McKenzie Burns, BS

Mckenzie Russell

McKenzie Burns serves as a Pediatric Audiology resident at the Mississippi Center for Advanced Medicine. McKenzie works with the pediatric audiology program at MCAM to provide comprehensive diagnostic assessments and treatments for children with confirmed and suspected hearing disorders. Mrs. Burns holds a Bachelor of Science in Communication Disorders from Auburn University and is expected to graduate with a Doctor of Audiology from Auburn in the spring of 2024. McKenzie is excited to be part of the medical staff at MCAM and is eager to provide exceptional service to children and their families. In her spare time, McKenzie enjoys spending time with her husband, family, and dog, Cooper. She loves to exercise, be outside, and cheer for the Auburn tigers. 

Victoria Kivlan, AuD

VKivlan

Dr. Victoria Kivlan serves as a Pediatric Audiologist at MCAM. She provides a full array of hearing testing and treatment services for children including hearing evaluations, hearing aid selection and programming, auditory brainstem evaluations and cochlear implant evaluations and programming. Her professional goal is to improve the quality of life for pediatric patients by improving their communication abilities. Dr. Kivlan received her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology cum laude from Mississippi University for Women, her Doctor of Audiology summa cum laude from Idaho State University and completed her pediatric audiology clinical fellowship at University of Alabama Birmingham’s Civitan Sparks Center. She has obtained her Pediatric Audiology Specialty Certification (PASC) from the American Academy of Audiology. Dr. Kivlan’s pediatric audiology work experience includes stints at two children’s hospitals including Driscoll Children’s Hospital and working with children at the Mississippi School for the Deaf and Blind. She is also an Adjunct Instructor in Audiology at Louisiana Tech University and a Captain in the United States Army Reserve. Dr. Kivlan also advocates for children who are deaf and hearing impaired through various avenues including serving as a board member for the Mississippi Hearing Detection and Intervention Advisory Committee, serving as a Mississippi Cochlear Implant Advocate Champion with the American Cochlear Implant Alliance, and volunteering with the Healthy Hearing project for the Special Olympics. In her free time Dr. Kivlan enjoys running and getting outside with her husband and three children.

Lara Monico, BA, MCD, CCC-SLP, LSLS Cert. AVT

LaraMonico

Lara Monico serves as a Pediatric Speech-Language Pathologist at the Mississippi Center for Advanced Medicine. In this role, Lara provides therapy for various communication disorders, including receptive and expressive language, articulation, and listening and spoken language development in children who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing. Lara is passionate about the importance of early intervention and believes that the parent-therapist partnership is critical in helping a child reach their maximum potential. Ms. Monico holds a Bachelor of Arts in Secondary Education from the University of New Orleans and a Master of Communication Disorders from Louisiana State University Medical Center. She is certified by the American Speech-Language Hearing Association and is a Certified Auditory-Verbal Therapist with the Alexander Graham Bell Academy for Listening and Spoken Language. Prior to MCAM, Lara has nearly thirty years of experience working with children in a variety of settings and has focused the majority of her career serving children from birth through early school age with hearing, listening, sound, language and speech disorders. In her spare time, Lara enjoys spending time with her husband, Jesus, and their three daughters, Isabella, Sofia and Natalia. She loves cooking, gardening, and the Orleans Saints.