18th ANNUAL EARLY HEARING DETECTION & INTERVENTION MEETING
March 3-5, 2019 • Chicago, IL
THE ANTONIA BRANCIA MAXON AWARD FOR EHDI EXCELLENCE
The 2019 Antonia Brancia Maxon Award for EHDI Excellence will be presented at the 2019 National EHDI Meeting in Chicago, Illinois. This award honors the life and work of Dr. Antonia Brancia Maxon to promote effective Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) programs for all newborns, infants, and young children. Dr. Maxon was a pioneer in EHDI programs, beginning with her leadership in the Rhode Island Hearing Assessment Project in the late 1980's. She was one of the first to recognize the feasibility and value of universal newborn hearing screening and was a tireless advocate for connecting screening programs with timely and appropriate diagnosis and early intervention.
Her extensive contributions to creating excellent EHDI programs were abruptly ended by a tragic automobile accident in May of 2007. In memory of her contributions, an Award for EHDI Excellence is presented each year at the National EHDI Meeting to honor an individual who has made outstanding contributions to achieving excellence in EHDI programs nationally or in a particular state or region.
Presentation of the 2019 Antonia Brancia Maxon Award for EHDI Excellence will be made on Monday March 4, 2019 at the National EHDI Meeting in Chicago, Illinois. More about the National EHDI Meeting, including past nominees and recipients can be found below.
Wendell Todd
The Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) is nominating Dr. Wendell Todd for the 2019 Antonia Brancia Maxon Award for EHDI Excellence to recognize his many years of dedicated service to individuals who are deaf and hard of hearing and for his ongoing contributions to the Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) program. Dr. Todd is one of the founders of the Georgia's EHDI program, having served on the initial advisory board that lead to the passage of the Official Code of Georgia in 1999 that mandated hospital reporting of newborn hearing screening results. The passage of this law allowed DPH to develop and implement a statewide Universal Newborn Hearing Screening and Intervention initiative which has evolved into today's EHDI program.
Dr. Todd has mastered the art of maneuvering between the "bottom up" and "top down" perspectives of health care provision. He addresses the needs of each individual patient by finding solutions to problems they are experiencing, and promotes system changes in health policy and protocols, so other patients will not face those same challenges. Dr. Todd has served exclusively as the EHDI Chapter Champion for the Georgia Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics. Without hesitation, he will jump in his plane and fly to mentor a fellow medical professional regarding the importance of EHDI, or he will offer additional seminars to medical residents and role play how to respond to parent queries about having a child who does not pass a hearing screening. He also serves on the Newborn Screening Advisory Committee and is a member of Georgia's Advisory Committee for Newborn Hearing Screening. Due to his exemplary performance in educating pediatricians and family practitioners in Georgia, other states have also asked for his assistance in promoting physician acceptance and understanding of the EHDI goals.
Although Dr. Todd has received numerous awards and recognition for his ongoing efforts to improve the lives of his patients and to increase the knowledge of professionals, his most appreciated accomplishment is perhaps the mentorship, support, and guidance that he has provided to so many people that he has worked with over the span of his career, including his patients who are deaf or hard of hearing, his medical students and residents, his colleagues and peers, and to the EHDI team at DPH. Dr. Todd is a truly unique individual whose knowledge, skills, compassion, and dedication to improving the quality of life for individuals who are deaf and hard of hearing have made a difference. He moved the needle in Georgia. Thank you, Dr. Todd!