Nancy C. Calamusa, MA, CCC-SLP is well known for her dynamic approach to the treatment of pediatric feeding and swallowing disorders. She has extensive knowledge and over 25 years of experience in the field of pediatric feeding and swallowing disorders encompassing a wide variety of settings. Nancy was responsible for instituting outpatient and inpatient pediatric feeding and swallowing therapy programs at the Bristol Myer Squibb Children's Hospital, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, New Brunswick, NJ. She was instrumental in establishing developmental feeding/swallowing programs for the neonatal intensive care unit, pediatric intensive care unit, and the pediatric oncology unit.
Following her tenure at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, she founded the first free-standing pediatric feeding/swallowing clinic in NJ. New Jersey Pediatric Feeding Associates was established in 2005 to offer her expertise and quality feeding/swallowing therapy to the pediatric population. Nancy utilized her leadership skills and assembled a team of professionals and treatment options at NJPFA which included otolaryngology, gastroenterology, nutrition consultation, speech- language pathology, occupational therapy, physical therapy, vision therapy, augmentative communication, and lactation consultative services to provide the neonatal and pediatric population with exemplary care. Nancy’s vision led to establishing critical thinking modules in diagnostics which many NICU and specialty physician groups utilize to date. Her compassion, empathy, and drive to remediate pediatric dysphagia has led to her success. Her unique approach recognizes the individual needs of the infant/child and family dynamic while targeting prompt diagnoses and therapeutic intervention. She provides in-depth assessment of all aspects of feeding, swallowing, and mealtime resulting in a specifically designed treatment program.
Nancy received her BA degree in communication disorders at Rutgers University. She was awarded the degree of Master of Arts in Speech Pathology from Kean University, where she was awarded a graduate assistantship position in Speech Pathology. Nancy has been employed in various settings including Early Intervention, medical facilities, private institutions and private practice. Nancy has provided educational inservices, lectures, and training workshops for physicians, medical students, colleagues, parents, graduate students and the community. Nancy has been sought out to teach and lecture internationally. Prior to the pandemic, she was providing in-depth training & education in Hong Kong and Greece. She has spent the last 35 years of her career educating and training in the area of medical speech pathology with an intense focus on pediatric dysphagia. Nancy continues to serve as a mentor to graduate students and clinical fellows in the field of speech pathology. Her expertise has led to great successes with habilitating/restoring swallow function to critically injured and medically fragile children. In 2015, Nancy and several of her esteemed colleagues had founded Guardian Global Alliance (GGA) a company dedicated to developing cutting edge dysphagia treatment in
addition to providing NMES education, training, and product development for the pediatric population. During her tenure with GGA, Nancy was named International Pediatric Clinical Advisor.
Additionally, Nancy and her team have been vetted by the New Jersey State Department of Education as consultants for all schools (public & private) throughout the state to provide feeding/swallowing evaluations in the educational environment. She is responsible not only for evaluations but devising plan of care and training for staff.
Nancy has been educated and trained in advanced diagnostics and treatment protocols for neonatal/pediatric dysphagia. Nancy received her certification in pediatric Fiberoptic Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing (FEES) through Boston University. She is trained and educated in neurodevelopmental treatment, reflex integration, and multiple feeding/swallowing protocols. She is a certified member of the American Speech and Hearing Association (ASHA) and is an active member in the Division of Swallowing Disorders for the national organization (Div13). Nancy has received multiple ACE awards for continuing education in this arena throughout her career. Nancy is also currently active in her role as medical board advisor for the international organization HOPE for HIE.
Disclosures
Financial Disclosure: Nancy is the owner/Director of New Jersey Pediatric Feeding Associates, LLC. She receives compensation for professional education, including this conference.
Non-financial: Nancy has no non-financial disclosures in regard to this conference.