Abstract Details
9/08/2025 | 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM | Breakout 1 | Thomas H. Swain
cCMV and professional identity formation: reflections from medical students
Abstract Summary
Research shows that healthcare providers have low awareness and health risk knowledge of congenital cytomegalovirus (cCMV). One cause is that cCMV is insufficiently covered in the medical curriculum, even though it is a leading public health concern. Professional Identity Formation (PIF) among students is a critical aspect of the medical curriculum; it significantly impacts students’ future careers as patient care providers and patient advocates. This presentation features the reflections of five pre-clinical medical students on their involvement in co-facilitating the Stop CMV AZ symposium. The symposium provided a platform to engage with interdisciplinary stakeholders, including families, social workers, policy analysts, and health care providers. This presented a novel learning opportunity outside of the typical didactic setting of medical education. Academic medical education is derived from national standards that are filtered through multiple bodies before reaching the student and is oftentimes constructed to meet the expectations of licensing boards. Pre-clinical medical students rarely get the opportunity to learn from non-PhD/non-clinicians, thereby limiting student understanding of the reality of living with disability. This results in patient outcomes being reduced to quality-of-life metrics. This presentation summarizes key learning moments during the symposium and how this event helped students broaden their understanding of advocacy work as it relates to medicine. By partnering with leaders in these different spheres of public health, students began to understand the impact of hearing lived experiences. This had a profound effect on the students in their understanding of the real-world implications due to the lack of cCMV awareness and advocacy from providers. This setting allowed students to broaden their understanding of the impacts of cCMV, what patient education truly means, and the intersection of patient care and public health advocacy.
Learning Objectives
- Examine the presentation of disability in medical education and the role this plays in curriculum management
- Summarize takeaways from medical student reflections in the realm of CMV advocacy
- Contrast the schema of didactic learning in medical education curriculum with the knowledge gained through interdisciplinary small group discussions.
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Presenters
Kinza Naeem | Co-Presenter, Co-Author
kinza.naeem@midwestern.edu;
Kinza Naaem is a third year medical student in the Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine, Midwestern University-Glendale AZ
ASHA DISCLOSURE
Financial -
Nonfinancial -
AAA DISCLOSURE
Financial - No relevant financial relationship exists.
Shivam Nipanikar | Co-Presenter, Co-Author
shivam.nipanikar@midwestern.edu;
Shivam Nipanikar is a third year medical student at the Arizona College of Ostepathic Medicine, Midwestern University.
ASHA DISCLOSURE
Financial -
Nonfinancial -
AAA DISCLOSURE
Financial - No relevant financial relationship exists.
Jonathan Lo | Co-Presenter, Co-Author
jonathan.lo1@midwestern.edu;
Jonathan Lo is a third year medical student at the Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine, Midwestern University
ASHA DISCLOSURE
Financial -
Nonfinancial -
AAA DISCLOSURE
Financial - No relevant financial relationship exists.
Ellen Peng | Co-Presenter, Co-Author
ellen.peng@midwestern.edu;
Ellen Peng is a second-year medical student at Midwestern University's Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine. She received her BA in Philosophy-Neuroscience-Psychology at Washington University in St. Louis in 2020. After attending one of Dr. Kathleen Muldoon's lectures, Ellen wanted to further her understanding of and involvement in advocacy. She became involved in CMV advocacy through Dr. Muldoon's research, and she attended the Stop CMV AZ Symposium in June 2024. Since then, Ellen has expanded her advocacy efforts into the field of dermatology, serving as the Topic Team Lead and Social Media Co-Chair for the Arizona Dermatology Trainee Advocacy Day organization. In her free time, she enjoys hiking with her partner, Kevin, trying new restaurants, and cuddling with her dog, Zakk.
ASHA DISCLOSURE
Financial -
Nonfinancial -
AAA DISCLOSURE
Financial - No relevant financial relationship exists.
Serene Puri | Co-Presenter, Co-Author
serene.puri@midwestern.edu;
Serene Puri is a third year medical student in the Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine at Midwestern University.
ASHA DISCLOSURE
Financial -
Nonfinancial -
AAA DISCLOSURE
Financial - No relevant financial relationship exists.
Kathleen Muldoon | Primary Presenter
kmuldo@midwestern.edu;
Kathleen M. Muldoon is Professor at Midwestern University, where she teaches Humanity in Medicine, Medical Improv, and Narrative Medicine. She is an award-winning educator and was named 2023 Educator of the Year by the American Osteopathic Association. Through her experiences with disability, she became interested in communication science and public health. Dr. Muldoon has delivered over 200 seminars worldwide. She has served on numerous academic and state committees related to diversity advocacy and disability services and chaired the Scientific Advisory Committee at the National CMV Foundation. She co-founded Stop CMV AZ/Alto CMV AZ and is a board member for Care 4 the Caregivers. Her work has been featured on National Public Radio, USA Today and several podcasts. Dr. Muldoon is also a certified coach dedicated to empowering authenticity in healthcare. She is the proud mother of three children: her middle child, Gideon, has multiple disabilities due to congenital CMV.
ASHA DISCLOSURE
Financial - No relevant financial relationship exists.
Nonfinancial - No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.
AAA DISCLOSURE
Financial - No relevant financial relationship exists.