53
Armed Forces Center for Child Protection
Fighting to End Child Abuse
The Armed Forces Center for Child Protection
(AFCCP) is the DoD’s premier site for clinical
assessment, expert consultation, training and
education in child abuse pediatrics. Staffing
includes pediatric subspecialists in forensic
pediatrics, specialized nursing and social work.
The AFCCP has a robust training mission,
providing education on the multidisciplinary
approach to child maltreatment to a variety of
high-stakes audiences throughout the DoD,
including 2-3 day training courses at military
installations
worldwide
with
targeted
audiences including physicians, other care
providers,
dentists,
chaplains,
law
enforcement,
family
advocacy
program
staffing and DoD school staff.
We also provide training and expert
consultation support to USU medical students;
new parent support programs; forensics
science course training for military criminal
investigators studying for graduate degrees in
forensics science; the Army Special Victims
Unit JAG training; and specialized training to
Navy and USMC criminal investigators and JAG
officers during their Advanced Family and
Sexual Violence Training on child interviewing;
and understanding medical reports on child
sexual abuse cases for the Maryland Child
First forensics interviewing course.
AFCCP staff can provide expert testimony in
legal hearings involving child abuse at any
military instillation.
The AFCCP serves as an excellent resource for
our pediatric residents, providing them
invaluable skills in the multidisciplinary
approach to child maltreatment.
AFCCP staff serve on multiple high-level
committees throughout the DoD, helping to
shape training, medical care and prevention
initiatives with regard to child abuse and
maltreatment.
The AFCCP is working on integrating
telemedicine into its clinical work in order to
provide expert child abuse assessments
remotely.
HM3 Kenneth Welch
uses a handheld portable
vision screener to
objectively quantify any
visual acuity anomalies
that would require
corrective lens during a
school physical exam.
The device, which can be
used with patients as
young as six months,
screens both eyes at once
from a non-threatening
3-foot distance.
54
The Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Service is
an integral component of the Murtha Cancer
Center. We provide initial consultation and
ongoing comprehensive care, both inpatient
and
outpatient,
for
infants,
children,
adolescents and young adults with cancer and
blood disorders. Our team of specialized
physicians, nurses and clinical social workers is
dedicated to providing the best care for
patients and supporting the families, with a
unique understanding of military service.
From the time of diagnosis, we provide
tailored comprehensive, family-centered care,
including
nutritional,
educational
and
psychosocial
resources.
Procedures
are
performed in the Pediatric Sedation Unit to
ensure maximal comfort for our patients.
The WRB Pediatric Hematology/Oncology
Clinic serves as the home of the six bed
Pediatric Infusion Clinic. In addition to
outpatient chemotherapy and transfusion
services, we support the Pediatric Subspecialty
Service’s
patients
requiring
outpatient
medication infusions. We also offer outreach
clinics at Fort Belvoir and Joint Base Andrews
to provide ample access to consultative
services within the National Capital Region,
and online medical consultations through the
HELP system for more remote areas.
The pediatric
hematology/oncology and
neonatal/perinatal
fellowship
training
programs have graduated more than 25
fellows from all three services (Air Force, Army
and Navy) over the past 30 years. It is
currently accredited through 2026. In addition
to clinical rotations at Walter Reed Bethesda,
the fellows engage at clinical rotations at
INOVA Fairfax Medical Center and Children’s
National Medical Center and engage in
research activities at NIH.
As a member of the Children’s Oncology
Group (a National Cancer Institute-supported
clinical trials group devoted exclusively to
childhood and adolescent cancer research),
we offer the opportunity for participation in
cutting-edge international clinical trials for our
cancer patients. Our robust adolescent and
young adult program bridges gaps and
supports this distinct population.
Our Patient-Centered Approach
In
collaboration
with
the
Pediatric
Subspecialty services, our care coordinator
works with physicians and families to facilitate
coordinated, complete care for all of our
medically complex children. For our sickle cell
patients and cancer survivors, we provide
comprehensive multidisciplinary clinics. In a
single day, patients are seen by all the
members of their care team, including several
pediatric subspecialists, child psychology,
audiology, ophthalmology and social work.
Recognizing the long-term effects of chronic
illness, our extensive survivorship program
includes a grant-funded Transitions of Care to
Adulthood initiative, as well as individualized
summaries of care.
Innovations in Care—the NCI/Murtha Cancer
Center Partnership
With the unity of effort between the Murtha
Cancer Center and the National Cancer
Institute, eight pediatric cancer patients on
NCI clinical trials received subspecialty care
and rehabilitation services at Walter Reed
Bethesda not available at the NIH Clinical
Center.
Curing Cancer through Research
Through the Children’s Oncology Group, the
Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Service had
20 Phase III therapeutic clinical trials and 10
tumor biology trials available for DoD
beneficiaries.
Specialized Programs for Young Adults
Over the year, the adolescent and young adult
program has increased support and resources
available to young adults, including many
active duty patients with cancer, and
has
standardized a fertility preservation protocol
for
Walter Reed Bethesda.
P
edia
tric H
e
ma
tolo
gy/
On
colo
gy
Tiffany James draws
lab work to help the
oncology team assess a
patient’s response to
therapy.
Dina S Parekh, MD
Chief, Pediatric
Hematology/Oncology
LTC
|
MC
|
USA
WRB