Podcast Release Date: May 15th, 2024

This month on the myFace, myStory podcast, Dina Zuckerberg welcomes Melissa Tumblin, a passionate advocate for the hard of hearing and deaf community. Melissa, the founder and Executive Director of Ear Community shares her remarkable journey—from navigating her child’s microtia and atresia diagnosis to leading pioneering research efforts and advocating tirelessly for legislation like Ally’s Act.

Read about our guest below the video: 

Melissa Tumblin is the Founder and Executive Director of the Ear Community Organization and the Microtia and Atresia Support Group on Facebook. She is an advocate and activist for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community. Melissa is on the board of the NIDCR (National Institutes for Dental and Craniofacial Research), the Friends CHHC (Congressional Hearing Health Caucus), and on the advisory board for a biotherapeutics company working on 3D-printed regenerated ears.

She regularly presents to audiology educational organizations, hearing device manufacturers, microtia and atresia surgical conferences, and at the FDA. She launched the Microtia and Atresia clinic at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center and is a co-investigator on a whole genome sequencing genetic research grant with Harvard, Vanderbilt, and the MIT Broad Institute.

Melissa established National Microtia and Atresia Awareness Day that takes place on November 9th. She is the recipient of the Family Leadership Award for EHDI Excellence and the Oticon Medical Advocacy Award, and the Legacy Award for helping the Microtia community in South Africa. She has over 20 years of experience marketing medical devices and electrosurgical equipment

Melissa holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Biology/Psychology from the University of Colorado – Boulder.