Brianna Kelley, a recipient of the 2026 MSF educational scholarship, is pursuing her passion by studying and researching something near and dear to her heart – audiology. She is working towards a PhD in Communication Sciences and Disorders.
Brianna teaches undergraduate students a variety of audiology related classes, and mentors undergraduates who are interested in research. Each year, she helps her students create a (typically audiology) related topic. They ultimately bring their work together into a poster presentation at a UGA (University of Georgia) sponsored undergraduate research symposium.
Brianna also studies newborn screening, with an emphasis on what she’s extremely passionate about – newborn hearing screening. This topic is referenced as EHDI (Early Hearing Detection and Intervention).
She is particularly interested in the number of newborns that are either missed through screening (and why they miss them) and also of those who fail their newborn hearing screen, how many of those actually follow-up vs not (and potential reasons why). One thing she’s looking at now is how health literacy affects whether a family follows up after their baby fails their screen.
Brianna decided to go into this field because of her own hearing loss. She has bilateral hearing loss and uses cochlear implants. She realized the importance of audibility at a young age. If a child does not have sound input (or they have an undiagnosed hearing loss), they’re at higher risks of expressive and receptive as well as language skills. And, this is in addition to possible articulation problems that are addressed through speech therapy. She went into this area because she sees the large, negative ramifications that an undiagnosed hearing loss can cause a child.
Brianna loves researching this topic because it helps her to understand where the breakdown is occurring. From that, she’s able to suggest solutions to help these families. She said seeing systemic change from her research is the most satisfying thing in the world. Also, she loves that she has been able to expand into other areas of newborn screening and learn about different diseases/conditions (both rare and not) that are screened for (or that could be screened for).
What’s most challenging about researching/studying this area is that Brianna said it is always changing. Laws/protocols/policies change, and then she has to restructure how she approaches things. Brianna said late last year the government shut down the department within the CDC that deals with everything to do with newborn screening, so a lot of people in the field are trying to figure out how this will affect them going forward.
Brianna said receiving the 2025 MSF educational scholarship will help her continue to help people with hearing loss and other disabilities thrive in their day-to-day lives.
Brianna also has a BS in Communication Sciences and Disorders, M.A. in Audiology, and a Graduate Certificate in Public Health.
When it came to interviewing for jobs throughout her life, Brianna said they have been hit-or-miss for her. She said she’s never come out of one feeling uncomfortable, but she never knows how she’s going to approach things until she gets into the room. She said she has always been treated with respect by the interviewers, with no staring or inappropriate gestures.
As far as speaking of Moebius syndrome during interviews, Brianna is not opposed to talking about it and bringing it up. She tries to read the room. If she feels like they’d be interested or it’s a good talking point, she will just start talking about it.
Brianna said it’s interesting how so many employers sometimes even want to know how others are affected. She said she talked for probably 20 minutes about Moebius one time. She said there are other times where it just comes up naturally in the interview, and she’ll talk a bit about it.
Brianna said she’s never been discriminated against when she’s disclosed/talked about Moebius syndrome in person. However, she said phone calls are a different story. She said she won’t bring it up. It is not because she feels it is a hindrance. But, she’s concerned the interviewer might view it that way (after they do Google searches and place judgment).
When it comes to interviewing for jobs, Brianna wants others with Moebius to know they have a purpose and worth. She said go into an interview, let them see you and your authenticity – most importantly, your abilities.
She said she has always been asked “What’s your biggest weakness?” One thing she’s found is to make her “weakness” something related to Moebius, but she said you have to flip that “weakness” to a strength in the same breath. She’s seen that help in situations. Acknowledge a weakness, but also show how it’s a strength.
Brianna said having Moebius syndrome has been challenging emotionally at times. She has times where she feels defeated and gets stuck in a hole, especially when she has had dental issues with her front teeth in the past (due to having Moebius). She said her front teeth are fixed now, but that had her in an emotional upheaval when it was happening.
Brianna said if she’s meeting new people now, it’s a constant battle in her brain of how they’re going to take/accept her. She said it’s like a self-image/self-esteem problem. She said once she’s in their group, it’s fine, but it’s getting there that can be a battle. She said self-esteem can be a problem for me.
Brianna said growing up, she had a close group of friends, but that it was pretty hard for her to expand that group. Looking back at it, she wonders if it had to do with Moebius. She said It took some work to enter her friend group, too. She said she was singled out for being the “smart” one. Looking at that is kind of ironic now, she said, because you would think she’d be singled out because she looked different. But, nope – it was because she was smart.
Another thing growing up with Moebius that got Brianna upset was that she couldn’t say her name. She would get SO mad with people when they couldn’t understand it and would say things like “nice to meet you, Rianna” or “nice to meet you, Leanna”. She said now that she’s older, she’s gotten better at navigating that piece.
Brianna said she’s never gotten bullied, but her parents were also very proactive when she was growing up to prevent bullying. Which, said she, has in turn helped her to do the same prevention.
Brianna said she was stared at in public when she was little, and still now. When she was little, her parents or whoever she was with tried to distract her, which she now is divided on because if someone’s staring, they’re curious. Why not educate them?
If someone with Moebius is being bullied, Brianna’s biggest piece of advice is to know your worth. Know yourself. You’re your biggest advocate. Talk to them, don’t be afraid. It really might just take a conversation with them to make them think differently.
Also, being stared at for a length of time for Brianna is an invitation to politely ask them if she can explain her condition and just give them a synopsis. She said more often than not, they’ll listen and appreciate it, especially children. Brianna is also an active advocate. Last February, she even went to Rare Disease Week on Capitol Hill. She was able to advocate for both her research as well as Moebius related things. She said she’s looking forward to attending Rare Disease Week again next year.
By: Kari Storm
