University of Iowa News Release

April 26, 2006

Former Miss America Speaks At Seminar On Child Hearing Loss Treatments April 27

The first Miss America with hearing loss will be one of the featured speakers at a special seminar on early interventions for children affected by hearing loss, hosted by the Center for Disabilities and Development at University of Iowa Children's Hospital in Iowa City from 8 a.m. to 4:40 p.m. Friday, April 27.

Heather Whitestone McCallum, Miss America 1995, will discuss currently available treatments that were not options when she was diagnosed with hearing loss.

The program will highlight the importance of early intervention for the more than 12,000 young children in the United States diagnosed with hearing loss annually. Therapies such as cochlear implants, Baha or hearing aids can help children with hearing loss develop age-appropriate language skills.

Specialists with the Neuroscience Program at UI Hospitals and Clinics are longstanding national leaders in treating deafness with cochlear implant technology and searching for the genetic causes of congenital deafness.

The presentation is open to health care professionals, parents and students. To register or for more information, go online to http://www.regonline.com/120729 or call Susan Petrie toll free at 800-523-5798, extension 104.

UI Children's Hospital serves children and their families at its main campus in Iowa City and satellite clinics in communities throughout Iowa. A 165-bed "hospital within a hospital," UI Children's Hospital benefits from the sophisticated services and comprehensive resources of UI Hospitals and Clinics. Child magazine ranks UI Children's Hospital among the top 20 children's hospitals in the nation.

STORY SOURCE: Joint Office for Marketing and Communications, University of Iowa Health Care, 200 Hawkins Drive, Room E110 GH, Iowa City, Iowa 52242-1009

MEDIA CONTACT: Tom Moore, 319-356-3945, thomas-moore@uiowa.edu.