degree from McMaster University. She is part of McMaster NICU’s small baby team and the VON collaborative. Aune is a certified neonatal therapist, and has been privileged to call the NICU home for over 20 years. Aune is a sought after international speaker, educator, and consultant. She lectures in the McMaster University Masters OT Programme, has published in the area of clinical and video fluoroscopic assessment of aspiration in high risk infants. She was awarded the OT Practice Excellence Award at Hamilton Health Sciences. Aune is a dedicated life-long learner, and passionate about education to empower clinicians, teams, and families in the NICU.

ELIZABETH JEANSON, PT, DPT, CNT, NTMTC

Dr. Elizabeth Jeanson currently serves as the Developmental Specialist in Neonatal Intensive Care at Sanford/USD Medical Center. Dr Jeanson was NIDCAP trained, Infant Behavioral Assessment and Neonatal Network Neurobehavioral Scale certified. She is also a certified infant massage instructor and a certified child passenger safety technician (car seat). Recently Dr Jeanson completed her Neonatal Touch and Massage Therapy certification. She is a certified neonatal therapist. In her current position Dr. Jeanson is responsible for direct and indirect implementation of developmental family centered care in a large level 3 neonatal intensive care unit. Dr. Jeanson is now a Clinical Consultant for Dande LION Medical. She has spoken on topics including sensory development of preterm infants, positioning of infants in NICU, non-pharmacologic pain management for preterm infants, supporting the development of post term infants in the NICU, as well as team building and strategic planning for multidisciplinary teams. She published, One to One Bedside Nurse Education as a Means to Improve Positioning Consistency in 2013. Dr Jeanson’s passion is improving the outcomes of premature infants through cautious/thoughtful intervention, family support and staff education.

GINNY (Virginia) McGILL, PT, DPT, CNT, NTMTC

Ginny McGill graduated from Creighton University with a Doctorate in Physical Therapy in 2001. She has practiced in the NICU for 22 years, at Phoenix Children’s Hospital and Providence Alaska Children’s Hospital. She has received certifications in Neonatal Therapy, Neonatal Touch and Massage as well as wound care and lymphedema. Ginny teaches locally and nationally. You may have seen her speak through her work with the Vermont Oxford Network (VON), Engage Grow Thrive or Creative Therapy Consultants. She enjoys sharing knowledge and is grateful to her mentors, John Chappel, Mary Massery, Kara Ann Waitzman and the many babies, families and therapists she has worked with throughout her career. Ginny lives in Anchorage, Alaska with her family and dog, Finn, and enjoys exploring the outdoors, especially any water sport she can find.

BRIDGETTE RILLO, MBA, MSN, RNC-NIC, C-ELBW, NTMNC

Bridgette has been a nurse for over 18 years at a large level III-b NICU. She started her career in an emergency room and quickly learned her passion extended beyond emergency care. Bridgette transitioned to her role as a NICU nurse in 2005. She was a NICU educator for six years and continues to help other NICU nurses grow in their knowledge and experience. Bridgette has served on the unit’s Vermont Oxford Network Committee, Shared Governance Council and other NICU committees during her career. She received her Neonatal Intensive Care Nursing certification in 2015 and her Care of the Extremely Low Birth Weight Neonate certification in 2020. She received her Master of Science in Nursing Administration and a Master of Business Administration in December 2023. Bridgette’s goal is to continue her passion for improving the lives of infants and families in and beyond the NICU by sharing her knowledge, expertise, and experience with the future generation of nursing.

HOLLY SCHIFSKY, OTR/L, CNT, NTMTC, CBIS

Holly is an Occupational Therapist who has worked in pediatrics for the past 24 years with the past 16 years in a level IV NICU. She is a Certified Neonatal Therapist, Certified Neonatal Touch and Massage Therapist, Certified Brain Injury therapist, an active member of National Association of Neonatal Therapists, and has completed 6-month mentorship in infant/child NDT. She has worked within the NICU and NICU follow-up clinic to maximize patient and family outcomes for the most complex premature and medically- fragile term infants. Holly received her Bachelor of Science degree in Occupational therapy from the University of North Dakota in 1997. She has dedicated her career to clinical care and advancing developmental care practice patterns for all multidisciplinary team members. She is a faculty member for the Neonatal Touch and Massage certification and for Education Resources Incorporate. She provides educational courses to NICU clinicians across the world and has presented at many regional and national conferences. She provides Developmental Care, Feeding Intervention, and NICU education throughout the country. She is the recipient of the National Association of Neonatal Therapists Clinical Excellence award in 2018, due to her clinical expertise and dedication to advancing the therapeutic interventions for NICU infants with cardiopulmonary conditions.

KEIRA SORRELLS, BSFCS

Keira Sorrells is the mother of triplets born at 25 weeks, 5 days gestation. Ms. Sorrells spent nine and a half months in the NICU with her girls and experienced every parent’s greatest fear when one of her daughters died at 14 months old. In 2008, these traumas led Ms. Sorrells to launch the Zoe Rose Memorial Foundation, a non-profit that supports NICU families. She soon became aware that the voice of the NICU parent was underrepresented in Maternal and Infant Health community. In response, Ms. Sorrells helped launch and now serves as President of the Preemie Parent Alliance (PPA). PPA a network of over 30 NICU parent support organizations that is dedicated to representing the needs and best interests of NICU families in all facets of healthcare policy, care guidelines, advocacy, education, and family support. Ms. Sorrells strongly believes that no single organization or provider can serve all the needs of all NICU families, only through collaboration can the true voice of the NICU parent be represented appropriately.

ERIN SPRINGER, MOTR/L, CNT, NTMTC

Erin has practiced as a pediatric and neonatal occupational therapist for 22 years. She received her Master of Science from University of Puget Sound and currently works at Swedish Medical Center in Seattle. She works in the Main Campus level 4 NICU as well as the off-site level 2 nurseries. She is a Certified Neonatal Therapist, certified lactation educator, and a certified Neonatal Touch & Massage therapist. Erin has presented nationally and locally on developmental care and support for infants in the NICU. She has completed training for Small Baby Care Specialist and also participates in the Vermont Oxford Network Quality Improvement initiatives focused on enhancing the care of micro-preemies. Erin also has experience in NICU follow-up for developmental and feeding support. She is passionate about working with these little babies and their families

MICHELLE ULRICH, OTR/L, CNT, NTMTC

Michelle graduated from Indiana University with a BS in Occupational Therapy in 1992. She began her OT career in Acute Rehab with a focus on traumatic brain injury. Michelle currently works at Norton Children’s Hospital in Louisville, Kentucky. Initially Michelle treated patients all over the hospital, from 0-18 years of age. For the past 24 years, Michelle has worked specifically in the Level IV NICU. She received her designation as a Neonatal Developmental Care Specialist from NANN in 2013 and became a Certified Neonatal Therapist in 2017. She was certified in Neonatal Touch and Massage in 2019.

KARA ANN WAITZMAN, OTR/L, CNT, NTMTC

Kara Ann has been a neonatal therapist for 36 years in a level III NICU and serves as the nursery’s developmental specialist. Kara Ann is president of Creative Therapy Consultants, Founder of the Neonatal Touch & Massage Certification (NTMC®) and Original Co-Founder of Infant-Driven Feeding® and original co-developer of the Infant-Driven Feeding Scales©. She is certified in NTMC, is Pediatric Neurodevelopmental Therapy (NDT) trained and reliable in NIDCAP. She has served on the Association of Women’s Health, Obstetrics, and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN) Continuum of Care Advisory Board and Power of Touch Committee, the National Association of Neonatal Therapists (NANT) Professional Collaborative, the Pampers Womb to World Advisory Board, and the March of Dimes Program Services Board. Kara Ann has been a nationally sought after speaker, educator, and consultant for almost three decades and has published articles on Neuroprotection, positioning and feeding, and has written a chapter on Neuromotor Development and Massage. She developed videos on Massage, Skin-to-Skin, and Swaddled Bathing. Kara Ann has received professional awards including the Ohio Occupational Therapy Pediatric Model Practice Award, the March of Dimes Healthcare Worker of the Year Award, the MVH Excellence in Service Award and the Inaugural Pioneer in Neonatal Therapy Award from the National Association of Neonatal Therapists.