Meet the Experts: 2019 Bloom Panelists

Plans are well underway for our 6th annual Bloom: Moms Morning Out, and as always we are so excited for this event!  This year’s Co-Hosts are University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital and Psychiatric Associates, and we are so grateful for their support in bringing this wonderful event to all of the moms in our community.

We hope you can join us for an amazing morning filled with food, shopping, swag bags for everyone to take home, tons of raffle prizes, and our absolute favorite part: the expert panel.  

We are so, so grateful to these incredible experts from our community who have agreed to come and share their knowledge with us.  For those of you who have never been to the event before, the panelists will each take about 2-3 minutes to introduce themselves and tell you more about what they have to offer to moms and families in our community.  After that, we will open it up for questions from the audience.  This is such a powerful part of the event; we absolutely LOVE watching moms ask all of the questions they’ve wanted to ask, and to have all of the right people there to answer them!

Without further ado, here are the 2019 Bloom Panelists.  Special thanks to each and every one of them for giving their time and joining us this year!

Adam Brown, MD

Adam Brown, MD, is a pediatrician from the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital who specializes in primary care. Dr. Brown received his medical degree from the Uniformed Services University in Maryland and completed his pediatric residency at Madigan Army Medical Center on Fort Lewis, Washington. Prior to moving to Iowa, he spent 14 years caring for military families and helped deal with the unique challenges families face in this setting. Dr. Brown takes pride in working at the University of Iowa because of the amazing team of professionals that make his experiences working with children and families the best part of being a pediatrician. Outside of work, he enjoys spending time with his wife and children, ages 4 and 2.

 

Sonia Culver, M.A., CCC-SLP

Sonia Culver is a Speech-Language Pathologist and owner of Enrichment Therapy and Learning Center, in North Liberty, IA.  Her passion is to work with children who have difficulties communicating with others.  Whether it be articulation, social skills, comprehension or expressive language; she, and the other speech-language pathologists and learning specialists at Enrichment TLC, devote considerable time in acquiring training for research-proven techniques.   Sonia was originally an SLP in the schools and saw a need for additional services.  Like many schools, the resources and qualification criteria were limited, resulting in many students “falling through the cracks.”   This is why Sonia started Enrichment TLC.  They now service children from birth through early adulthood.  They are experienced in working with students who have a variety of diagnosis; everything from a minor articulation delay, to apraxia of speech, reading delays, comprehension, ADD/ADHD, Autism, and language impairments. Sonia and her team see students individually as well as a half-day and full-day academic program for students who struggle in school.  They act as a bridge, to help children who are struggling, form foundational skills that are needed for academic success.

 

Ann Glick, ARNP

Ann is originally from Minneapolis, Minnesota. She moved to Iowa in 2004 to pursue her Masters in Nursing after discovering a passion for caring for others. She spent 5 years as an ICU nurse before switching specialties to psychiatry. She was driven in the direction of mental health care by her desire to help improve the quality of her patients’ lives, not merely focus on living longer. She has seen both children and adults in her private practice at Psychiatric Associates for 4 years.

 

Nick Herbold, Attorney

Nick lives in University Heights with his wife, Katy, and their three boys, ages 3, 7, and 11. Following his graduation from the University of Iowa in 2003, Nick worked for the United States Senate in Washington, DC, and then returned to Iowa City to attend law school. After law school and a clerkship with the federal courts, Nick entered private practice. Nick’s law firm is in Iowa City and handles matters related to estate planning, family law, and business law. He is also a certified mediator. In his free time, he coaches his kids’ activities, bikes, and is active in local politics.

Pam Hoogerwerf, BS

Pam Hoogerwerf grew up in Iowa and attended the University of Iowa where she became a die-hard Hawkeye on the cheerleading squad. She majored in broadcasting journalism and health promotion but first went to work for United Airlines as a Flight Attendant. Her fiancé and now husband lured her back to Iowa City where she began her career within University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. She transitioned over to University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital in 2008 where she began her role as Director of Community Outreach and Injury Prevention. She has obtained special certification in injury prevention and is a certified child passenger safety technician. One of the programs she manages is the Safety Store, where customers can obtain assistance with children’s injury prevention products including car seats, BOB strollers, HALO swaddles, cabinet locks and bike helmets. She is passionate about keeping kids safe and enjoys traveling the state promoting messages related to that. She has been married for 33 years and has a 30-year-old daughter and an 18-year-old son, so she feels like she has been a mom for a long time. She loves all kinds of fitness and being outdoors.

Deborah Kacmarynski, MD

Deborah is a pediatric otolaryngologist from the University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics who specializes in pediatric otolaryngology and cleft lip and palate repair. Dr. Kacmarynski received her undergraduate degree in Biomedical engineering at the University of Iowa then worked in industry at 3M Company for a season before feeling called to medical school. She was fascinated with otolaryngology in medical school because of the ability to interact with patients on a very personal level. She received her medical degree, otolaryngology Master of Science and otolaryngology residency from the University of Minnesota Medical School. She returned to Iowa in 2007 for her fellowship in pediatric otolaryngology with an extra year of cleft and craniofacial care. To her, the most exciting part of her job is helping children have barriers removed so they can be all they are meant to be. With her husband, Bob, she has been raising three children, Kate, Micah and Abby, aged 8-13 years. As two Iowa natives, it is great to return home, be surrounded by extended family and raise children in such a neighborly culture.

 

Laura Murphy, DC, DICCP

Dr. Laura graduated from Palmer College of Chiropractic in 2005. She received her Bachelor’s Degree in Biology from the University of Northern Iowa. Dr. Laura grew up a sick child with asthma and allergies that were helped by chiropractic care. She’s passionate about providing great care for pregnant women, babies, and children so the next generation doesn’t have to endure a childhood like hers. Dr. Laura is trained in Webster’s Technique, which realigns the spine and releases tension in the soft tissue so that babies aren’t restricted from moving themselves into proper position. She’s also board certified as a pediatric chiropractor following a rigorous 3-year post-graduate education program and enjoys working with patients of all ages to help them stay active and mobile!

 

Christina Shutters, ARNP, CNM

Christina is certified nurse-midwife in the University of Iowa Gynecology/Midwifery Clinic. As a midwife, Christina takes care of women throughout their lifespan beginning with preconception visits, care during their pregnancy, ending with postpartum care and routine gynecological exams. Her favorite thing about her job is having the privilege to catch babies and watch families be created. She enjoys working with women and empowering them to make their own informed choices. Christina’s passion comes from being able to see her patients coalesce as a family and grow together. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her children, ages 1 and 5.

 

Marcy Willier, Real Estate Agent

Marcy Willier is a local realtor and founding member of Urban Acres Real Estate. She obtained her real estate license in 2012, and began working with the top selling real estate team in the area. The title that keeps her the busiest and that she is most proud of, is the one of MOM. Marcy has two children that are active in everything possible, all year long. In her free time, she enjoys making memories with her children by traveling near or far to new places, or simply spending time working around her home.

 

If you don’t have your tickets to Bloom yet, ACT QUICK.  Ticket sales end early next week, and may end sooner if we sell out! Click here to get yours!

Sara
Sara and her husband Matt (sweethearts since they were just 16) got married in 2007, and since then have welcomed four beautiful children (Sam in 2008, Cooper in 2010, Nora in 2012, and Adam James in December 2015). A born-and-raised Iowan, Sara received both her Bachelor's and Master's Degrees (in Spanish Literature) from the University of Iowa. She's still teaching Spanish wherever and whenever she can, but her true passion is owning Iowa City Moms and building this community alongside her amazing team. Sara is also the Community Engagement Coordinator for City Mom Collective, and the owner of Cowork Collective downtown Iowa City. Common denominator in all of these jobs: community, community, community.

1 COMMENT

  1. The panel of experts looks wonderful and very comprehensive however you are missing a big part of the children health care which is oral care. Having a Pediatric dentist would bring a very important part or this panel. There are many areas to cover from oral diseases, prevention or oral diseases such as cavities, diet, trauma prevention and early intervention for malocclusion and other conditions. The U of Iowa college of dentistry Pediatric Department has wonderful people that can be part of this panel

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