Contributors

Julie Balch Samora, MD, PhD, received her orthopaedic training at The Ohio State University and completed a fellowship in hand and upper extremity surgery at Harvard. She earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts at Carnegie Mellon University, a masters of music at Yale University, and an MD/PhD at West Virginia University, where she concomitantly earned masters degrees in public health as well as public administration.

Dr. Samora specializes in pediatric hand surgery at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, where she is Associate Medical Director of Quality, Director of Orthopaedic Quality Improvement, Director of Hand and Upper Extremity Research, and Director of the Clinical Quality Improvement Fellowship. Dr. Samora is on the board of directors of the Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America and is the current president of Ruth Jackson Orthopaedic Society and is committed to improving diversity in the field of orthopaedics. She is the Deputy Editor of AAOS Now and has published dozens of peer-reviewed manuscripts and text book chapters. Dr. Samora has a passion to provide safe, efficient, culturally-sensitive, and excellent patient care, focusing on best practices and quality improvement initiatives.

Stephanie Santoro has been a pediatrician and clinical geneticist at Nationwide Children's Hospital since 2014.

Dr. Saps is an internationally recognized expert in pediatric motility disorders. Prior to joining Nationwide Children’s, he led the gastrointestinal motility and functional bowel disorders program at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital in Chicago.

Sarah Saxbe, MS, MSW, LISW-S, coordinates community outreach and marketing for Nationwide Children's Hospital Teen and Pregnant Program, BC4Teens birth control clinic, and the Ohio Better Birth Outcomes collaborative.

Crystal D. Seilhamer, FNP, is a family nurse practitioner in the Department of Orthopedics at Nationwide Children's Hospital.

Emre Sezgin, PhD, is a digital health scientist (IT project scientist) at Nationwide Children’s Hospital.

Vanessa Shanks, MD, is a neonatologist who is originally from Baltimore, Maryland where she completed medical school at University of Maryland. She completed a combined residency in Internal Medicine and Pediatrics here in Columbus before moving back to the east coast for Neonatology fellowship at Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University. She is currently a certified lactation counselor and neonatologist at Nationwide Children’s Hospital and Wexner Medical Center at The Ohio State University, as well as the Medical Director for Lactation Services at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. Her special interest is in providing parental support throughout all phases of lactation.

Emily Siebenmorgen is a Science Communication Specialist at Nationwide Children's Hospital with a passion for making research findings accessible. From her time writing at Battelle and AWRI's Center for Injury Research and Policy, she has experience distilling complex topics into simple takeaways for both professional and consumer audiences. Emily earned her BS in Psychology and BA in Strategic Communication from The Ohio State University.