15th ANNUAL EARLY HEARING DETECTION & INTERVENTION MEETING
March 13-15, 2016 • San Diego, CA
THE ANTONIA BRANCIA MAXON AWARD FOR EHDI EXCELLENCE
Angie Mister
We are pleased to nominate Dr. Angie Mister for the Antonia Brancia Maxon Award for EHDI Excellence. Dr. Mister has been the CNMI EHDI Coordinator since 2002. Over the past the 13 years, Dr. Mister's leadership and commitment has been a great factor in the success of the CNMI Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Program (EHDI). Dr. Mister has been very instrumental in the grant writing and the program implementation for the newborn hearing screening. Presently, the CNMI EHDI Program is one of the most successful programs in the nation, screening 98% of all infants born in the CNMI. Her expertise and guidance in the field of audiology has made it possible to ensure infants with hearing loss are identified early and receive early intervention services.
Throughout the years Dr. Mister has demonstrated tireless and passionate advocacy for children with hearing loss. She has devoted her professional life to ensuring that children identified with hearing loss and their families have the information, resources, and support they need.
Aside from advocating for families, she continuously works to ensure career development for professionals who work with the deaf and hard of hearing children. With the limited resources we have in the CNMI, Dr. Mister works diligently to make connections with other State EHDI Programs in order to bring back to the CNMI and apply it to all the children who are deaf or hard of hearing. In her many years with CNMI EHDI Program and with the support of the Maternal & Child Health Bureau (MCHB), she has recruited many trainers to come to the CNMI; Trainers such as Hands & Voices, Hearts for Hearing, and Dr. Marlyn Minkin to name a few. Dr. Mister, herself also joins in the professional development sessions. She is always finding ways to improve her services to the babies and families with new and vital information that she gathers.
Dr. Mister is a strong believer of collaborative work. She is always appreciative of the small steps we take to improve the program. Dr. Mister is currently one of the lead contact for the EHDI Pacific Region, which covers Palau, FSM, Hawaii and Republic of Marshalls. Every month she conducts a Quality Improvement call to these islands. Together with the assistance of the National Center for Hearing Assessment and Management (NCHAM), she assists other Pacific EHDI Programs by reviewing their data and aim statements, and conducting hands-on training. She has always seen the EHDI Pacific Rim as whole and has always envisioned the success of each island.
Dr. Mister's hard work and dedication says it all. In the last year, the CNMI EHDI Program has made strides to significantly reduce our lost to follow-up rate, our nurses' refer rate, and diagnosing babies with hearing loss in less than one month. Dr. Mister has successfully implemented and guided the CNMI EHDI Program together with the nurses into doing quality improvement studies that mirror those results. The CNMI EHDI Program has been very fortunate and successful because of her dedication.