Dr. Marilyn Kaufhold is a child abuse pediatrician at the Chadwick Center for Children and Families at Rady Children’s Hospital. Her interest in child abuse began during her pediatric residency (1967-1971). The many years between then and now have only confirmed to her the importance of practice in this field. Well-developed research has clearly documented the negative effects of child abuse, in all its forms, on both the developing child and later the adult who struggles with its sequelae. Working in a multidisciplinary manner to recognize and intervene successfully requires skills and knowledge that she has learned throughout her many years in the field complemented by training that she received during her fellowship in Developmental Pediatrics. Additionally, Dr. Kaufhold recognizes her good fortune in being able to work alongside Dr. David Chadwick, a recognized pioneer in the field of child abuse pediatrics.
Dr. Kaufhold helped to develop the San Diego SART program for children under the age of 18. She then refined the California medical provider education course and ushered part of it into a virtual format. She has collaborated with physician and other professional colleagues to develop policies and procedures that the community could rely on to guide child abuse work in San Diego County. She instituted physician peer review of all cases of child abuse evaluated at The Chadwick Center, a practice that continues in a weekly format today, and initiated regular case review with Emergency Medicine physicians.
Dr. Kaufhold has co-authored an international child abuse curriculum and teaches regularly to include at the local, state, national and international levels (The Netherlands, Canada, Mexico, Belize, Colombia, Chile, Belgium, Switzerland, Poland, Hong Kong, Japan, Thailand, The Philippines, Zambia). International collaboration, a particular passion of Dr. Kaufhold’s, has offered her the opportunity to recognize that family and community dynamics which give rise to child abuse are very similar everywhere.