Presenters

Gail Demmler-Harrison | Primary Presenter

gdemmler@bcm.edu;
Dr. Gail Demmler-Harrison is Professor of Pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine, Attending Physician Infectious Diseases Service and CMV Clinic Lead at Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, Texas. Her research, clinical experience, and expertise has focused for over 40 years on the epidemiology, diagnosis, treatment, prevention and long term outcomes of cytomegalovirus (CMV) infections in pregnant persons and their newborns. Her research has defined congenital CMV as a lifelong condition and helped change the standard of care for these children, including monitoring for sensorineural hearing loss progression and later onset hearing loss in children affected by congenital CMV. She has been instrumental in advocating for the passage of CMV education and CMV newborn screening laws, and CMV awareness. She is the author or co-author of hundreds of scientific and educational publications, book chapters, on line videos, and has presented hundreds of invited lectures and original science presentations.

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Mark R. Schleiss | Co-Presenter

schleiss@umn.edu ;
Dr. Schleiss is a Professor of Pediatrics and holds the American Legion and Auxiliary Endowed Research Chair at the University of Minnesota Medical School. His laboratory is supported by the NIH. He conducts research in small animal models testing vaccine strategies against congenital CMV infection. His laboratory is also engaged in the study of the epidemiology, pathogenesis and management of congenital and neonatal CMV infections.

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Abby Stahowiak | Co-Presenter

abbystahowiak@gmail.com;
Abby Stahowiak is a loving Mother to two young boys. Her journey as a parent has been both excruciatingly beautiful and painful. Her youngest son was born with congenital Cytomegalovirus, cCMV, which has resulted in significant challenges for her child. Abby’s background as a healthcare professional and as a special needs parent has given her a unique perspective as a cCMV advocate. Abby has worked for over 10 years as a hospital pharmacist in the Twin Cities and now works part time to be able to meet the exceptional demands of raising a disabled child. Abby has found that advocacy work has provided her a sense of meaning to her family's suffering. She has been interviewed for articles, spoke at news and professional conferences, testified at committee meetings at the State Capitol, and helped to plan several CMV education and family events. This was all done in an effort to educate and to pass CMV legislation in the state of Minnesota. Connecting families through the creation of the Minnesota CMV Families group has brought together hundreds of cCMV families and aligns with one of Abby’s deepest beliefs, that we are stronger together and that no cCMV family should feel isolated or alone.

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Zak Hagstrom | Co-Presenter

zak.1@live.com;

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Sarah Gorzek | Co-Presenter

sarahgorzek@gmail.com;

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Ashley Shearen | Co-Presenter

ashleyshearen17@yahoo.com;
Oliver Wass was born on March 7, 2023, and lives in Bigfork, MN with his dad and I. At one month old, Oliver was diagnosed with congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV), a condition we had never heard of before. Like any new parents, we were eager to do everything right for our son — so when we received this unexpected news, we were overwhelmed with fear and uncertainty. After collecting a urine sample to confirm the diagnosis, we were quickly swept into a whirlwind of appointments and internet searches that painted a terrifying picture of what CMV could mean. We traveled to Duluth for a head ultrasound, where we were told there may be abnormalities. That led us to the Cities, where Oliver underwent a repeat ultrasound, an eye exam, and a hearing test. Thankfully, Dr. Mark Slice reassured us that everything looked great — and after a review of his case, he informed Oliver’s primary doctor that antiviral treatment was not needed. Oliver is considered asymptomatic and continues to thrive. His hearing is perfect, his vision is healthy, and he has been meeting — and even surpassing — his developmental milestones. Today, we travel to the cities every six months for routine monitoring for his hearing, but there have been no concerns. He loves music, books, dancing, and snacks — and his joyful personality lights up our home. Looking back, we feel strongly that this diagnosis caused unnecessary worry and fear during a time that should have been filled with happiness. The process of being made aware of a condition that has not affected him has, in many ways, disrupted the experience of being first-time parents. While we’re thankful for the care and monitoring he’s received, we also recognize that sometimes too much information — especially without context or symptoms — can create more harm than good. Oliver’s journey is one of joy, strength, and a reminder that while medical advancements can offer insight, they also come with the responsibility of compassion, balance, and perspective.

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Brooke Harrison | Co-Presenter

bcamps2694@gmail.com;
This short biography is really is about my son, Alder Harrison, but being at a ripe age of 7 months old, it is written by his mother, Brooke Harrison. Alder was born 12/16/24 in Duluth, MN and was welcomed by his mom, dad (Matt), and older brother (Arlo 2yr old). After a very uncomplicated pregnancy and birth, Alder passed all of his health checks in the hospital, other than referring his hearing in his right ear. We were referred to an audiologist to get another hearing test within the month and then sent home from the hospital on our merrily way. At Alders first well child appointment in the clinic (Duluth), we were told Alder tested positive for CMV from his newborn screening but “it was nothing to worry about and was likely a mistake”. We then collected a urine sample to be sent in to verify. Once those results came back positive, our family medicine doctor reached out to Children’s of Minnesota for guidance and were then referred to see the audiologist sooner (our original audiology appt was rescheduled two months out because it wasn’t deemed a priority), ophthalmology, brain ultrasound, and set up to been seen by an infectious disease specialist. The next month or so was a blur. Alder originally was diagnosed with moderate to moderately severe hearing loss in Duluth, but a month later was diagnosed with profound in the Twin Cities. He was fitted for a hearing aid around 3-4 months old, and was approved for a unilateral cochlear implant at 5 months old, which he is scheduled for surgery in August (7 months old) at Children’s of Minnesota. Alders brain ultrasound showed a few cysts, and has had had two MRI’s since. The first was to approve the cochlear implant- which showed mild ventricular swelling and smaller cysts. Because of the mild to borderline swelling, he received another MRI to check for changes. The latest MRI still shows borderline swelling (with no changes and/ or concerns), but also showed that one of the cysts is no longer apparent and the other one is much smaller in size. Alders infectious disease doctor at Children’s suggested placing him on an antiviral drug for 6 months. He will be finishing his course at the end of July. We are very optimistic about Alder’s outcome – and give special gratitude for all the of the support we have received surrounding cCMV and childhood hearing loss. We currently receive weekly services with a birth to 3 special ed teacher, a deaf/HOH teacher, and have access to an educational audiologist all through our school district/ local co-op. We have had resources reach out from MN Hands and Voices and will be benefiting from the Deaf Mentor Program in the future. We are also grateful to newborn screening because in Alder’s case, he currently has typical hearing in his left ear, so his hearing loss would likely have gone undetected without the newborn screening. I am excited to see what the cCMV conference has to offer, and am looking forward to learning more!

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Tami Hoffman | Co-Presenter

tamihoffman11@gmail.com;
My name is Tami Hoffman and I am the mother of three wonderful children. My family lives in a small town in Iowa where I am a professional photographer. My youngest child who is now 7 years old was impacted by congenital CMV. It was nearly a year after his birth that we learned he was profoundly deaf and later learned it was due to cCMV. Today I serve on the Iowa Hands and Voices Board, Special Education Advisory Panel, and a parent mentor for Early Hearing Detection Intervention. I strive to help other parents going through a similar journey to know they are not alone.