Child Abuse Pediatrics Fellowship Program

Program Overview

The Child Abuse Pediatrics Fellowship Program at the University of Louisville School of Medicine and Norton Children's Hospital provides comprehensive training with a high volume of cases. Kentucky has among the top 5 highest child victimization rates in the United States, with consistently more than double the national average. This sad fact allows our fellows to evaluate a wide variety and high volume of child maltreatment cases of all kinds. Our friendly, flexible team is excited to partner with fellows to create a customized experience in a supportive environment that values and celebrates diversity and inclusiveness.

Mission: Kosair Charities Division of Pediatric Forensic Medicine and Norton Children’s Pediatric Protection Specialists: Our mission is to help protect the children in our community from all forms of maltreatment.

We do this by

providing fact-based, early clinical assessments of children with suspected maltreatment, documenting and clearly communicating the significance of those findings to decision-makers with child protective services, law enforcement, family court, and criminal court, and partnering with community-based services to ensure the best possible outcome for the patient and any other children found to be at risk during the course of the evaluation. The primary goal of our clinical service is to accurately and promptly diagnose when maltreatment has occurred and when it has not and to make recommendations to help ensure the health, safety, and wellbeing of our patients.
developing a competent and trained workforce in child abuse pediatrics with our ACGME-Accredited Child Abuse Pediatrics Fellowship Program. The primary goal of the fellowship program is to graduate a specially trained diagnostician, engaging educator, motivated researcher, inspired instructor, expert physician witness, tireless child advocate, and lifelong physician learner.
educating our community about prevention, recognition, assessment, and intervention in cases of suspected child maltreatment. Our educational scope includes prevention, recognition, assessment, documentation, intervention, and follow up. Target audiences include community healthcare providers, residents, fellows, medical students, faculty, hospital staff, child protection workers, law enforcement, justice officials (including attorneys and judges), legislators, teachers, daycare providers, parents, and any other group of individuals who regularly interact with children or make decisions that affect the safety and wellbeing of children. The primary goal of our educational efforts is to improve child safety by prevention, recognition, assessment, and intervention in cases of child maltreatment.
advocating for policies that help keep children safe. This is accomplished primarily through partnering with other community stakeholders to educate policymakers and lawmakers about child safety issues and serving as a resource to others who are working toward the same goal.
researching the nature of child maltreatment to improve the evidence base that informs our assessments.

Values

Integrity

Objectivity

Accountability

Teamwork

Efficiency

Respect

The vision of our clinical program is for all children in Kentucky to be safe from child maltreatment.

The Child Abuse Pediatrics Fellowship Program of the Kosair Charities Division of Pediatric Forensic Medicine utilizes the six core competencies of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education as the foundation for a curriculum which provides clinical and research training in the discipline of Child Abuse Pediatrics.

Goals and Objectives

To become proficient in evaluating and managing pediatric injury cases concerning for child maltreatment and to be familiar with the possible differential diagnoses related to these cases. (Patient care, medical knowledge, interpersonal and communication skills, professionalism)
To participate in clinical experiences involving all facets of the child abuse field including neglect, physical, sexual, and emotional abuse, as well as Pediatric Condition Falsification/Medical Child Abuse. (Patient care, medical knowledge, interpersonal and communication skills, professionalism, systems based practice)
To complete a research project in the field of child abuse pediatrics. (Medical knowledge, professionalism, systems based practice)
To refine effective communication skills with members of the multidisciplinary team including medical, law enforcement, prosecuting and county attorneys, child protection workers, and therapists. (Interpersonal and communication skills, professionalism, systems based practice)
To attain skills to provide court testimony in criminal and family court situations both as an examining physician and as an expert witness in the field of child abuse pediatrics. (Medical knowledge, interpersonal and communications skills, professionalism, systems based practice)
To understand the process of effective instruction, self- reflection and the analysis of clinical and system processes to allow for ongoing improvements of clinical practice. (Medical knowledge, interpersonal and communication skills, practice based learning and improvement, professionalism, systems based practice)

University of Louisville Pediatric Fellowships

Visit the Pediatric Fellowships webpage to learn more about:

How to apply for a pediatric fellowship
Compensation & benefits for pediatric fellows
Facilities where our fellows see patients, perform research, and learn
What is it like to live in Louisville, Kentucky?

Melissa Currie, MD, Program Director
Email

Camry Woodward, Program Coordinator
Email

Child Abuse Pediatrics Fellowship Program
Kosair Charities Division of Pediatric Forensic Medicine
Department of Pediatrics
University of Louisville School of Medicine
234 E. Gray Street, Suite 334
Louisville, KY 40202
Phone: (502) 629-3099
Fax: (502) 629-3096

Current Fellows

AshLey Cochran, DO
College: West Chester University of Pennsylvania
Medical School: Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine
Residency: University of New Mexico, Albuquerque

Past Fellows

2022

Nick Miles, MD
Residency: University of Louisville, Louisville, KY
Employment Post Graduation: Child Abuse Pediatrician with Maine Health

2020

Jennie Green, MD, MSc, FAAP
Residency: University of Louisville/Norton Children's Hospital
Employment Post Graduation: Board-Certified Child Abuse Pediatrician/Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Norton Children's Pediatric Protection Specialists Affiliated with University of Louisville School of Medicine

2017

Brooke Jones, MD, MSc, FAAP
Residency: University of Louisville/Norton Children's Hospital
Employment Post Graduation: Board-Certified Child Abuse Pediatrician, Child's Voice - Sanford Medical Center; Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine

2015

Christina Howard, MD
College: Georgetown University
Medical School: University of Louisville School of Medicine
Residency: University of Louisville/Norton Children's Hospital
Employment Post Graduation: Medical Director and Chief, Kosair Charities Division of Pediatric Forensic Medicine at the University of Kentucky/Kentucky Children's Hospital, Lexington, Kentucky

By The Numbers

1300 patients evaluated annually (not including children seen at the CAC)

50% of non-CAC patients are evaluated at Norton Children's Hospital

50% of non-CAC patients are outside case review/management

150-200 patients evaluated at the Child Advocacy Center annually

~50% of patients have physical abuse as a primary concern

~25% of patients have neglect as a primary concern

~25% of patients have sexual abuse as a primary concern (not including children seen at the CAC)

~75 patients with intracranial injury per year

~180 patients with fracture per year

~15 cases of suspected Pediatric Condition Falsification/Medical Child Abuse per year

Year 1 Curriculum	Duration	Location
Child Abuse Pediatrics*	6 months
Child Advocacy Center*	1 month
Radiology*	0.5 months
Genetics & Endocrinology	0.5 months
Child Psychiatry & Psychology	0.5 months
Home of the Innocents	0.5 months
Pediatric Surgery	0.5 months
Research*	2.5 months
Year 2 Curriculum	Duration	Location
Child Abuse Pediatrics*	5 months
Child Advocacy Center*	1 month
Adolescent Gynecology	0.5 months
Hematology	0.5 months
Neurosurgery	0.5 months
Medical Examiner's Office	0.5 months
Ophthalmology	0.5 months
Research*	3.5 months
Year 3 Curriculum	Duration	Location
Child Abuse Pediatrics*	3 months
Child Advocacy Center*	1 month
PM&R	0.5 months
Radiology*	0.5 months
Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics	0.5 months
Orthopedics & Biomechanics	0.5 months
Research*	6 months

*Vacation (4 weeks per academic year) scheduled during these rotations