Child Abuse and Neglect Fellowship

The American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Child Abuse and Neglect is currently applying for specialty status for the field of Child Abuse and Neglect. It is anticipated that this process will be completed by 2008 with beginning Board Certification examinations in place by 2010. Currently, Child Abuse and Neglect Fellowships are non-accredited and do not participate in the graduate medical education match system. Full accreditation and match participation is anticipated, however, with the completion of specialty status through the American Academy of Pediatrics and Board Certification in this field.

The DUMC Child Abuse and Neglect Fellowship was established in 2001 as a two-year fellowship with funding support provided by Duke Hospital and Department of Pediatrics. Beginning in July 2009, the fellowship will transition to a three-year Fellowship in order to comply with AAP specialty and Board standards.

The Child Abuse and Neglect fellowship includes direct clinical training in both the inpatient and outpatient setting. The fellow works with the DUMC Inpatient/ER Child Abuse and Neglect Consult Service performing inpatient consults when there are concerns of abuse/neglect for children admitted to Duke hospital or seen in the DUMC emergency room. Training and supervision for the fellow during inpatient child abuse/neglect consult work is with one of the three DUMC Child Abuse and Neglect Attending Physicians. The fellow also rotates in the on-call schedule for the Inpatient/ER Child Abuse and Neglect Consult Service.

The fellow additionally maintains an outpatient clinic schedule for follow-up of inpatient and ER cases, as well as for evaluation of cases of sexual and physical abuse referred by community medical providers and local Child Protective Services and Law Enforcement agencies. Outpatient clinics operate through the Child Abuse and Neglect Medical Evaluation Team at the Center for Child and Family Health-NC (CCFH-NC), which is a consortium of Duke University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and North Carolina Central University. The CCFH-NC is a free-standing center which provides medical evaluation services, mental health services, family support services and legal advisory services for children who have experienced trauma, abuse or neglect and their families.

The Durham community is currently applying to establish a Durham County Child Advocacy Center (CAC), and the medical component of the CAC will be provided by the DUMC Inpatient/ER Child Abuse and Neglect Consult Service and the CCFH-NC outpatient Child Abuse and Neglect Medical Evaluation Team. As part of the clinical experience, the Fellow will also work with the CAC medical group and participate in the weekly medical team multidisciplinary case review conferences and the weekly community multiagency case review team meetings.

Electives and rotations for specified training for the fellow have been established at Duke Hospital, UNC Hospital-Chapel Hill and within the Durham community. Rotations in Pediatric Radiology, Neuro-radiology and Adolescent Medicine are scheduled at DUMC. A rotation at the UNC Burn Center is scheduled at UNC Hospital-Chapel Hill. Durham community rotations include two four-week training blocks with Durham County Child Protective Services, Durham County Guardian ad Litem and the North Carolina Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. There is also the opportunity to obtain a Masters of Public Health or residency in Preventative Medicine through programs available at the UNC School of Medicine and UNC School of Social Medicine.

Development and completion of an original research project is a requirement of the fellowship. Research projects should be designed to be completed within the three-year fellowship period. Prior research projects have included developing a data base for child fatalities in North Carolina, developing a system-wide first-responder protocol in North Carolina for child fatality cases and assessment of the quality and effectiveness of residency training in Child Abuse and Neglect in the United States. Research projects will be developed and implemented in year one of the Fellowship with emphasis on completion and submission for publication in year three of the Fellowship.

jane.trinh@duke.edu

 

terry.hales@duke.edu

 

Joye Voshell

Administrative Coordinator

voshe001@mc.duke.edu