UNMC Munroe-Meyer Institute

UNMC Munroe-Meyer Institute The Munroe-Meyer Institute (MMI) is a federally designated University Center of Excellence for Developmental Disabilities Education, Research and Service.

The mission of the Munroe-Meyer Institute (MMI) is to lead the world in transforming the lives of all individuals with disabilities and complex health care needs, their families and the community through outreach, engagement, premier educational programs, innovative research and extraordinary patient care. MMI -- provides extraordinary interdisciplinary, family-centered services for persons with disabilities and complex health care needs across the lifespan.

-- trains individuals in the medical and therapeutic management of individuals with disabilities and complex health care needs through interprofessional educational experiences, outreach training and onsite technical assistance.

-- conducts basic, translational and clinical research with the goal to transform the diagnosis, care and treatment of individuals with all types of disabilities and complex health care needs.

-- works within the community to promote inclusion and to enable individuals with disabilities and complex health care needs to live happy and productive lives.

-- serves as the premier source of disability-related information to scientists, care providers, clinicians, families and community leaders across the region, the nation and the world.

-- improves the educational, health and community practices that impact children and families who are at risk for adverse developmental outcomes through program evaluation, training, and community outreach.

-- advocates at the local, state, federal and international level to promote best practices, policies and/or laws on behalf of individuals with disabilities and complex health care needs and their families.

📣Sunday is going to be cold, so come join us at the 22nd Annual Walk and Roll for Disabilities inside the Oakview Mall F...
02/27/2026

📣Sunday is going to be cold, so come join us at the 22nd Annual Walk and Roll for Disabilities inside the Oakview Mall Food Court to help raise funds for the Meyer Foundation for Disabilities! There's something for everyone, so swing by for a good time with community and celebration! ‍🧑‍🦽‍➡️🚶‍♀️‍➡️🧑‍🦯‍➡️👩‍🦼‍➡️

Sunday, 1 MAR 2026
9:00am - Event activities (face painting, light refreshments and more)
10:30-11:30am - Walk and Roll!

⭐To register or to find more information, visit:
https://www.mfdisabilities.org/walk-and-roll.html

Walk & Roll for Disabilities

📣UPDATE: Registration has been extended until conference capacity has been reached!📣"Seating and Wheeled Mobility: A Dee...
02/24/2026

📣UPDATE: Registration has been extended until conference capacity has been reached!📣

"Seating and Wheeled Mobility: A Deep Dive into Assessment and Interventions"
Presented by Michelle Lange, OTR/L
📅17-18 APR 2026
📝1.4 Continuing Education Credits / 14 Contact Hours

Need help making seating and positioning assessments easier?

This two-day, continuing education course will cover essential techniques for effective clinical assessment and implementation of evidence-based interventions in seating and wheeled mobility.

📍For more information and registration, visit:
https://www.unmc.edu/mmi/education/ce/mobility.html

📍For questions, contact:
pedsptne@unmc.edu
402.559.6415

02/24/2026

📅 Tuesday, March 17, 2026 | 4:00 PM ET
📍 Virtual on Zoom

Join AUCD’s Aging and HCBS Special Interest Group for an engaging discussion on national trends in Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) for aging adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD).

Presenters Caitlin Crabb (UIC Department of Disability and Human Development and Sarah Swanson (UNMC Munroe-Meyer Institute) will explore key policy updates, including the HCBS Settings and Access Rules, and what they mean for caregivers, community integration, person-centered planning, and equitable access to services.

🔗 Register here: https://www.aucd.org/event/how-medicaid-hcbs-support-aging-individuals-with-idd-and-their-aging-caregivers

ID: The words “Live Webinar” printed in bold black text on white paper strips placed across a white computer keyboard.

🎉Please join us in congratulating Chelli Westengaard on receiving an MMI Guild Grant! Chelli is the Director of the Depa...
02/20/2026

🎉Please join us in congratulating Chelli Westengaard on receiving an MMI Guild Grant!

Chelli is the Director of the Department of Occupational Therapy.

Title: Bright Futures: Empowering Children with CVI at Munroe-Meyer Institute

Description: The goal of this project is to develop a multidisciplinary cortical visual impairment (CVI) clinic that provides comprehensive and individualized care for children and young adults diagnosed with CVI. Services address functional vision, augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), mobility, and positioning needs. The diverse expertise of our team, including specialists in OT, SLP, PT, and engineering, uniquely positions us to integrate clinical insight with innovative adaptations and technologies customized to address each child’s unique needs.

Collaborators on this project include: Ryan Thomas (Research), Dr. Susan Fager (Speech Language Pathology), and Dr. Susan Riley (Physical Therapy)

🎉Please join us in congratulating Dr. Mary Halbur on receiving an MMI Guild Grant! Mary is an Assistant Professor and Cl...
02/20/2026

🎉Please join us in congratulating Dr. Mary Halbur on receiving an MMI Guild Grant!

Mary is an Assistant Professor and Clinical Director of ACTION in the Department of integrated Center for Autism Spectrum Disorders.

Title: Empowering Caregivers: Integrating a Coaching Framework with Project ImPACT

Description: This project will introduce a proven, evidence-based program, Project ImPACT (Improving Parents as Communication Teachers), to the ACT Clinics. Project ImPACT is a model that explores everyday routines and play to help children develop communication, social skills, and engagement. The initiative will elevate caregiver engagement and measurably improve outcomes for children with autism and their families.

Collaborators on this project include: Co-investigator Amber Paden (iCASD), Chandler Pederson (iCASD), Eden Bauer (iCASD), and Leslie Castano Van Winkle (Speech Language Pathology)

🎉Please join us in congratulating Dr. Rachel Knight on receiving an MMI Guild Grant! Rachel is an Associate Professor in...
02/19/2026

🎉Please join us in congratulating Dr. Rachel Knight on receiving an MMI Guild Grant!

Rachel is an Associate Professor in the Department of Pediatric Feeding Disorders.

Title: Development of biofeedback instrumentation for the treatment of pediatric feeding disorder

Description: The goals of this project include:1) Development and testing of a specialized spoon to measure tongue placement and pressure in the treatment of swallowing difficulties, and 2) Development and testing of a utensil to measure bite force when teaching a child how to chew for the first time.

Collaborators on this project include: Dr. Amy Drayton (Pediatric Feeding), Dr. Brian Knarr (UNO Biomechanics), Dr. David Kingston (UNO Biomechanics), Dr. Bethany Hansen (Pediatric Feeding), Ilissa Frye (PhD student), and Sidni Trotter (Speech Language Pathology).

📣Join us on Sunday, March 1st for the 22nd Annual Walk and Roll for Disabilities at the Oakview Mall Food Court to help ...
02/19/2026

📣Join us on Sunday, March 1st for the 22nd Annual Walk and Roll for Disabilities at the Oakview Mall Food Court to help raise funds for the Meyer Foundation for Disabilities! ‍🧑‍🦽‍➡️🚶‍♀️‍➡️🧑‍🦯‍➡️👩‍🦼‍➡️

Activities start at 9:00am with some face painting, light refreshments and more, and then the Walk and Roll runs from 10:30-11:30am. There's something for everyone, so swing by for a good time with community and celebration!

⭐To register or to find more information, visit:
https://www.mfdisabilities.org/walk-and-roll.html

Walk & Roll for Disabilities

🎉Please join us in congratulating Dr. Katherine Liu on receiving a mini grant from the UNMC Child Health Research Instit...
02/18/2026

🎉Please join us in congratulating Dr. Katherine Liu on receiving a mini grant from the UNMC Child Health Research Institute (CHRI)!

Katherine is a post-doctoral fellow in the integrated Center for Autism Spectrum Disorders

Title: Comparing Structured and Natural Naming Experience on Incidental Bidirectional Naming in Children with Autism

Description: Children with autism and language delays often require direct teaching for every new word, which places a substantial burden on families and clinicians. In contrast, typically developing children learn words naturally through everyday interactions with their caregivers, a skill called incidental bidirectional naming (inc-BiN). This study investigates whether the learning environment (e.g., structured instruction with picture cards versus natural play with toys) affects how well children with autism can be assessed for and taught this critical language skill. We will recruit 16 children ages 2-6 with autism to compare word learning outcomes across both settings. The purpose of this study is to investigate if inc-BiN assessment results differ by setting and whether teaching in natural environments produces better generalization than structured teaching.

Dr. Alice Shillingsburg (Professor and Director of iCASD) is the mentor and a co-investigator.

📣The Munroe-Meyer Institute Department of Physical Therapy presents: "Seating and Wheeled Mobility: A Deep Dive into Ass...
02/18/2026

📣The Munroe-Meyer Institute Department of Physical Therapy presents: "Seating and Wheeled Mobility: A Deep Dive into Assessment and Interventions."

This two-day, continuing education course will cover essential techniques for effective clinical assessment and implementation of evidence-based interventions in seating and wheeled mobility. Presented by Michelle Lange OTR/L.

📅Friday, April 17th and Saturday, April 18th, 2026

📍For more information and registration, visit:
https://www.unmc.edu/mmi/education/ce/mobility.html

February 2026, MMI Monthly edition 📰  https://conta.cc/4rybn2ZPublished once a month, this newsletter features Munroe-Me...
02/17/2026

February 2026, MMI Monthly edition 📰
https://conta.cc/4rybn2Z

Published once a month, this newsletter features Munroe-Meyer Institute stories that may be of interest to people with disabilities and the wider intellectual and developmental disability community. Each issue highlights MMI initiatives and accomplishments, as well as links to upcoming events and articles from other sources.

So excited to see more sensory-friendly services like Joanay's becoming available!
02/11/2026

So excited to see more sensory-friendly services like Joanay's becoming available!

As autism diagnoses rise, Joanay Turner is combining her therapy background with hairstyling to serve neurodivergent clients in a sensory-friendly salon

📣JOIN OUR TEAM - The Department of Speech-Language Pathology at UNMC’s Munroe-Meyer Institute (MMI) is hiring a full-tim...
02/10/2026

📣JOIN OUR TEAM - The Department of Speech-Language Pathology at UNMC’s Munroe-Meyer Institute (MMI) is hiring a full-time, pediatric-focused outpatient speech therapist!

The Speech-Language Pathology Department at MMI consists of 25+ SLPs and 3 faculty with a wide range of specialties, including AAC, motor speech, language, voice, cognitive-communication disorders and dysphagia. We are a dynamic department with extensive clinical training and mentoring opportunities.

Meet our team: https://www.unmc.edu/mmi/services/speech/index.html

As a part of an academic medical center - The University of Nebraska Medical Center - we are committed to teaching students and advancing the field of speech-language pathology through research and other scholarly activities.

Job Requirements: Master’s Degree from an accredited university, Certificate of Clinic Competency (CCC), and a Nebraska license.

Responsibilities: Provide diagnostic and treatment services to individuals with speech, language, cognitive-communication, voice or feeding/swallowing disorders; Participate in scholarly activities; Provide training about speech pathology to students and other healthcare providers; Ensure appropriate record keeping.

Clinical Opportunities: Evaluation and treatment of pediatric patients at MMI; AAC, Pediatric feeding/swallowing; Childhood Apraxia of Speech.

The department and designated committees are committed to providing comprehensive support of all new hires encompassing all demographic backgrounds and experience levels.

📍Learn more & apply:
https://unmc.peopleadmin.com/postings/96044

📍Questions? Contact:
Leslie Castano Van Winkle, MA, CCC-SLP
Associate Director-Outpatient Speech Pathology
Leslie.vanwinkle@unmc.edu
402-559-6460

Address

6902 Pine Street
Omaha, NE
68106

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 5pm
Tuesday 8am - 5pm
Wednesday 8am - 5pm
Thursday 8am - 5pm
Friday 8am - 5pm

Telephone

+14025596418

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Our Story

The Munroe-Meyer Institute’s mission is to be world leaders in transforming the lives of all individuals with disabilities and complex health care needs, their families and the community through outreach, engagement, premier educational programs, innovative research and extraordinary patient care. What we do: MMI provides extraordinary interdisciplinary, family-centered services for persons with disabilities and complex health care needs across the lifespan. MMI trains individuals in the medical and therapeutic management of individuals with disabilities and complex health care needs through interprofessional educational experiences, outreach training and onsite technical assistance. MMI conducts basic, translational and clinical research with the goal to transform the diagnosis, care and treatment of individuals with all types of disabilities and complex health care needs MMI works within the community to promote inclusion and to enable individuals with disabilities and complex health care needs to live happy and productive lives. MMI serves as the premier source of disability-related information to scientists, care providers, clinicians, families and community leaders across the region, the nation and the world. MMI improves the educational, health and community practices that impact children and families who are at risk for adverse developmental outcomes through program evaluation, training, and community outreach. MMI advocates at the local, state, federal and international level to promote best practices, policies and/or laws on behalf of individuals with disabilities and complex health care needs and their families.