EARLY HEARING DETECTION AND INTERVENTION VIRTUAL CONFERENCE
MARCH 2-5, 2021

(Virtually the same conference, without elevators, airplane tickets, or hotel room keys)

THE ANTONIA BRANCIA MAXON AWARD FOR EHDI EXCELLENCE

The 2021 Antonia Brancia Maxon Award for EHDI Excellence was presented at the 2021 National EHDI Virtual Conference. 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 Conference 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 2021 Antonia Brancia Maxon Award for EHDI Excellence was made on Monday March 1, 2021 at the National EHDI Conference in Cincinnati, OH. More about the National EHDI Conference, including past nominees and recipients can be found below.

Information for the 2022 nominations will be accepted late fall 2021.


Congratulations to Julie Strickland, winner of the 2021 Antonio Brancia Maxon Award for EHDI Excellence!

Previous Awards




EHDI Family Leadership Award

Congratulations to Mariana Barquet, winners of the 2020 EHDI Family Leadership Award!

2017 was the inaugural year for the EHDI Family Leadership Award. During the last several decades it has become increasingly clear that EHDI only exists to improve the well-being of babies and families. Symbiotically, engaged families are central to the success of EHDI programs and more specifically to the success of children who are deaf or hard of hearing.

This award honors a parent or family member of a child who is deaf or hard of hearing for providing exemplary leadership in their state EHDI system and whose leadership has led to improved outcomes. The recipient was selected by NCHAM's Family Advisory Committee.

Previous Awards


2021 Website of the Year

Congratulations to Louisiana EHDI program for winning the 2021 Website of the Year Award!

2021 Poster Awards

Congratulations to the following 2021 Poster Award winners!

Best Overall Poster Presentations:
Stuck at beginner level: Hearing parents' challenges in learning ASL word order
By: Deborah Chen Pichler, Diane Lillo-Martin, and Elaine Gale

Increased Paternal Linguistic Input to Children with Hearing Aids during the COVID-19 Pandemic
By: Molly Cooke, Carrie Davenport, Derek Houston, and Yuanyuan Wang

Best Overall Student Poster Presentations:
How Screen Time Affects Children's Language and Communication Development
By: Morganne Blechle and Kateri Vaughn

Hearing Loss in Children with Respiratory Distress Syndrome
By: Sophie Norgaard