Director - MA Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) Program
MA Department of Public Health
Needham, Massachusetts
Joan Meunier-Sham, RN, MS is the Director of the MA Department of Public Health’s (MDPH) Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) Program, a statewide program providing forensic nursing expertise to patients across the lifespan in 46 locations across Massachusetts. She is the Co-Director of the National TeleNursing Center, a pilot project previously funded by the U.S. Department of Justice, Office for Victims of Crime. In this pioneering project, MA TeleSANEs used telehealth technology to provide 24/7 “real time” support and guidance to clinicians conducting forensic examinations for almost 300 adult/adolescent sexual assault patients in 6 underserved communities in 3 states. TeleSANE is now an integral component of the MA SANE Program, delivered at 10 sites in Massachusetts, and serving sexual assault patients in rural and island communities.
Ms. Meunier-Sham has a clinical background in pediatric and pediatric emergency nursing. She received her Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth and her Master of Science degree in Parent/Child Nursing from Boston University. Ms. Meunier-Sham has presented nationally and internationally on the MA SANE Program and National TeleNursing Center, and has authored several professional publications.
