Jason Munson
President, CEO, and Founder
Jason has 20 years of experience consulting with hospitals across the country looking to improve quality and outcomes for their newborn hearing screen programs by outsourcing to a trusted hearing screen partner. Jason started Babies First with the goal of creating the highest quality program that offers true value to hospital partners. Over the course of his career, Jason has had the pleasure of mentoring under Gail Lim, APRN, AuD., who is a pioneer in the industry and a passionate voice for the necessity of hearing screens for all babies. Throughout his time in the industry Jason has partnered with over 200 hospitals ranging in size from less than 500 to over 12,000 annual deliveries. When time allows, Jason loves spending time with his wife and son while exploring the country in their camper.
Penny Cox
Vice President of Hospital Operations
Penny Cox has been in the healthcare industry for well over 20 years. She found her passion when she started working with newborns and has since started and managed hundreds of Newborn Hearing Screen programs in hospitals from one end of the country to another. She has dedicated her career to making sure babies with potential hearing loss are getting the care and follow-up they need so that they can live their best life. Penny works with our hospital partners to make sure we are meeting the needs of their tiniest patients and works with State EHDI programs to help reduce the lost to follow-up population. She is committed to building the best programs in the country through Babies First.
Paige Whiteley, Au.D., CCC-A
Clinical Audiologist
Dr. Paige Whiteley is our corporate Audiologist who specializes in diagnostics, electrophysiology and treatment of hearing disorders. Dr. Whiteley obtained her Doctorate of Audiology from the University of North Texas in 2014 and completed her residency at the Dallas Ear Institute. Dr. Whiteley currently joins us from Washington State where she works closely with pediatric populations in various medical settings. Her commitment to her patients and the field of audiology is unparalleled and can be traced back to her personal journey with hearing loss. In her free time, she can be found either gardening, golfing or spending time with her husband, son and two adopted mutts.
Candiss Young
Regional Coordinator of Hospital Operations
Candiss Young worked in the healthcare industry for 11 years before finding babies first. Her passion comes from her own hearing screen experience with her son seven years ago. After he didn’t pass his first screen, she started to look up ways to communicate with her son who could potentially have hearing loss. It was an uncomfortable and nerve-wracking place to be mentally, especially after just giving birth. In her role as regional coordinator, Candiss strives to train and build strong teams to represent Babies First in hospitals across the country. She aims to educate parents on the importance of hearing screens and infant hearing loss. She is proud to be a part of a team that makes a difference.
Jill Stein, BSN, RN (ret.)
Regional Coordinator of Hospital Operations
Jill has over 18 years of experience in the health care industry, beginning her career as a labor and delivery nurse at a high-risk hospital then transitioning into a pharmaceutical sales position at Pfizer. She brings her passion for health care and extensive experience to her role with Babies First. Jill earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from San Diego State University. When not at work Jill enjoys spending time with her husband, kids, and fur baby.
Babies First Hearing Screen 