Monday Keynote, 8:30AM
Strategies and Tools to Improve Psychological Safety and Cross-Disciplinary Teamwork
Presenter: Karthik Balakrishnan, MD, MPH
Summary: Modern pediatric care increasingly involves multidisciplinary teams. As the complexity of these teams and their patient care activities increases, the importance of psychological safety, effective teamwork, and honest communication also increase. These characteristics are associated with successful and effective teams and can be developed and cultivated to improve the effectiveness of existing teams.
Objectives: Participants will be able to describe key aspects of successful teams; describe tools and strategies to increase psychological safety in their teams; describe tools and strategies to promote effective teamwork and communication.
Monday, 10:15AM
Medical Child Abuse: A Multi-Disciplined Approach for a Successful Outcome
Presenter: Detective Michael Weber, MS
Summary: This presentation will highlight effective investigative techniques for Child Protective Services and Police in Medical Child Abuse investigations. Successful outcomes rely on effective communication between all members of the multidisciplinary team. Initial CPS interview of the suspect will be discussed, as well as: victim placement, forensic interviewing, police suspect interview, the importance of social media and obtaining search warrants for computing devices, and proper documentation for both police and CPS.
Objectives: Participants will be able to recognize Medical Child Abuse as a dangerous form of child abuse and a crime; articulate best placement options for victims and which to avoid; discuss the importance of finding and preserving the suspect’s social media accounts prior to contact.
Monday, 11:45AM
Surviving Munchausen By Proxy, The Healing Process, and the Hope for Survivors – A Survivor’s Perspective
Presenter: Jordyn Hope (they/them)
Summary: In this presentation, Jordyn will be sharing their personal story of being raised by a mother with Munchausen by Proxy. They will share medical records spanning over a decade, explicitly showing how the system fails victims of this type of abuse. Jordyn will describe their healing journey, and explore how systems meant to help people heal and thrive often lead strugglers to merely survive. They will conclude the presentation by talking about their plans for the future, and giving hope for survivors.
Objectives: Participants will be able to recognize how the medical system often fails victims and why doctors end up performing unnecessary tests and procedures; explain how this type of abuse affects victims/survivors; identify changes that could help with the healing process.
Tuesday Keynote, 8:30AM
Randy & Me: A Prosecutor’s Story of His Childhood Sexual Abuse
Presenter: Kevin Mulcahy, JD
Summary: This presentation will recount Kevin’s own story of sexual exploitation at the hands of his soccer coach, Randy. But, it will not be merely a retelling of the past. Instead, the presentation will address lessons learned from his case by combining Kevin’s experience both as a victim and a long-time prosecutor of child exploitation cases. Knowing what he knows now, Kevin believes there are lessons to be learned from his story for the investigator (Kevin’s was great), the prosecutor (Kevin’s was terrible), and the forensic interviewer (Kevin did not have one). Beyond these useful lessons, the presentation will provide plenty of time for questions from attendees. Given the nature of our work, we don’t often get to ask beyond factual questions of our child victims. This presentation will provide that opportunity.
Objectives: Participants will be able to recognize challenges the victims of childhood sexual abuse face; learn effective techniques in communicating with victims; learn answers to many common questions those in the child abuse have for victims of childhood sexual abuse, but are often unable or unwilling to ask; appreciate the awesome responsibility facing those professionals who do this work; examine their commitment to working in this field.
Tuesday, 10:15AM
Lost Voices: Finding the Beat to Promote Healing Among Youth Who Have Experienced Trauma
Presenter: Mike Ball; Michelle Munro-Kramer, PhD, CNM, FNP-BC
Summary: There is mounting evidence that a history of trauma impacts an individual’s acute and chronic use of healthcare services, as well as their health outcomes. Expertise on treating trauma and traumatic stress sequelae has been siloed in the mental health professions and focused on psychology and neuroscience, yet alternative interventions are needed, especially for very high-risk youth populations. The use of expressive arts or utilizing various art modalities, such as music and writing
in a supportive environment to contribute to growth and healing, have positive anecdotal evidence but lack rigorous scientific evaluation (Rogers, 1993). Lost Voices (www.lostvoices.org), a group of professional musicians started in 2007 by Mike Ball, is the only community-based group providing trauma-informed music therapy to youth who have experienced trauma in Southeast Michigan. Their intervention engages youth in songwriting workshops that focus on an individual’s story and song as well as a group song followed by a performance of the songs supported by professional musicians. In every Lost Voices program, the musicians create a safe and non-judgmental atmosphere where the youth can reach into their deepest feelings and ideas, then express them in original songs. Over the years, this intervention has touched more than 2,500 youth and produced dramatic therapeutic breakthroughs. Due to the youth’s positive responses to the intervention, there is growing interest in expansion, including using virtual modalities in response to the current COVID-19 pandemic, as well as evaluation of mental health outcomes. This presentation will review the literature related to expressive arts as trauma intervention for youth, and explore the Lost Voices intervention model and preliminary intervention outcomes.
Objectives: Participants will be able to summarize the literature related to expressive arts as an intervention for youth who have experienced trauma; articulate the Lost Voices model and trauma- informed framework; illustrate the key outcomes of the Lost Voices intervention as described by key stakeholders (youth and staff) who have participated in the program.
Tuesday, 11:45AM
Strangulation as a Form of Child Abuse
Presenters: Cathy Baldwin-Johnson, MD, FAAFP; Katherine Snyder, MD, MPH, FAAP
Summary: This case-based presentation will review the clinical ways in which children who have been strangled may present and the anatomic and physiologic differences between child and adult victims. Known risks and complications based on current literature will be reviewed. Finally, we will use recent studies to discuss a rational approach to the medical evaluation and imaging of children who have been strangled.
Objectives: Participants will be able to recognize common signs and symptoms of children who have been strangled; utilize developmentally appropriate medical history questions to guide what work up is needed; develop a rational approach for imaging of strangled children when clinically indicated.