Interdisciplinary Training Program in Child Abuse and Neglect

The Center on Child Abuse and Neglect (CCAN) in the Department of Pediatrics offers a two-semester Interdisciplinary Training Program in Child Abuse and Neglect (ITP) for advanced students in medicine, dentistry, occupational therapy/physical therapy, psychology, law, social work, education, public health, nursing, sociology, and related disciplines. Established in 1987, the ITP provides specialized training in clinical practice, prevention, policy formation, child advocacy, research, and administration in the field of child abuse and neglect. Over 330 US students and 7 international students have participated in the ITP program.

The Interdisciplinary Training Program in Child Abuse and Neglect (ITP) is directed by the Center on Child Abuse and Neglect at the OU Child Study Center in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center (OUHSC). The Center on Child Abuse and Neglect has eleven faculty members who teach, conduct research, provide patient care, and administer child abuse treatment and research programs.

The Center on Child Abuse and Neglect is located in Children’s Hospital at the OU Medical Center, a major children’s teaching hospital and clinical facility used in the diagnosis and treatment of abused and neglected children in Oklahoma. The didactic seminar of the Interdisciplinary Training Program is conducted at the OU Child Study Center. Currently, faculty members and practicing professionals from a variety of disciplines participate in the ITP academic program.

To be eligible for the ITP, students must:

• Be enrolled in a graduate or a postgraduate program;
• Have sufficient background in their major discipline to benefit from interdisciplinary training;
• Evidence a career interest and commitment to the field of child abuse and neglect;
• Demonstrate leadership potential; and
• Have the recommendation of their major advisor or department chair.

**Special consideration is given to faculty members and international students**

Interested in the Interdisciplinary Training Program? Click here to access the brochure, or find more information by clicking through the menus on the right side of the page in the "ITP SPOTLIGHT" box. Or, Email Alisha Booth for more information.

OU Health Sciences Center Graduates 15 From Child Abuse Program

Oklahoma City, OK -- The Interdisciplinary Training Program in Child Abuse and Neglect, a specialized graduate program in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, will hold its 19th graduation ceremony April 26, graduating 15 students. Cheryl Thornton, LCSW, from the Department of Human Services, will be the featured speaker for the event.

The goal of the program, which is sponsored by the Center on Child Abuse and Neglect, is to train professionals to become leaders in the field of child abuse and neglect in clinical practice, research, administration and prevention.

The eight-month graduate-level program provides academic and clinical experience for students in a wide range of related disciplines, including medicine, psychology, sociology, law, dentistry, social work, education and nursing. The course work is designed to increase students’ knowledge of child maltreatment, according to Dr. Barbara L. Bonner, director of the Center on Child Abuse and Neglect. It also increases the participants' awareness of the roles of other professionals involved in the field of child abuse and neglect.

More than 290 students have graduated from the Interdisciplinary Training Program since 1987.

The graduates of 2007 are: Heidi Slinkard Brasher from the Oklahoma City University School of Law, Amy L. Damashek from the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center Department of Pediatrics, Rachel Canuso Holt from the University of Oklahoma College of Law, Lisa A. Humphreys from the Indiana University School of Education, Erin Elizabeth Kennedy from the University of Oklahoma College of Law, Leslie A. Moore from the Oklahoma City University School of Law, Sridevi Nagumalli from the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Melissa Margaret Peters from the University of Oklahoma College of Law, Linda M. Pizzini from the University of Oklahoma College of Law, Cara Rodriguez from the University of Oklahoma College of Law, Jeff R. Smith from the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center College of Nursing, Amanda Ward from the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center Department of Pediatrics, Lisa Mary Ware from the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center Department of Pediatrics, Margie Weaver from the Oklahoma City University School of Law, and Belinda LaDawn Wiley from the University of Oklahoma School of Social Work.