Meghan Rauen MA/MA LCMHC/NCC holds two graduate degrees from Wake Forest University, in Bioethics and Clinical Mental Health and two undergraduate degrees from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill in Philosophy (Value Theory) and Political Science.

Meghan is also a certified bereavement doula through Stillbirthday and a certified hospice companion from Reiki Awakening Academy and has prior worked in Special Needs education. Her research and training center around bioethics, palliative care and clinical mental health with complex and terminal pediatric and neonatal patients, families and clinicians.

Meghan wears several hats; she works in a volunteer capacity as the Director and CEO of the Global Gastroschisis Foundation/Avery’s Angels. Meghan is also a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor in NC and a National Certified Counselor who specializes in families and children with chronic and terminal illness, trauma and grief/bereavement. Meghan lives in Wake Forest, NC, with her two surviving children who are in a bazillion activities, her husband who is also in a bazillion things, 2 dogs, 2 bunnies, 3 birds and a chameleon, who have no activities.

Meghan has presented research and given a number of talks in bioethics, patient advocacy and clinical mental health including:

• Innovating Digital Medicine, Cincinnati Children’s Medical Center/University of Cincinnati, June, 2020,

• Don’t be afraid of Dr. Google and my friend on Facebook, Born a Hero- Rare Disease Talks, Seattle, WA Seattle Children’s Hospital, January, 2018

• What faces Gastroschisis Survivors; Myth vs Fact, North Carolina Counseling Association Annual Conference Durham, NC, February, 2017

• Persistent Complex Bereavement Disorder- Fact or Fiction? A review of the literature, Because We Care Workshop, Brenners Children’s Hospital, Winston Salem, NC, September, 2015

• The Art of Mindfulness and Self Care, Fourth Annual Conference on Religion and Medicine , Cambridge, MA, March 2015

• Miracle Language in the NICU, American Society for Bioethics and Humanities San Diego, CA. October 2014

• Pediatric Surgical Innovations, and Complicating Features of Organ Donation in Pediatrics and Neonatology.

• Public Health Priorities for Gastroschisis, CDC Global Headquarters, Atlanta, GA. April, 2023. “The Patient Experience: What the Data and Analysis really mean.”

Meghan's Masters Thesis in Bioethics is entitled Decoding Miracles: The Ethics of Engaging Religious and Spiritual Perspectives in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Meghan has also crafted and presented trainings in Applied Ethics in Clinical Mental Health, Being a Wounded Healer and Successful Case Building and Management.

• The Gutsy Perspective: Research project driven by the SBS (short bowel syndrome) community to capture patient perspectives on QOL with SBS.

• Recent publication: A beautiful struggle; Parent-perceived impact of short bowel syndrome on child and family wellbeing. Authors: Marie Neumann, Jessica Allen, Swapna, Kakani, Amy Lander, Meghan Rauen, Meghann Weaver and David Mercer. Journal of Pediatrics; vol 57 issue 9. Sept, 2022 p 149-157 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpedsurg.2021.09.039

• Long term effects of gastroschisis with possible FUT2 correlation pertaining to persistent bowel dysmotility. Authors: Goddard, G. MD., Marchix, J. PhD., Hall, M. Ma, Helmath, M. MD. Department of Pediatric Surgery, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, The University of Cincinnati. Abstract selected for presentation at American Pediatric Surgical Association Annual Meeting 2019.