Texas Children's Hospital and Baylor College of Medicine announce fellowship in child abuse pediatrics

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Jun 20, 2012, 01:53 ET

HOUSTON, June 20, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Texas Children's Hospital and Baylor College of Medicine's (BCM) Department of Pediatrics announced the availability of a three-year American College of Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) accredited fellowship program in child abuse pediatrics. The fellowship is designed to extensively train pediatricians to become academic leaders in all areas of child abuse and neglect including physical abuse, sexual abuse, neglect and medical child abuse.

The fellowship program is directed at training physicians who will pursue careers as clinicians, researchers and educators in the growing subspecialty of child abuse. In 2011, Texas Children's Child Abuse Pediatrics (CAP) team evaluated and treated more than 2,000 children suspected of child abuse and neglect. Texas Children's has seen nine fatalities in 2012 from injuries related to abuse.

"With the establishment of this fellowship, we will provide these physicians with ample opportunities for both clinical experience and cutting edge research," said Dr. Michelle Lyn, director of Texas Children's CAP team and associate professor of pediatrics – emergency medicine at BCM. "Our program is unique in its interface with families, physicians, educators and multiple community partners including the Children's Assessment Center, child protective services, the Institute of Forensic Sciences, the offices of the Harris County Criminal and Family Courts, as well as the judicial system in many of the surrounding counties."

Texas Children's CAP team is the longest established hospital-based multidisciplinary child abuse program in Houston and is one of the largest programs of its type in the United States. For more than 34 years, the CAP team has been providing preeminent patient care to the hundreds of children treated for maltreatment at Texas Children's each year.

"Evaluating complicated cases of possible abuse requires an understanding of the emerging scientific knowledge base of Child Abuse Pediatrics," said Dr. Marcella Donaruma, fellowship director of Texas Children's CAP team and assistant professor of pediatrics – emergency medicine at BCM. Dr. Donaruma acknowledges that oftentimes pediatricians can feel uncomfortable in their role as a mandated reporter and with providing expert testimony, but the program will address these issues.

"The training will provide fellows with a rich clinical experience to develop the necessary skills, comfort and competence to conduct thorough child abuse evaluations," continues Donaruma.

As the largest children's hospital in the nation, Texas Children's has an enormous responsibility to protect the health and well-being of children and this fellowship position will help us enhance our abilities to do that.

Texas Children's physicians are among the first in the country to be board-certified in the field of child abuse by the American Board of Pediatrics. The team was recently awarded the MEDCARES grant, a state awarded grant provided to those academic and non-profit institutions throughout the state of Texas that exemplify standards of excellence in child abuse pediatrics.

The first fellow is slated to join the multidisciplinary team of physicians, social workers and forensic nurses in 2013. For more information, contact fellowship director, Dr. Marcella Donaruma, at [email protected] or call 832-824-5507.

About Texas Children's Hospital
Texas Children's Hospital, a not-for-profit organization, is committed to creating a community of healthy children through excellence in patient care, education and research. Consistently ranked among the top children's hospitals in the nation, Texas Children's has recognized Centers of Excellence in multiple pediatric subspecialties including the Cancer and Heart Centers, and operates the largest primary pediatric care network in the country. Texas Children's has completed a $1.5 billion expansion, which includes the Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute; Texas Children's Pavilion for Women, a comprehensive obstetrics/gynecology facility focusing on high-risk births; and Texas Children's Hospital West Campus, a community hospital in suburban West Houston. For more information on Texas Children's, go to www.texaschildrens.org. Get the latest news from Texas Children's by visiting the online newsroom and on Twitter at twitter.com/texaschildrens.

Baylor College of Medicine
Baylor College of Medicine (www.bcm.edu) in Houston is recognized as a premier academic health science center and is known for excellence in education, research and patient care. It is the only private medical school in the greater southwest and is ranked as one of the top 25 medical schools for research in U.S. News & World Report. BCM is listed 13th among all U.S. medical schools for National Institutes of Health funding, and No. 2 in the nation in federal funding for research and development in the biological sciences at universities and colleges by the National Science Foundation. Located in the Texas Medical Center, BCM has affiliations with eight teaching hospitals. Currently, BCM trains more than 3,000 medical, graduate, nurse anesthesia, and physician assistant students, as well as residents and post-doctoral fellows. BCM is also home to the Baylor Clinic, an adult clinical practice that includes advanced technologies for faster, more accurate diagnosis and treatment, access to the latest clinical trials and discoveries, and groundbreaking healthcare based on proven research. Follow Baylor College of Medicine on facebook (http://www.facebook.com/BaylorCollegeOfMedicine) and twitter (http://twitter.com/BCMHouston).

Contact: Elizabeth Shackouls
(832) 824-2108
[email protected]

SOURCE Texas Children's Hospital