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Dr med. Oliver Berthold
Berlin, Germany
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Oliver Berthold is a General Pediatrician and certified as a child abuse physician by the German Medical Society on Child Abuse and Neglect (DGKiM). He graduated from Charité Medical School, Berlin, Germany in 2007 after study visits in Jerusalem, Israel and Brno, Czech Republic. He serves as medical director of the Child Abuse Clinic at DRK Kliniken Berlin | Westend, Berlin, Germany. In 2017, DRK Kliniken Berlin joined a cooperation with Ulm University Medical Center and Freiburg University Medical Center to establish a nationwide child abuse helpline for medical professionals.
Mr Berthold serves as a team leader from the outset of the program. Mr Berthold is engaged both in teaching medical students and medical professionals on a regional and national level. His particular scientific interest is the development of a program for the prevention of abusive head trauma, which is the topic of his thesis at Ulm University. |
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Martin Chalumeu
Paris, France
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Martin Chalumeau is a Professor of Pediatrics at Université Paris Cité, holds a PhD in Epidemiology, is a pediatrician at Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris. He is a member of the board of the Obstetrical, Perinatal and Pediatric and Life course Epidemiology Research Team at Inserm UMR 1153 where he co-coordinates the research axis on "Child and adolescent health: from early determinants to optimal care". He is the director of the University Hospitals Federation VEAVE which aims at reducing the incidence, the diagnosis and protection delays, and the deleterious lifelong consequences of violence against children and adolescents. He is the co-author of 187 peer-reviewed papers and has successfully supervised 12 PhD theses in Epidemiology. He has been elected at the Royal Academy of Medicine of Belgium in 2022.
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Flora Blangis
Paris, France
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Flora Blangis is a midwife and a postdoctoral researcher in epidemiology at the Obstetric, Perinatal, and Pediatric Life course Epidemiology team at Inserm in France and at the Social, Genetic, and Developmental Psychiatry Centre at King’s College London in the UK. Her area of research is violence against minors, with a focus on child physical abuse, including its prevention, detection and diagnosis, and its lifelong consequences. |
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Prof. Ignasi Barber, MD, PhD
Barcelona, Spain
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Head of the Peadiatric Radiology Department
Sant Joan de Déu Barcelona Childrens Hospital, Barcelona, Spain
Barcelona University
Member of the ESPR Child Abuse Task Force
President of the Spanish Society of Paediatric Radiology
Ignasi Barber is a Pediatric Radiologist, actual president of the Spanish Society of Paediatric Radiology (SERPE) and member of the Spanish Society of Radiology (SERAM) and the European Society of Paediatric Radiology (ESPR). Head of Paediatric Radiology at Sant Joan de Déu Barcelona Children’s Hospital. Associated Professor of Radiology at Barcelona Universtiy. Dr. Barber received training in child abuse imaging including a 2 years research fellowship at Boston Children’s Hospital under Dr Paul Kleinman mentorship. He serves as an imaging specialist in the child protection team program. Dr. Barber is engaged both in teaching medical students and radiologist professionals on a regional and national level. He is a member of the ESPR Child Abuse Imaging Task Force and the ESPR Educational Committee.
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Dr. Dena Nazer
Detroit, USA
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Dr. Nazer is a Professor of Pediatrics at the Wayne State University School of Medicine. She serves as the Medical Director at the Kids-TALK Children’s Advocacy Center (CAC) in Detroit, where she conducts medical evaluations for children suspected of maltreatment. She completed her pediatric residency, served as Chief Resident, and completed a fellowship in Child Abuse Pediatrics at the Children’s Hospital of Michigan. Prior to her current role, Dr. Nazer served for 11 years as the Medical Director of the Child Protection Team at the Children’s Hospital of Michigan.
Dr. Nazer is board certified by the American Board of Pediatrics in both General Pediatrics and Child Abuse Pediatrics. Dr. Nazer was recently appointed by Governor Gretchen Whitmer as Chair of the Michigan Human Trafficking Health Advisory Board and is currently serving her second term on the board. In addition to her clinical and academic work, Dr. Nazer regularly educates multidisciplinary team members-including law enforcement, prosecutors, and healthcare professionals-nationally and internationally. Her goal is to strengthen coordinated, team-based responses that ensure the best outcomes for children affected by maltreatment and human trafficking. |
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Brooks Keeshin, MD, DFAACAP, FAAP
Utah, USA
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Dr. Keeshin is a Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Utah, the Associate Vice Chair of Research in Child Mental Health at the Huntsman Mental Health Institute and an Affiliated Researcher at Uppsala University. A child abuse pediatrician and child psychiatrist, he provides clinical care to children and adolescents with histories of child abuse and other traumatic experiences at Primary Children’s Center for Safe and Healthy Families. In addition, Dr. Keeshin serves at the Consultant Medical Director for Measurement Based Care in the Behavioral Health Clinical Programs at Intermountain Health. Dr. Keeshin receives funding for research and projects from SAMHSA, PCORI, NIMH and the State of Utah, all in the areas of trauma and suicide prevention. As an example, Dr. Keeshin directs Pediatric Integrated Post-trauma Services (PIPS), a SAMHSA funded center of the National Child Traumatic Stress Network focused on empowering frontline pediatric providers to detect and respond to youth at risk for traumatic stress and suicide. Dr. Keeshin is the co-chair of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Child Maltreatment and Violence Committee and is a member of the AAP Council on Healthy Mental and Emotional Development Executive Committee. |
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Dr Joanne K. Nelson
Ireland
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Dr Joanne K. Nelson: is a Consultant Paediatrician, Forensic Physician and Clinical Director of the Child and Adolescent Sexual Assault Treatment Service in West / Mid-West Ireland. She graduated from Cambridge and Oxford Universities in the UK, with post graduate training in Northern Ireland and New Zealand. Barnahus West in Galway is the first of three Barnahus in Ireland where Dr Nelson leads forensic medical services for child victims of sexual abuse integrating with Barnahus Social Workers, Therapeutic teams and Specialist Forensic Interviewers. She is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians Ireland, Member of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health and Member / Examiner for the Faculty of Forensic and Legal Medicine UK. Dr Nelson acts as an expert medical witness for cases of child abuse and neglect. She holds numerous regional and national leadership and advocacy positions and participates actively in education, research, and teaching related to forensic medicine and child protection. |
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Bruno Etain MD, PhD
France
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Bruno Etain MD, PhD, is Professor of Psychiatry at the University Paris Cité in France. He is also appointed as a visiting researcher (since 2015) at the Centre for Affective Disorders (Pr AH Young), IOPPN, King’s College of London, UK. He heads the Centre of Expertise for Bipolar Disorder and Resistant Depression at Fernand Widal hospital in Paris where he acts as a psychiatrist, providing specialized consultations, medical expertise and psycho-education interventions for patients and caregivers. Since 2008, he is also one of the two executive directors of the FACE-BD network (FondaMental Advanced Centers of Expertise for Bipolar Disorder) that gathers 18 centres of expertise for Bipolar Disorders in France. He is head of a research group on mood disorders and addictions at the Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM UMRS 1144, www.umrs1144.com). His main domains of research are genetic factors, early environmental factors (mainly childhood trauma), circadian rhythms, response to lithium in mood disorders and cellular ageing. |
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Prof Catherine Adamsbaum
France
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Catherine Adamsbaum has had a 35-year career in pediatric radiology. She is an emeritus professor at the Paris-Saclay Faculty of Medicine after serving as chairman of the Department of Pediatric Radiology at Bicêtre Hospital, Assistance Publique des Hôpitaux de Paris. She has played a leading role in national and international scientific societies of pediatric radiology. She co-chaired the Child Abuse Taskforce of the European Society of Pediatric Radiology (ESPR) and co-organized the first International Conference on Abusive Head Trauma in Paris in 2014. She established the National Diploma in Child Abuse (Diplôme Interuniversitaire Maltraitance de l'Enfant: du diagnostic aux aspects médico-légaux). She is a member of the UNESCO Chair for Child Abuse. She then completed her medical career with academic studies in the humanities, i.e., anthropology, ethics, and philosophy. She is currently the national referent of the French National Society of Radiology (SFR) for ethical concerns and the referent for scientific integrity at the Paris Saclay Faculty of Medicine. She is a judicial expert in the Paris Court of Appeals and the French Supreme Court and a corresponding member of the French National Academy of Medicine. |
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Dr. Valeria Della Valle
France |
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Dr. Valeria Della Valle is a board-certified radiologist at Hôpital Trousseau in Paris, where she has been practicing since 2016. She serves as a referral specialist in imaging for suspected child abuse, with recognized expertise in pediatric and forensic imaging.
Dr. Valeria Della Valle is the coordinator of the national multidisciplinary meeting on child abuse in France. She is also a member of the educational committee of the inter-university diploma “Child Abuse: From Diagnosis to Medico-Legal Aspects.”
In addition to her clinical and academic activities, she acts as a trainer in continuing education programs at the École Nationale de la Magistrature and at the Haute École des Avocats Conseils, contributing to the training of judges and lawyers in medico-legal aspects of child maltreatment.
She is a court-appointed medical expert for the Paris Court of Appeal and has authored a large number of expert medical reports in this field. |
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Frédérique van Berkestijn, MD MHA
France |
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Frédérique van Berkestijn MD MHA is a member of the Executive Board and Chief Operational Officer (COO) at Radboud University Medical Center since April 1, 2025. Radboudumc is a university medical center for patient care, research, and education, located in Nijmegen, the Netherlands. Radboudumc wants to be at the forefront in shaping health and healthcare of the future.
Frédérique van Berkestijn studied Medicine at the University of Amsterdam, after which she continued her training as a pediatrician and pediatric neurologist at the Wilhelmina Children's Hospital/UMC Utrecht. In the years that followed she developed beside general pediatrics and child neurology a specific expertise in the neurological aspects of child abuse. Since 2009, she combined work as a medical doctor with management and organization of healthcare. To this end, she obtained the Master's degree in Health Administration from the TIAS School for Business and Society and followed the SIOO Healthcare Executive Leadership Program. From 2020, as head of the Pediatric department and CMO of the Children's Hospital of UMC Utrecht, she was responsible for the patientcare provided there. |
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Vanessa Griffiths Cárcamo-Robles
The netherlands |
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Vanessa Griffiths-Cárcamo is an international speaker and advocate dedicated to the prevention of child abuse and neglect, bringing an essential parent and survivor-family perspective to health professionals worldwide.
She is the mother of an Abusive Head Trauma (AHT) survivor. The injuries sustained left her oldest daughter, Ainhoa (20), with lifelong and complex medical challenges, both physically and cognitively. Vanessa is married and a proud mother of three daughters, and her family’s journey has profoundly shaped her mission to educate, prevent, and protect.
In 2013, Vanessa began giving annual lectures about her experiences to second-year medical students, together with pediatrician and neurologist Frédérique van Berkestijn. These lectures highlighted the importance of early recognition of child abuse and the human impact behind medical diagnoses.
This work led to an invitation to speak at the LECK (Dutch Expertise Centre Child Abuse), where she met Swedish pediatrician Gabriel Otterman. Through this connection, Vanessa was introduced to Danielle Vasquez, Executive Director of the National Center on Shaken Baby Syndrome, leading to international collaborations, including the ISPCAN Congress in Uppsala and work with organizations such as the NFI (Dutch Forensic Institute) and the World Health Organization.
Over more than 13 years, Vanessa has witnessed the profound impact of first-hand testimony in medical education. Her message is clear: early detection and education save lives. Sharing Ainhoa’s story gives purpose and strength—if even one life can be saved, then her daughter’s suffering will not be in vain. |
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Professor Kévin Beccaria – Pediatric Neurosurgeon
France |
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Professor Kévin Beccaria is a pediatric neurosurgeon at Necker–Enfants Malades Hospital (AP-HP) in Paris, France, where he practices within the Department of Pediatric Neurosurgery. He obtained his MD in 2013, completed his residency in neurosurgery the same year, and earned an inter-university diploma in neuro-oncology in 2016. He obtained his Habilitation to Direct Research (HDR) in 2021 and is actively involved in both academic teaching and clinical research.
Professor Beccaria leads the Pediatric Neuro-Oncology Unit at Necker Hospital, managing the full spectrum of central nervous system tumors in children, both benign and malignant, with approximately 300 surgical procedures performed annually. His clinical expertise includes craniopharyngiomas, optic pathway gliomas, pineal region tumors, and tumors in infants. He has particular experience in advanced surgical approaches, including endoscopic endonasal techniques for hypothalamic-pituitary tumors.
He also co-coordinates the regional multidisciplinary tumor board in pediatric neuro-oncology and collaborates closely with major oncology centers such as Gustave Roussy and Institut Curie. His research focuses on optimizing therapeutic delivery and improving outcomes in pediatric brain tumors.
Professor Beccaria is also recognized for his expertise in the management of non-accidental traumatic brain injury (NATBI) in children, including abusive head trauma (commonly referred to as shaken baby syndrome). His work emphasizes early diagnosis, multidisciplinary management, and long-term neurological outcomes. He has contributed to clinical and epidemiological research on the incidence and consequences of inflicted head injuries in infants, particularly in the Paris region, highlighting the need for coordinated medical, social, and legal approaches in these complex cases.
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Doctor Mathilde Chevignard - Medical Doctor specialized in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
France |
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Doctor Mathilde Chevignard is a Medical Doctor specialized in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. She leads a Rehabilitation Department devoted to Children and Adolescents with Acquired Neurological Injury, and an Outreach team devoted to children, adolescents and young adults who sustained Acquired Brain Injury, in the Saint Maurice Hospital in the Paris area, France. The department and the outreach team provide a very comprehensive intervention program, including in- and outpatient intensive rehabilitation, outpatient clinics and assessments, and outreach actions in the community, until transition to adult services.
She is a member of the French Reference Center for Childhood Stroke; she is an active member of the European Quality of Survival working group of the International Society of Pediatric Oncology (SIOP-Europe). She develops links with family and patient associations, including in the field of Abusive Head Trauma in order to better understand the consequences of injury on the child, but also on the whole family (including siblings), to understand their needs and improve care.
She is a member of the French Speaking Neuropsychological Society, and a board member of the International Pediatric Brain Injury Society (IPBIS). She chairs the Paris Region Brain Injury Association.
Her research focus is mostly on long term outcomes following childhood acquired brain injury, including Abusive Head Trauma, a very vulnerable group, one of the most severe group, and on the development of interventions aimed at improving everyday functioning, cognitive and behavioral impairments, participation and quality of life following childhood acquired brain injury.
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Véronique Béchu - Former French Police Commander, Specialist in Child Protection and Online Child Sexual Exploitation
France |
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Véronique Béchu is a former French Police Commander specialized in child protection and the fight against online child sexual exploitation. She studied criminal sciences and comparative law in France and the United States, and holds a Master’s degree in Policing and Human Rights from the University of Limerick. Since joining the French National Police in 2002, she has developed strong international expertise, representing France at Europol and Interpol.
In June 2025, she became Director of the Observatoire e-Enfance 3018, which analyzes data from the national helpline 3018 to monitor online harms affecting minors, produce transparency reports under the Digital Services Act, conduct technological and societal monitoring, and support research, prevention, and policy advocacy through national and international cooperation. She is also a speaker, trainer, and author of Derrière l’écran : combattre l’explosion de la pédocriminalité en ligne (Stock, 2024).
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