Child Welfare Expert Witnesses in Pennsylvania

This highly qualified, double board certified doctor has extensive experience in the field of the child abuse and neglect. He is on the Executive Council of the International Society for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect and is Past President of the Helfer Society, an honorary international group of physicians working in the field of child maltreatment. He has served on the Boards of Prevent Child Abuse America and the American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children. Dr. Dubowitz is a clinician, researcher, and educator, and he is active in the policy arena. He edited Neglected Children: Research, Practice and Policy and co-edited the Handbook for Child Protection Practice, as well as International Aspects of Child Abuse and Neglect and ISPCAN’s World Perspectives 2012. He has over 180 publications and has presented at many regional, national and international conferences.

This expert is Board of Governors Professor in the Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research and the School of Social Work for a leading NJ University. At the Institute, he directs the Center for Health Services Research on Pharmacotherapy, Chronic Disease Management, and Outcomes, whose programs include the AHRQ-funded Center for Education and Research on Mental Health Therapeutics. He also is Chair of the Institute's Division on Aging and Associate Institute Director for Health Services Research. His work, which has resulted in more than 250 publications, includes many widely cited books and research articles on old-age policy and services for the elderly; on the use and outcomes of psychotropic medications and other mental health treatments; on HIV/AIDS care; and on numerous other health care and social policy topics. His work on gerontological policy and inequality has been particularly influential nationally, as the cumulative advantage model of aging which he originally proposed in the 1980s and has developed in a line of subsequent work has contributed to understanding of late-life inequalities and the way in which initial advantages such as educational attainment; social structures; health and economic events over the lifecourse; and public policies interact to shape late-life outcomes. He has also been an important contributor to research on long-term care and mental health among the elderly. His work on mental health services has contributed importantly to understanding problems of healthcare access, quality and disparities in large usual care populations, particularly those served by Medicare and Medicaid. Much of his recent work has focused on prescription drug use in society where he has pioneered important studies on treatment use, safety, and effectiveness, including current work on comparative effectiveness of treatments funded by the FDA and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. In 2009, his contributions to scholarship on health services and outcomes were recognized by his appointment as Board of Governors Professor of Health Services Research at a leading NJ University with the university's Board of Governors citing his "major theoretical, methodological, and research contributions in the fields of aging, HIV care, and behavioral health; his highly influential and social policy scholarship; the impressive rigor of his cross-disciplinary research contributions that have shaped thinking, both in the U.S. and abroad, on issues confronting some of the most vulnerable groups in our society" and for his "numerous and enormously influential books, journal articles, reports, and other publications . and his outstanding contributions to improving decision-making in public policy as evidenced by his frequent invitations to testify before and advise Congress and other policymakers."

This experienced social worker and city employee held Director roles in the City of New York Administration for Children's Services for over 14 years. She was the Director of Supervision and Case Practice Improvement and then the Director of the Office of Preventive Family Team Conferencing before leaving government leadership in 2013. The expert has a master's in Social Work from NYU and previously worked as a legal aid social worker.

This child welfare industry executive has over 25 years of social services experience, including 15 years in leadership roles at foster care agencies. She earned her B.S. in Psychology from Western Connecticut State University and her M.S.W from Smith School for Social Work; she is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. She began her career as a Social Worker and Supervisor and then joined Green Chimneys Children's Services as the Director of Social Services. From 1999 until 2004, the expert was the Director of Foster Home Services & Adoption and a Vice President at Jewish Child Care Association, in charge of the foster care division. The expert later served as JCCA's Senior Vice President of Foster Home & Residential Services and completed her career as the Assistant Executive Director at Good Shepherd Services, where she rolled out a new foster care program and oversaw a $12 million budget from 2011 until retiring in 2014.

This expert has been involved in executive, management, policy-making, and consulting in the field of social welfare since 1980. He earned his master's in Social Work from Case Western Reserve University and also has a J.D. from Cleveland-Marshall College of Law. The expert is an honorary fellow of the American Academy of Adoption Attorneys and an Editorial Board member on several social work journals. He is currently a social work professor in New York City and an active litigation consultant.

This well-credentialed, experienced expert earned her B.A. from Ohio University, her Master of Social Work from Clark Atlanta University, and her Ph.D. in Social Welfare from Hunter College School of Social Work of the City University of New York. The expert has worked extensively in the public sector, with government roles including the Director of the Office of Adolescent Services for the New York City Human Resources Administration, the Interim Commissioner of the Child Welfare Administration, and an appointed Member of the Mayor's Commission on the Foster Care of Children. At NYU, she was previously the Chair of the Social Welfare Programs and Policies area. She is also a consultant reviewer for the Children’s Bureau of the Administration for Children and Families and previously held many faculty appointments, including as Director and Chair of the Westchester Social Work Education Consortium.

This highly qualified expert earned her BA in Forensic Psychology and her MA in Criminal Justice from John Jay College. She went on to receive her MSW from Hunter College and her MPhil and PhD in Social Welfare from the City University of New York. She is a certified field instructor and rape crisis counselor and a licensed clinical social worker. She has over 15 years of clinical and research experience in social work and has published over 12 journal articles and reports on various topics in social work, including youth criminal offenders. She formerly served as a forensic examiner for the Pasadena Juvenile Court and as an assistant professor and interim director of field education at California State University, Los Angeles. She currently serves as the director of field education for a social work school in NY.

This well-credentialed expert is a licensed psychologist in New York and New Jersey, as well as a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in New York. He earned his B.A. in Psychology from Adelphi University, his M.A. in Clinical Psychology, and his Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. After completing his Ph.D., the expert began his career working at the Catholic Charities foster care and group home agency in Brooklyn. He later directed a large mental health system in Oklahoma and then served as the Clinical Director of a large county mental health clinic upon returning to New York. The expert is active in New York and New Jersey as a forensic psychologist, providing testing and assessment of patients including psychological diagnosis, child abuse/neglect assessments, and alcohol/substance abuse assessments.

This qualified expert is a licensed marriage and family therapist with years of experience specializing in early childhood mental health. She received her BA in psychology from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and her MA in counseling psychology from Alliant International University. She completed an internship in child and family therapy at the Salvation Army Clinic in Mexico City. She is active in her field as a member of the New York State Association for Infant Mental Health. Her former positions include case manager for SKIP of New York, a child abuse prevention program specialist for the New York Foundling, and a preventive social worker for Association to Benefit Children. Currently, this expert serves as a therapist and early childhood mental health consultant and the clinical supervisor the early childhood mental health therapeutic center for a mental healthcare association in New York. Additionally, she is an independent consultant and therapist for a private practice in New York.

This expert has over 20 years of experience in social work. He earned his BA in economics from Hamilton College and his MSW from Columbia University. He also completed several certificate programs, including a graduate certificate in social work administration and an executive certificate through the Institute of Not-For-Profit Management at Columbia University. This expert has completed numerous professional development courses as well, including trauma systems therapy and therapeutic crisis intervention. He serves as a child/volunteer protection advocate board member for the Briarcliff Youth Soccer Club and volunteered with the Council of Family and Child Caring Agencies as the foster boarding home committee co-chair and as part of the Medicaid managed workgroup. Much of his career was spent working for the Jewish Child Care Association, where he served as a social worker, unit director of the Edenwald Residential Treatment Center, and foster home services director and senior vice president. Currently, this expert serves as the executive vice president and chief operations officer for a nonprofit in New York that provides housing for veterans.