What happens when tonsil and adenoid surgery isn’t enough for kids with obstructive sleep apnea? In this episode, Dr. Michael McCormick sits down with Dr. Taher Valika and Dr. Saied Ghadersohi from Lurie Children’s Pediatric Otolaryngology team to unpack the latest innovations in pediatric sleep surgery. From why sleep apnea matters, to what to do when T&A falls short, to how to utilize sleep endoscopy to provide site-specific airway surgery, including groundbreaking advances in tongue base suspension—the conversation highlights how far the field has come. You’ll also hear about multidisciplinary approaches to pediatric sleep surgery that are helping to reshape outcomes for kids and families.

If you care for children with obstructive sleep apnea—or just want to know what’s next in this field—this episode is packed with insights, real-world experience, and a hopeful look toward the future.
@SENTAC @lurieotolaryngology @chicagoairwaydoc

Dr. Joseph Kerschner is a Pediatric Otolaryngologist at Children's Wisconsin and is now Dean Emeritus at the Medical College of Wisconsin where he served as Dean of the School of Medicine for 14 years. He has also led an NIH-funded lab studying otitis media for over 24 years.

In this unique conversation, Dr. Kerschner reflects on his career and achievements and also that memorable SENTAC meeting in Milwaukee 🥶. He emphasizes how engagement with other disciplines through SENTAC helped shape his research goals and how important it is to talk with the other specialties at your own institution to drive your clinical care and research efforts.

They also discuss the exciting partnership between SENTAC and the International Journal of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology (IJPORL) on a special edition highlighting the best presentations at the 2024 conference in Denver.

The episode also explores some of the current challenges to healthcare and healthcare research, and dives into Dr. Kerschner's passion for health equity and medical sustainability and the environment, and gives examples of how to advocate for your clinical interests and help translate them into policy.

Finally, Dr. Kerschner gives some insight into what he is most excited about for the future of pediatric ENT and what advice he would want young ENTs entering residency to know today.

(QUICK NOTE: This podcast was recorded in early February, prior to the Philadelphia Eagles Super Bowl victory 🦅.)

Dr. Kerschner can be reached with questions via LinkedIn or by email: Kerschnerjoseph100@gmail.com.

Please reach out to the SENTAC Communications Committee if you have interest in sharing your work on the podcast.
Michael McCormick: mmccormick@mcw.edu (episode host)
Madison Howe: mhowe@uams.edu

Dr. Eric Riklin is a pediatric psychologist specializing in care for children with craniofacial conditions. In this interview, he discusses his journey into psychology and his passion for working with children with cleft and other craniofacial disorders. Dr. Riklin reviews the benefits of psychological support within a multidisciplinary cleft team, common challenges such as funding, institutional support, and access to trained specialists, and strategies to overcome these barriers. Lastly, he tells us about a unique online support community that he helped develop - EMBRACE-IT - where kids of all ages with craniofacial conditions can connect via telehealth.

Dr. Riklin can be reached via the below links or by emailing him directly at rikli005@umn.edu.
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/eric-riklin-phd-lp-8927702a
University of Minnesota Cleft/Craniofacial Team: https://linktr.ee/umncleftcraniofacial
Hennepin Healthcare: https://www.hennepinhealthcare.org/provider/eric-riklin-phd-lp/

Online support groups through MyFace: https://www.myface.org/online-groups/

Other resources from this episode:
NCTSN: https://www.nctsn.org/resources
Psychology Today: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us
211 United Way (24/7 hotline for local psychosocial supports and resources): https://211unitedway.org/

Please reach out to the SENTAC Communications Committee if you have interest in sharing your work on the podcast.
Michael McCormick: mmccormick@mcw.edu
Madison Howe: mhowe@uams.edu