


Joan M. Meunier-Sham
MS, RN
Director - MA Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) Program
Massachusetts Department of Public Health
Joan M. Meunier-Sham is the Director of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health’s (MDPH) Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) Program. Ms. Meunier-Sham leads this statewide program that provides forensic nursing expertise to over 2,500 patients of all ages each year in 58 locations across Massachusetts. From 2012-2018 she was also the Co-Director of the National TeleNursing Center, a pilot project funded by the U.S. Department of Justice, Office for Victims of Crime. Now renamed the MDPH TeleSANE Center, expert SANE in the region have used telehealth technology to provide clinical guidance and support to over 960 patients and their clinicians in 15 hospitals across Massachusetts, including those in rural and island communities. Ms. Meunier-Sham is the recipient of the U.S. Department of Justice, Office for Victims of Crime’s 2024 National Crime Victims Allied Professionals Service Award. In 2021, she received the Janet Madigan Advocacy Award presented by the Organization of Nurse Leaders MA, RI, NH, CT, VT. She has presented nationally and internationally regarding SANE, Pediatric SANE and TeleSANE practice, and has authored several professional publications. Ms. Meunier-Sham holds a MS in Parent/Child Nursing from Boston University, and a BSN from Southeastern Massachusetts University,