News

Registration Opens for 2025 Pediatric Audiology Translational Research Conference

Friday, December 6, 2024

Boys Town National Research Hospital is delighted to announce that registration for the 2025 Pediatric Audiology Translational (PAT) Research Conference is now open. The PAT Conference will showcase evidence supporting best practices and strategies for audiology care across all pediatric ages and abilities, continuing the legacy of Pat Stelmachowicz, Ph.D., by bridging groundbreaking research wi...

Boys Town Hosts World Cerebral Palsy Day Event

Friday, November 8, 2024

​​The Boys Town National Research Hospital Institute for Human Neuroscience and Center for Human Performance Optimization hosted a rodeo-themed World Cerebral Palsy Day event on Oct. 6. Nearly 200 people gathered to celebrate and raise awareness for cerebral palsy.“What we're trying to do is bring together the community and families that have children and adults who have cerebral palsy… just to ce...

Krystal Werfel, Ph.D., Selected for ASHA Fellowship

Monday, October 14, 2024

​Krystal Werfel, Ph.D., research scientist and director of the Research Participants Services Core at Boys Town National Research Hospital, has been awarded the Fellowship of the Association by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA).The Fellowship is o​ne of the highest honors awarded by ASHA. It recognizes individuals who have made significant, outstanding contributions to commun...

Heather Porter, Ph.D., and Krystal Werfel, Ph.D., Receive 2024 ASHA Journal Editor’s Awards

Friday, October 4, 2024

​​​​​​Boys Town National Research Hospital researchers Heather Porter, Ph.D., and Krystal Werfel, Ph.D., have been selected as recipients of two 2024 ASHA Journal Editor's Awards, recognizing their outstanding contributions to audiology and speech-language pathology research. The awards are given to authors whose articles, published in 2023, have made a significant impact on their respective field...

Karla McGregor, Director of Boys Town Hospital’s Word Learning Laboratory, Has Been Selected for an ASHA Lifetime Achievement Award

Thursday, September 19, 2024

The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) has chosen Karla McGregor, Ph.D., lead scientist at the Childhood Deafness, Language and Learning Center at Boys Town National Research Hospital and Director of the Word Learning Laboratory, as their next recipient of the Kawana Award for Lifetime Achievement in Publications. Named for the former director of ASHA publications, Alfred K,...

Boys Town New Endowed Chair in Childhood Deafness, Language and Learning to be Held by Lisa Goffman, Ph.D.

Friday, July 19, 2024

Boys Town welcomes Lisa Goffman, Ph.D., CCC-SLP as the new Endowed Chair in the Center on Childhood Deafness, Language and Learning. Her research focuses on how children with developmental language disorder (DLD) acquire language and motor abilities. She is interested in how interactions between language, cognitive, and motor skills may contribute to new and effective assessment and interven...

Boys Town Pediatric Weight Management Hosts Summer Camp

Friday, June 28, 2024

Boys Town Pediatric Weight Management, known as the SPARK clinic, hosted a one-day camp focused on teaching kids healthy habits.“The purpose of the camp was to offer patients in the SPARK program a day of fun summer games, hands-on learning activities, health and nutrition education and a chance to make friends with other kids in our program,” said Carly Rupiper, APRN. “Summer can be a hard ti...

Boys Town Nurses Recognized by Nebraska Nurses Association

Thursday, May 16, 2024

Eight nurses from Boys Town were honored at the Positive Image of Nursing breakfast on Saturday, April 27 at the Scott Conference Center. This annual event, hosted by the Nebraska Nurses Association (NNA), recognizes nurses for their commitment and dedication to their profession. The nurses are nominated by their peers for their excellence in nursing.“Receiving ​this nomination is such an honor," ...

Dottie Heffernan Celebrates 50 Years as a Registered Nurse

Thursday, May 16, 2024

Nurses Week this year is a little more special for Dottie Heffernan, BSN, RN-BC, Director of the Boys Town National Research Hospital Inpatient Psychiatric Unit as she celebrates 50 years as a registered nurse.Dottie received her degree from St. Joseph Hospital School of Nursing in May, 1974 and has been working with children, adolescents and adults in the mental health field since graduating. Her...

Boys Town Vision Program Hosts 16th Annual Beeping Egg Hunt

Tuesday, April 9, 2024

​Children with visual impairments and their families were invited to the Boys Town Hall of History on Saturday, March 23 for the 16th Annual Beeping Egg Hunt. This event, hosted by the Boys Town Vision Program, is a non-traditional egg hunt where children use their ears rather than their eyes to find the eggs.Before the children arrived, large plastic eggs that emit a beeping noise were hidden...

G. Christopher Stecker, Ph.D., Receives Prestigious Fulbright Specialist Award

Wednesday, March 27, 2024

​​Chris Stecker, Boys Town Hospital's senior scientist and director of the Spatial Hearing Lab in the Center for Hearing Research, was recently awarded a Fulbright Specialist Award from the U.S. Department of State and the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board. Stecker will travel to the city of Kosice in the Slovak Republic for three weeks to complete a project at the Institute of Computer Science ...

Boys Town Director of Pharmacy Elected to Two Nebraska Healthcare Leadership Roles

Tuesday, March 19, 2024

​​Director of Pharmacy Andrew Raduechel, PharmD, has recently been elected to leadership roles within two Nebraska healthcare organizations: the Nebraska Pharmacists Association (NPA) and the Immunization Task Force (ITF) – Metro Omaha.Both organizations offer education opportunities and improved care practices for healthcare providers, which trickle down into improved care for patients and their ...

What to Know about the Change Healthcare Cybersecurity Incident

Tuesday, February 27, 2024

​​On Wednesday, February 21, Change Healthcare, one of the largest healthcare technology companies in the United States, announced a cybersecurity incident. Change Healthcare, part of UnitedHealth Group, provides healthcare services to 1 in 3 Americans. Most affected individuals are experiencing delays in their access to prescriptions and/or imaging services.Is Boys Town National Research Hospital...

Boys Town Receives Four Best of Omaha Recognitions

Friday, December 15, 2023

​Boys Town is excited to announce that Boys Town Center for Behavioral Health, Boys Town Pediatrician Kelli Shidler, M.D., Boys Town Pediatric Neurology and Boys Town Ear, Nose and Throat Clinic were voted the Best of Omaha.That's right, the best of Omaha is right here at Boys Town!“Best of Omaha" is an annual recognition program run by Omaha Magazine that dates back to 1992. Individuals cast thei...

Boys Town Raises Awareness for Developmental Language Disorder (DLD)

Friday, October 20, 2023

​​​Today, October 20th, is Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) Awareness Day. DLD Day was originated to bring attention to this neurodevelopmental condition that limits the learning, comprehension and expression of spoken language. Karla McGregor, Ph.D., senior scientist and director at Boys Town's Center for Childhood Deafness Language, and Learning answered a few common questions about ...

Saturday Appointments with 72nd Street Pediatricians Moving to Downtown Clinic

Thursday, October 19, 2023

​​​Starting November 4, Saturday morning appointments with 72nd Street Clinic pediatricians will be scheduled at the Boys Town Pediatrics Downtown Clinic at 555 N​ 30th St.This combined extended-hours clinic will give your family access to more pediatricians while receiving the same great care you are used to. You will have a scheduled appointment with one of our board-certified pediatrici...

Karla McGregor, P.h.D., Awarded 2023 ASHA Honors of the Association

Thursday, September 21, 2023

​​Karla McGregor, Senior Scientist and Director for the Center for Childhood Deafness, Language and Learning at Boys Town has been awarded the 2023 American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Honors of the Association Award. She was 1 of 10 recipients and will receive the award at the ASHA convention in November!  This award recognizes individuals with “distinguished contributions to...

Boys Town Pediatric Specialty Clinic Opens in Lincoln

Friday, September 8, 2023

​​We are pleased to announce the opening of the new location of the Boys Town Pediatric Specialty Clinic in the St. Elizabeth Medical Center in Lincoln, NE. This clinic provides specialized gastroenterology, neurology, neurosurgery and rheumatology care for infants, children and teens.The Boys Town Pediatric Specialty Clinic providers at this clinic are:​Jon Vanderhoof, M.D. and Rose Pauley, APRNP...

Boys Town Pediatric Neuroscience Welcomes Second Pediatric Neurosurgeon

Monday, August 7, 2023

​​​Boys Town Hospital is proud to welcome Mark Puccioni, M.D., as a full-time board-certified pediatric neurosurgeon at Boys Town Pediatric Neurosci​ence. Dr. Puccioni has been working closely with Boys Town as a community partner physician since 2012, serving patients in both pediatric neurosurgery and the Boys Town Craniofacial Clinic.An Omaha native, Dr. Puccioni received his medical degree fro...

Ryan McCreery, P.h.D., Awarded 2023 Educational Audiology Association (EAA) Frederick S. Berg Award

Friday, July 28, 2023

​Ryan McCreery, Vice President of Research at Boys Town National Research Hospital, was recently awarded the 2023 Educational Audiology Association (EAA) Frederick S. Berg Award at the EAA Conference in St. Petersburg, Florida.This prestigious award is given annually in recognition of an audiologist who has made notable contributions at the national level in the field of Educational and/or Pediatr...

Camp Abilities Recreation Day Promotes Inclusivity in Sports for Youth with Visual Impairments

Monday, July 10, 2023

The Boys Town Vision Program hosted nine families on Saturday, June 24 at the Camp Abilities Recreation Day. This fun-filled day focused on bringing families together and promoting inclusive play.Set in the Skip Palrang Memorial Fieldhouse on Boys Town Campus, the camp provided resources for children with vision loss and their families to learn about and play adaptive sports such as beep baseb...

Boys Town Hosts Inaugural Intellectual Property Summit

Wednesday, June 14, 2023

​​On Tuesday, April 25, a group of employees from across Boys Town gathered at the corporate headquarters to participate in a collaborative brainstorming event. The first event of its kind at Boys Town, the 2023 Intellectual Property Summit resulted in shared ideas and expertise, connections across the many functions of our broad-reaching organization and a lot of laughs!“Boys Town has an extensiv...

Boys Town a sponsor of 2023 Nebraska Science Festival (SciFest)

Thursday, June 8, 2023

​​​​​​Boys Town was a proud sponsor of the 2023 Nebraska Science Festival (SciFest). SciFest is a month-long celebration of science with more than 60 events across the state. The goal of SciFest is to make science accessible, interactive, relevant and fun for all ages. As a platinum sponsor, Boys Town hosted seven SciFest events including hands-on activities, informative presentations and tours of...

Dr. Shaguna Mathur Named Honorary Chair at Annual Building the Future Gala

Thursday, June 8, 2023

​​​Shaguna Mathur, M.D., Pediatric Neurologist at Boys Town National Research Hospital, was awarded as the Honorary Chair at the 5th Annual Down Syndrome Alliance of the Midlands Building the Future Gala on Saturday, May 6th.  Boys Town Hospital attendees filled two tables at the gala, cheering on Dr. Mathur as she accepted this well-deserved award amongst peers in the Down syndrome medical com...

Boys Town’s Kaylah Lalonde, Ph.D., Awarded the Early Career Research from the American Auditory Society

Monday, April 24, 2023

​Kaylah Lalonde, Ph.D., Director of the Audiovisual Speech Processing Laboratory, was awarded the Early Career Research Award at the 50th Annual Scientific and Technology Conference of the American Auditory Society (AAS) held in Scottsdale, Arizona, in early March.Dr. Lalonde's primary line of study focuses on audiovisual speech enhancement, the way listeners use visual cues on a speaker's face to...

Boys Town Becomes the First Pediatric Hospital in Nebraska With Level 4 Epilepsy Program

Monday, April 10, 2023

​​For years, Boys Town National Research Hospital has led the region in treating complex epilepsy diagnoses, but in March of 2023, the Boys Town Pediatric Epilepsy Program received an official level 4 accreditation through the National Association of Epilepsy Centers, certifying our comprehensive approach to diagnosis and treatment of pediatric epilepsy patients.“We are so honored and excited ...

Boys Town’s Monita Chatterjee, Ph.D., Receives the American Auditory Society’s Carhart Memorial Award

Friday, April 7, 2023

Boys Town National Research Hospital's Monica Chatterjee, Ph.D., Director of the Auditory Prostheses and Perception Laboratory, delivered the Carhart Memorial Lecture and received the Carhart Memorial Award at the 50th Annual Scientific & Technology Conference in Scottdale, Arizona, in early March.Established by the American Auditory Society (AAS), the Carhart Memorial Lecture and Award were creat...

Boys Town Vision Program Hosts 15th Annual Beeping Egg Hunt

Monday, April 3, 2023

​​The Boys Town Hall of History was filled with the sound of beeping on Saturday, April 1 as children with visual impairments participated in the 15th Annual Beeping Egg Hunt, hosted by the Boys Town Vision Program.This unique, inclusive event allows children who have a hard time finding eggs in a traditional egg hunt (which relies heavily on vision) the chance to find 16 eggs and take home prizes...

Boys Town Services Host Community Cerebral Palsy Awareness Day Celebration

Monday, March 27, 2023

On Sunday, March 26, the Boys Town Institute for Human Neuroscience partnered with the Boys Town Center for Human Performance Optimization, United Cerebral Palsy of Nebraska and Special Olympics of Nebraska, to host the second annual Cerebral Palsy Awareness Day Celebration Carnival.This family-friendly carnival offered inclusive games and activities, such as a wheelchair obstacle course, ther...

Boys Town Pediatrics to Host Virtual Newborn Expo March 2023

Thursday, March 16, 2023

​Boys Town Pediatrics is excited to host another virtual Newborn Expo starting Monday, March 20, through Friday, March 24!This event will be held virtually on Facebook and will feature pediatrician- and provider-led education sessions. Each day will feature content tailored to new and expecting parents, with a live presentation at noon and additional resources shared throughout the day. Education ...

Clinic Operations Coordinator Receives The Caring Kind Award

Friday, February 3, 2023

​​​On October 21, 2022, Marisol Hackman, Clinic Operations Coordinator for Specialty Clinics, was awarded the 2022 Caring Kind Award, presented by the Nebraska Hospitals Association (NHA). Each year, the Caring Kind Award is given to one employee from each NHA-member hospital in recognition of their compassion for patients, cooperation with co-workers and dedication to excellence in their job resp...

Groundbreaking Imaging Suite Opens at Boys Town National Research Hospital

Wednesday, January 18, 2023

​ ​​​​​​​​At Boys Town National Research Hospital, the emphasis has and continues to be providing extraordinary care for children and their families. On December 15th, Boys Town took another large step toward that aim.Tony Wilson, Ph.D., the director of the Institute for Human Neuroscience at Boys Town, and his team of re​nowned scientists became the second of only two facilities in the world to i...

Boys Town Child & Adolescent Psychiatric Inpatient Unit Celebrated Three Years of Changing Lives

Thursday, January 12, 2023

​Since opening its doors in October 2019, the Boys Town Inpatient Psychiatric Unit​ has changed the lives of kids and families around the region. The 16-bed unit serves kids aged 5-17 who are in acute distress with a psychiatric diagnosis; length of stay is typically 5-7 days.“It’s very short-term – our goal is to address the immediate [psychiatric] crisis, stabilize that crisis and get them hooke...

An “Experimental Station” - Youth Care Research at Boys Town

Tuesday, September 13, 2022

This year the Boys Town Child and Family Translational Research Center (TRC) is celebrating 30 years of Youth Care research publications with our 2021 Applied Research Bibliography. The bibliography contains 566 citations and abstracts of published Youth Care research which includes peer-reviewed journal articles, books, and book chapters. This anniversary provided us an opportunity to reflect on ...

Boys Town Research Paper Named Editor’s Choice by The Journal of Pathology

Tuesday, September 6, 2022

​​​​​​​A recent article by Dominic Cosgrove, Ph.D., Senior Director of the Boys Town National Research Hospital® Research Center, and his team was featured in the September issue of The Journal of Pathology and has been selected by the Editor-in-Chief to be his Editor's Choice. The Editor's Choice award is given to the article that the editor feels is the “must read" of the issue. Dr. Cosgrove...

Dr. Carotta to Retire after 23 Years of Service

Tuesday, August 30, 2022

​​Cathy Carotta, speech-language pathologist and educator for 47 years, has dedicated 23 years of service to Boys Town National Research Hospital. During her time at Boys Town, Cathy has worked as a Speech-Language Pathologist, Early Childhood Education Supervisor, and Associate Director/Director of Clinical, Educational, and Outreach Programs for the Center for Childhood Deafness, Language, and L...

Over-the-Counter Hearing Aids on the Way by Fall

Wednesday, August 24, 2022

​A new class of hearing aids that do not require a hearing exam or prescription will be available over-the-counter by mid-October, due to a recent ruling by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The devices are intended for adults with mild to moderate hearing problems. The FDA estimates that nearly 30 million adults in America could potentially benefit from hearing aid use, but only about one-f...

Virginia Meyers Honored as Omaha’s Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation’s 2022 Take Steps Walk Honored Hero

Wednesday, July 27, 2022

Ten-year-old Virginia Meyers is described by her family as being “a ray of sunshine since the day she was born." Despite having to deal with multiple health issues that began with febrile seizures as an infant, and later a diagnosis of indeterminate colitis (IC), Virginia has met every challenge with positivity and a “this-is-never-going-to-keep-me-down" attitude. That is why she has been named th...

Boys Town Center for Behavioral Health’s National Psychology Conference Stresses Serving Others with Humanity

Tuesday, July 12, 2022

​Mental health is an important part of a child's health and well-being. It affects how children handle stress, relate to others and make healthy choices. Children who struggle with mental health issues often feel alone and their parents generally lack the tools to effectively manage the behaviors. Boys Town stresses that mental health problems do not define a person, and no one should ever feel th...

Change Lives and Earn Money

Tuesday, June 14, 2022

​​​​You can earn money, help advance science and change lives by participating in research studies this summer at Boys Town! Boys Town is looking for participants from all age groups to join our life-changing research studies. Participants may earn $15 per hour or more for their time. Studies are non-invasive and fun – and can help change the lives of children with hearing, communication, developm...

Boys Town EIPA Forms New Partnership, Improving Opportunity in Educational Interpreter Community

Tuesday, March 15, 2022

​​​​​​​​​​The Educational Interpreter Performance Assessment (EIPA) Center at Boys Town National Research Hospital and the National Association of Interpreters in Education (NAIE) are joining forces to strengthen educational interpreting across the nation.Both Boys Town Hospital and NAIE believe students who are deaf, hard of hearing or deaf-blind have the right to access educational environments ...

Boys Town National Research Hospital has been Awarded a $12.5 Million COBRE Grant to Study Pediatric Brain Health

Friday, March 4, 2022

Boys Town National Research Hospital will create a new Center for Pediatric Brain Health using funding from a $12.5 million COBRE (Center of Biomedical Research Excellence) grant that was recently awarded from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). This grant is renewable at a similar funding level for up to 15 years. The Center for Pediatric Brain Health will be an important new part of the rec...

Supporting the Next Generation of Neuroscientists at Boys Town’s New Pediatric Center for Brain Health

Thursday, March 3, 2022

​Boys Town National Research Hospital received a $12.5 million COBRE (Center of Biomedical Research Excellence) grant from the National Institute to develop the next generation of neuroscientists…but the outcome this will have on pediatric neurological, mental, and behavioral health is priceless.Meet Our Researchers Gaelle Doucet, Ph.D.Brain Architecture, Imaging and Cognition Laboratory...

Preschoolers Celebrate Super Bowl’s Attention to Inclusive Communication

Monday, February 14, 2022

“We're having a dance party to celebrate the Super Bowl because there's a special connection for us this year," said Kate Kaiser, MA, lead preschool teacher at Boys Town's Center for Childhood Deafness, Language and Learning.  For the first time in history, the Pepsi Super Bowl VI halftime entertainment lineup will feature two Deaf music artists, Warren “Wawa" Snipe and Sean Forbes, who will a...

Ryan McCreery, Ph.D., Voted onto American Auditory Society Board of Directors

Tuesday, February 8, 2022

​​Boys Town National Research Hospital would like to congratulate Ryan McCreery, Ph.D., Boys Town Vice President of Research and the Director of the Audibility, Perception and Cognition Laboratory. Dr. McCreery has been selected as a member of the Board of Directors at the American Auditory Society (AAS) by a vote of his peers.​​​​​​​​ Ryan McCreery, Ph.D.​ “The American Auditory Society...

Types of Child Maltreatment have Different Impacts on how Children Learn Social Behavior

Wednesday, January 19, 2022

​Rewarding good behavior, punishing bad behavior, and redirecting a child to help show him or her how to act or behave across situations are tried and true reinforcement strategies that parents use every day. What Boys Town has known for years is that while these strategies work for most children, not everyone benefits as much as others – especially children who have suffered from abuse or neglect...

Elkhorn Athletic Association and Boys Town Pediatrics Announce Partnership to Increase Inclusivity in Play

Tuesday, January 18, 2022

​Boys Town Pediatrics and the Elkhorn Athletic Association (EAA) have announced a special, multi-year partnership agreement that will ensure metro-area children who have developmental and physical challenges can enjoy greater access to sports and play opportunities.The agreement makes Boys Town Pediatrics the exclusive pediatric partner of the MD West ONE Sports Complex and includes naming rights ...

New Center for Human Performance Optimization Is Awarded a Grant in Its First Month of Operation

Tuesday, December 21, 2021

​The Foundation for Physical Therapy Research announced the presentation of their 2021 Foundation for Physical Therapy Research Award to Brad Corr, PT, DPT, Associate Director of Physical Rehabilitation at the Center for Human Performance Optimization, for his clinical trial “Powering Through Transition: Therapeutic Power Training for Adolescents and Adults with Cer...

Patterns or Phonics? Unraveling Dyslexia and Statistical Learning

Thursday, December 2, 2021

​Sometimes looking at a learning issue from a new angle will generate innovative ways of helping those who deal with the problem.This may be the case with a new research paper published by Christopher Conway, Ph.D., Director of the Brain, Learning and Language Laboratory at Boys Town National Research Hospital and Sonia Singh, Ph.D., of The University of Texas at Dallas, which looks at an ...

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