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Child Abuse Pediatrics Fellowship

The Child Abuse Pediatrics Fellowship at Indiana University and Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis, Indiana is a three year ACGME accredited program. Our fellowship program offers extensive clinical subspecialty training in child abuse pediatrics at Indiana’s only Level I Pediatric Trauma Center. Our four full-time and one part-time faculty physicians are all board-certified child abuse pediatricians. Our section also includes pediatric nurse practitioners (PNPs), social workers, registered nurses, and data entry/research staff. Fellows have opportunities to work closely with a wide variety of other medical and surgical subspecialists and community partners.

The IU Child Protection Program (CPP) was founded in 1985 and provides consultation services to children, families and professionals involved with child maltreatment. The CPP mission is to improve care, evaluation and coordination of services to children who are suspected victims of child abuse or neglect. Collaboration with professionals from other disciplines that work in this field and work with multidisciplinary teams is an important component of the CPP work. We offer:

  • Comprehensive medical evaluations for children about whom abuse or neglect is suspected;
  • Comprehensive medical evaluations for children recently entering the foster care system;
  • Professional consultation for health care providers, child protective services (CPS), law enforcement officers or other professionals;
  • Expert testimony in legal settings;
  • Professional education;
  • Parent education;
  • Prevention efforts; and
  • Leadership in identifying and solving community issues dealing with child abuse.

Diversity

The Department of Pediatrics is committed to recruiting a diverse group of individuals for fellowship. To learn more about diversity initiatives at the department and school level, follow the links below.

GME Diversity

Pediatrics Diversity

Video

Find out about all the Child Protection fellowship program has to offer

Program Leadership

Fellowship Director
18688-Hicks, Ralph

Ralph A. Hicks, MD

Professor of Clinical Pediatrics

Read Bio

Division Chief
22742-Thompson, Shannon

Shannon L. Thompson, MD, BA, FAAP

Associate Professor of Clinical Pediatrics

Read Bio

Program Coordinator
Pediatric Nephrology fellowship coordinator

Lyn Terrell

lynterre@iu.edu

Our Services

  • Child Abuse Consultation Service
    The Child Abuse Consultation Service provides comprehensive medical evaluations for children alleged to have been abused or neglected. For the year ending June 30, 2019 a total of 6,110 children were referred to our program for concern about any type of child maltreatment. Included in these were a total of 542 patient examinations performed at Riley Hospital for Children (222 sexual abuse exams, 320 physical abuse/other). Requests for consultation come from health care providers, CPS, law enforcement, attorneys and other professionals.
  • PEDS Program
    PEDS Program (Pediatric Evaluation and Diagnostic Services): Since 2008, in collaboration with the Indiana Department of Child Services (which houses CPS), CPP physicians have provided formal consultation for agency case managers. The goal of the PEDS Program is to provide expert knowledge from child abuse pediatricians in order to assist case managers in understanding medical aspects of their cases, including differentiating abusive injuries, accidental injuries and medical conditions.
  • Pediatric Center of Hope
    The Pediatric Center of Hope (child sexual abuse clinic) provides comprehensive medical evaluation for children alleged to have been sexually abused. Children are referred primarily by CPS, law enforcement, and health care providers. Patients are seen for both scheduled and acute examinations (the latter often involving forensic evidence collection).
  • Foster Care Bridge Clinic
    Foster Care Bridge Clinic (FCBC) is the newest CPP program and opened in May 2019. The FCBC addresses the limited health care access and unmet health needs (medical, dental, mental health, developmental, and psychosocial) of children recently placed in foster care until a permanent medical home is identified. Children seen in FCBC receive a multidisciplinary trauma-informed (1) comprehensive medical evaluation; (2) developmental screening, social-emotional screening, and behavioral surveillance; and (3) social determinants/safety assessment.
  • Liaison Child Abuse Forum
    The Liaison Child Abuse Forum is a community coordination effort founded and directed by the Child Protection Program. This forum brings together Marion County CPS, law enforcement, prosecutor, and public school system representatives on a monthly basis to solve community problems in the identification, evaluation and handling of child abuse cases.
  • Marion County Child Fatality Review Team
    The Marion County Child Fatality Review Team was developed in 1994 under the leadership of the CPP. This multidisciplinary/multiagency team meets monthly and reviews child fatalities in Marion County to assess the (1) epidemiology of child deaths not due to natural causes, and (2) potential to better understand child deaths and possibly their prevention.
  • Educational Efforts
    The team has regular multi-disciplinary case review and educational sessions. They include a weekly review of hospital-based consultations, a monthly radiology and neuroradiology child abuse case review conference, and a monthly review of acute sexual assault examinations. Team members are regularly asked to provide trainings for professionals in various disciplines locally and statewide. Several secondary level pediatricians around the state have joined with us to assist with the medical evaluations of children reported to CPS, and they are invited to participate virtually in our weekly case reviews.

Necessary for Application

Prerequisites for acceptance into the IU Child Abuse Pediatrics Fellowship Program are graduation from an accredited U.S. medical school (or for International Medical Graduates a valid unexpired ECFMG certificate) and successful completion of a 3 year accredited U.S. residency in general pediatrics. Applicants will be considered who are U.S. citizens, have permanent residence status (green card holder), or a J-1 visa.

Applications should be submitted through the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS). In addition to the MyERAS application, we require three letters of recommendation (one of which must be from the applicant’s residency program director), personal statement, curriculum vitae, USMLE transcript (or COMLEX transcript for DO applicants), and ECFMG Status Report (International Medical Graduates only). Our program participates in the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) and therefore complies with the NRMP policies and rules.

Contact Us

For more information:

Lyn Terrell, C-TAGME
Program Coordinator
317-278-6425
lynterre@iu.edu

Ralph A. Hicks, MD
Program Director
317-274-2617
raahicks@iu.edu

Apply for Fellowship

Physicians interested in applying for a Pediatrics Fellowship program at IU School of Medicine should submit an application through the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS). Required materials are listed at the bottom of this page.

ERAS