Maryland Child Abuse Medical Professionals (CHAMP) | Child Protection | University of Maryland Children's Hospital

Medical expertise in the evaluation of child abuse and neglect is crucial. Some Maryland jurisdictions have adequate medical resources for doing so, others have less or none. The Maryland Child Abuse and Neglect Initiative was established in 2005, when the Maryland General Assembly enacted Health General Article 13-2201-2206, Annotated Code of Maryland. The Initiative was renamed Maryland Child Abuse Medical Professionals (CHAMP) in 2008.

The University of Maryland School of Medicine helps lead the Maryland CHAMP network.

CHAMP Activities

CHAMP's goal is to help develop medical expertise related to child maltreatment in every Maryland jurisdiction. This is a valuable resource for evaluating suspected abuse or neglect in children, providing consultation and training to community professionals, and engaging in prevention activities.

CHAMP activities include:

Recruiting and training medical professionals in the area of child maltreatment.
Providing ongoing training and support for medical professionals working in this field.
Providing expert medical evaluations when concerns of child maltreatment arise.
Providing consultation to Child Protective Services (CPS), law enforcement, state's attorney's offices, pediatricians and other professionals.
Developing policies and practice guidelines to improve the systems' response to children and families with concerns of possible abuse or neglect.

CHAMP Faculty

Maryland CHAMP is led by a core faculty and includes a network of medical care professionals.

Howard Dubowitz, MD, MS, FAAP
Director, Child Protection Division and Professor of Pediatrics
University of Maryland School of Medicine

Mitchell Goldstein, MD, MBA
Assistant Professor, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
Faculty, Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins Medicine

Pamela Holtzinger, RN, FNE-P
SAFE Program Coordinator, Meritus Medical Center
Forensic Nurse Examiner, Frederick County Child Advocacy Center

Scott Krugman, MD, MS
Vice Chair, Department of Pediatrics, Sinai Hospital
Clinical Professor, University of Maryland School of Medicine

Wendy Lane, MD, MPH
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, University of Maryland School of Medicine
Clinical Associate Professor of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Maryland

Interested in learning more?

We wish to engage with all Maryland physicians and forensic nurse examiners (FNE-Ps) who are working in the child maltreatment field. If you are interested in being part of CHAMP or simply wish to learn more, please call 410-706-1703.