In Celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the IJOM : Paradigm Shifts in Orofacial Myology and Myofunctional Therapy
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1st IJOM Webinar
A Celebration of IJOM's 50th Anniversary
We are delighted to welcome you to the 1st IJOM Webinar - A Celebration of the International Journal of Orofacial Myology and Myofunctional Therapy's (IJOM) 50th Anniversary!
This special occasion marks a remarkable milestone in the history of the IJOM and the International Association of Orofacial Myology (IAOM). For five decades, the IJOM has been at the forefront of advancing knowledge, research, and clinical practice in orofacial myofunctional therapy (OMT).
Today's webinar brings together leading voices from around the world to reflect on the past, present and future of the field. We are honored to host a distinguished panel of speakers who will share valuable insights across a range of timely and important topics.
This event is not only a celebration of IJOM's legacy, but also a moment to look ahead—to the continued growth of the journal, the advancement of interdisciplinary collaboration, and the future of OMT worldwide.
Thank you for joining us in honoring 50 years of the IJOM. We hope you enjoy an inspiring, informative, and collaborative webinar.
Date: August 25, 2025
Time: 7:00 p.m. EDT
Webinar Secretariat: journal.webinar@mdpi.com
Meet Our Speakers
Dr. Esther Bianchini
Faculdade de Ciências Médicas da Santa Casa de São Paulo, Pontifícia Universidade Católica de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil;
Dr. Esther Bianchini is a Speech and Language Pathologist with multiple decades of experience in clinical practice, teaching, and research. She graduated in Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences (SLHS) from the Pontifical Catholic University of São Paulo (PUC-SP) in 1981, later earning a Master’s degree in Education with a focus on Communication Disorders from the same institution in 1998. She completed her Ph.D. in Sciences, specifically Experimental Pathophysiology at the University of São Paulo’s School of Medicine in 2005.
As a recognized specialist in OMT, she has been certified by the Brazilian Federal Council of SLHS since 1996. Her expertise also extends to sleep-related communication sciences, having received accreditation from the Brazilian Sleep Association (ABS).
She serves as a professor in postgraduate programs at both the Pontifical Catholic University of São Paulo (PUC-SP) and Universidad del Desarrollo (UDD) in Santiago, Chile, where she teaches at the specialization, master’s, and doctoral levels. Throughout her career, she has held leadership and advisory roles in several professional associations. She has been a representative of the SLHS Council on the Interdisciplinary Committee of the Brazilian Sleep Association since 2014 and is a member of the Brazilian Society of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences (SBFa). She is also a founding member of the Brazilian Association of Orofacial Motricity (ABRAMO), and an active member of international organizations such as the World Sleep Society (WSS), the World Dentofacial Sleep Society (WDSS), and the International Pediatric Sleep Academy (IPSA). In addition to her academic and research contributions, she is the Director and Technical Manager of EBianchini Speech Therapy Clinic, where she continues to provide expert care and guidance in the field of speech-language pathology.
Dr. Rosalba Courtney
Breath and Body Clinic, Avalon, Australia.;
Dr. Rosalba Courtney is an osteopath with over 45 years of experience as a practitioner, teacher, researcher and writer. She received her PhD from RMIT University for her research on the topic of “Dysfunctional Breathing: Its Parameters, Measurement and Clinical Relevance” in 2011. She is internationally recognized for her work in this field, having published over 20 peer reviewed articles and several book chapters on this topic. For the last 20 years she has been refining the assessment and treatment of dysfunctional breathing and exploring the ways that breathing can be used as a healing tool. She developed Integrative Breathing Therapy, an evidence based approach to breathing therapy that combines both the art and science of breathing to personalize your patient's treatment.
Dr. Soroush Zaghi
The Breathe Institute, Los Angeles, CA, USA;
Dr. Soroush Zaghi graduated from Harvard Medical School, completed residency in ENT (Otolaryngology- Head and Neck Surgery) at UCLA, and Sleep Surgery Fellowship at Stanford University. He now serves as medical director of The Breathe Institute where the focus of his sub-specialty training is on the comprehensive treatment of nasal obstruction, mouth breathing, snoring, and obstructive sleep apnea in children and adults. He is very active in clinical research with over 97+ peer-reviewed research publications in the fields of neuroscience, head and neck surgery, myofunctional therapy, sleep-disordered breathing, and tongue-tie surgery.
Ms. Joy Lantz
President of the IAOM;
Joy Lantz, RDH, PHDH, COM, IBCLC has over 30 years of experience in the dental field. Joy began practicing orofacial myology and received her certification in orofacial myology from the International Association of Orofacial Myology in 2017. She is currently serving as the President of the IAOM. She got her International Board-Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) credential in 2022. Joy is the owner of Joy Lantz: Transforming Oral Health, specializing in educating patients, parents and colleagues. She is a professional international speaker presenting courses on anticipatory guidance, collaboration for patient care and myofunctional therapy. Joy is also a consultant for dental offices that want to incorporate airway components into their practices. She created the BLOOMS milestone program for children aged birth to three in dental practices. Her passion is to assist dental and medical professionals to collaborate in screening for oral myofunctional and airway disorders for overall health.
Ms. Sofia Zelko
MDPI;
Sofia Zelko joined MDPI in 2024 as an AE for IJMS and Inventions. She was promoted to rJRS in December of 2024 and has worked with +20 journals, liaising with authors, board members, and EiCs. Sofia is now the Managing Editor of IJOM. Sofia received her MSc. in Pharmaceutical Sciences from the University of Toronto.
Guest Editor: Dr. Nancy Pearl Solomon
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2025
The webinar was hosted via Zoom and required registration to attend. The full recording can be found below. In order to learn about future webinars, you can sign up to our newsletter by clicking “Subscribe” at the top of the page.
The IJOM's 50th Anniversary webinar was informative and stimulating! Introductory talks by IJOM Editor-in-Chief Dr. Nancy Pearl Solomon, MDPI representative Sofia Zelko, and IAOM President Joy Lantz, reviewed past, present and future visions and directions from each perspective. Featured presentations by Dr. Esther Bianchini and Dr. Soroush Zaghi highlighted the international, multidisciplinary, and multifaceted nature of orofacial myology and myofunctional therapy. Unfortunately, Dr. Rosalba Courtney was scheduled but was unable to present. Be sure to stay for the discussion at the end of the session, which raised interesting and provocative issues about training, scope of practice, and international differences. If you have any feedback, questions, or want to discuss an article for publication, feel free to reach out to us at ijom@mdpi.com!