Child Abuse Pediatrics Fellowship Program
- Overview and mission of the Child Abuse Pediatrics Fellowship
- Fellowship Program faculty
- Specific information by years and/or rotation
- Research expectations and opportunities
- General information on outcomes of fellows
- Multidisciplinary conferences and meetings
- How to apply
Overview and mission of the Child Abuse Pediatrics Fellowship
About Safe Place and our services
In 2001, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia inaugurated Safe Place: The Center for Child Protection and Health. Safe Place coordinates the Hospital's many support services to further enhance the protection and health of maltreated children by establishing innovative and effective initiatives. Safe Place provides comprehensive, accessible and high-quality healthcare to children who have been maltreated and those in substitute care. Through a multidisciplinary team model, the center promotes safety, health and developmental well-being in the lives of vulnerable children. In addition to quality patient care, the center provides an organizational structure that fosters professional collaboration in research, education, patient care, prevention and advocacy.
The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia identifies and treats more victims of child abuse than any medical institution in Pennsylvania. Abused children are referred to the Hospital from physicians, hospitals, law enforcement and social service agencies throughout the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the state of New Jersey. The Children's Hospital Child Abuse Team was created in 1974. This multidisciplinary team consists of physicians, social workers, nurses, psychologists and other Hospital personnel who have a long-standing interest and extensive experience in diagnosing and providing intervention for maltreated children.
About the Child Abuse Pediatrics Fellowship Program
A three-year ACGME accredited fellowship in child abuse pediatrics is included among Safe Place's many endeavors. The fellowship trains a pediatrician to become an academic leader in the growing subspecialty of child abuse pediatrics. The program is designed to provide the fellows with the pre-requisite training to become medical experts in all areas of child maltreatment, including physical abuse, sexual abuse, neglect (supervisional, medical and nutritional), psychological maltreatment, and factitious illness by proxy.
The fellowship is targeted to physicians who intend to pursue careers in academic settings as clinicians, researchers and teachers. Fellows are encouraged to pursue formal coursework for advanced degrees in clinical epidemiology, health policy or public health at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.
Child Abuse Pediatrics Fellowship Program faculty
Fellowship Program Director and Safe Place Medical Director
Philip V. Scribano, DO, MSCE
Division of General Pediatrics
The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
34th Street and Civic Center Boulevard
Philadelphia, PA 19104-4399
215-590-5357
scribanop@email.chop.edu
Fellowship Associate Program Director/Research Director
Joanne N. Wood, MD, MSHP
Division of General Pediatrics
The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
34th Street and Civic Center Boulevard
Philadelphia, PA 19104-4399
267-426-3107
woodjo@email.chop.edu
Safe Place Director
Cindy W. Christian, MD
Division of General Pediatrics
The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
34th Street and Civic Center Boulevard
Philadelphia, PA 19104-4399
215-590-2058
christian@email.chop.edu
Division Chief
Louis M. Bell, MD
Division of General Pediatrics
The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
34th Street and Civic Center Boulevard
Philadelphia, PA 19104-4399
215-590-1964
belll@email.chop.edu
Specific information by years and/or rotation
Year one
The first year is a clinical year, with the fellow focusing on ambulatory and inpatient care as well as participating in all clinical activities associated with the fellowship.
Developed to ensure the ACGME core competencies are achieved within each rotation, the fellow will develop an emerging expertise in the evaluation and management of a diverse array of child maltreatment conditions. Knowledge gained through practice-based learning will enable the fellow to understand and determine a comprehensive differential diagnosis for these conditions. Multidisciplinary team meetings, with progressive responsibility in leading those meeting discussions provide the fellow with substantive systems-based practice and communication skills.
Years two and three
The fellow continues to engage in clinical activities, with the added concentration of research training and conducting activities and projects in consultation with the fellowship director and other faculty.
Fellows are encouraged to pursue advanced degrees in clinical epidemiology, health policy or public health, with their masters' thesis scholarly efforts resulting in high-quality research implementation, analysis and dissemination.
Various training grants are available at CHOP and Penn to provide the Child Abuse Pediatrics fellow with ample resources to be successful in these formative research training years.
Throughout the fellowship, the fellow will achieve mastery in presenting to small and larger groups using various teaching methods and formats to develop her/his teaching skills as an academic physician. Didactic presentations, journal clubs and case-based teaching to medical students, pediatric and surgical residents, allied health professionals, law enforcement personnel, social workers and lawyers in the area of child maltreatment will foster this important skill.
Research expectations and opportunities
The fellow is expected to enhance research skills with the expectation that he or she will obtain a master's degree in clinical epidemiology, health policy or public health. The fellow will be expected to publish in a peer-reviewed journal and write case reviews/chapters in the first and second year, and complete an experimental research by the end of the third year of the fellowship program.
General information on outcomes of fellows
Past trainees continue their active involvement in the field and many have become nationally recognized for their work with abused children. The fellowship has provided a diverse child-abuse-pediatrics faculty as clinician-educators, advocates, researchers, and policy experts. Our graduates have had a significant influence in the field as national leaders through their ongoing scholarly activities.
Multidisciplinary conferences and meetings
The fellow is involved with a variety of multidisciplinary teams, including:
- The Philadelphia Children's Alliance was developed to provide joint police and social service interviews and mental health evaluations for children who are victims of sexual abuse. The fellow participates in biweekly case conferences of children seen at the PCA.
- Bucks County and Montgomery County Child Advocacy centers: These centers provide service to the outlying counties of Philadelphia. Our faculty provides medical evaluations to children referred from these centers and the fellow participates in the care and monthly case reviews.
- The Field Center for Children's Policy, Practice and Research: The Field Center brings the many resources of the University of Pennsylvania together to integrate policy, research and practice toward the goal of preserving children's developmental potential and assuring that America's children are safe and secure in their own homes and communities. The fellow participates in ongoing initiatives of the Center.
- Philadelphia Child Fatality Review Team/Act 33: The team was developed in 1993 and provides multidisciplinary evaluations of all children who die or experience near fatality in Philadelphia County. The fellow participates in monthly meetings held at the Medical Examiner's Office.
- Medical Legal Advisory Board on Child Abuse: The Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office brings together pediatricians, pathologists, radiologists, law enforcement agents, lawyers and other professionals to improve state legislation regarding child abuse. The board reviews difficult abuse cases to improve the prosecution of individuals who abuse children. The fellow attends meetings, participates in reviewing cases and learns about the politics of child abuse work.
- Subcommittee on Children in Substitute Care of the Children's Health Coalition: This Philadelphia-wide policy collaborative addresses system-wide barriers to health services of children in substitute care in order to improve the city's response to children's needs.
How to Apply
You may apply by downloading a PDF version of the application. Print the application, complete the appropriate fields and mail the application, along with any required documents, to the address listed at the end of the application form.
Instructions for application
The three-year fellowship seeks physicians who will have completed two to three years of training in an accredited residency program in order to sit for the American Board of Pediatrics certifying examination.
Applications are accepted year-round. All application materials must be received by September 1 of every year to be considered for a fellowship starting the following July. Interviews will be scheduled after receipt of all application documents.
The following should be sent to Philip Scribano, DO, MSCE:
- Completed application
- Three letters of reference
- Medical school transcript
- Curriculum Vitae
- One page summary highlighting interests, purpose and career goals as they pertain to the fellowship
- Parts 1, 2 and 3 of the USMLE taken within the past seven years, as required by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania or equivalent scores (copies are acceptable)
- If a graduate of a medical school outside the United States, Canada or Puerto Rico, valid ECFMG certificate or one that does not expire prior to the start of the fellowship
- If not a citizen of the United States, copy of permanent resident card or copy of current, appropriate visa
Contact Us
- 215-590-4923
- Contact Us Online
- Request an Appointment