Shalon Nienow, MD

Dr. Shalon Nienow an Associate Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at the University of California San Diego, Division Chief of Child Abuse Pediatrics, and Associate Program Director of the Child Abuse Pediatrics Fellowship at UC San Diego School of Medicine. In addition she is the Medical Director at the Chadwick Center for Children and Families.

As a child abuse pediatrician, Dr Nienow provides medical evaluations for children who are alleged victims of all forms of child abuse/neglect. Dr. Nienow frequently serves as an expert witness in civil and criminal legal proceedings related to all aspects of child maltreatment. Dr. Nienow has conducted research in patterns of disclosure in child sexual abuse, methods of testing for sexually transmitted infections in children, child abuse in the military, the facilitation of sexual assault by social media, and abusive head trauma. Dr Nienow serves as the co-chair of the Rady Children’s Hospital Medical Child Welfare Committee which is a novel program designed to recognize and respond to medical over utilization, vulnerable child syndrome, and medical child abuse. She was a co-author of a paper published in Pediatrics regarding this approach. She regularly provides trainings to various members of the multidisciplinary team. Dr. Nienow is the editor for the AAP’s newest PREP curriculum on Child Abuse & Neglect, served on the ABP content development team for Maintenance of Certification for the Child Abuse Sub-Board, and served as an elected member of the Executive Committee of the Helfer Society. In addition, she was chosen to serve as a subject matter consultant for the 2021 CDC STD Treatment Guidelines section regarding Sexual Assault or Abuse of Children. Areas of professional interest include starvation and torture, abusive burn patterns, psychological maltreatment, medical child abuse, disclosure patterns and sexually transmitted infections.

Education

Undergraduate Education: Bachelor of Science in Nursing, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY
Graduate Education: Certificate in Anatomy, Medical College of Virginia at Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA
Medical Degree: Medical College of Virginia at Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA
Internship & Residency: Pediatrics, Medical College of Virginia at Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA
Fellowship: Child Abuse Pediatrics, The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, TX
Special Certifications:

Board Certified in General Pediatrics, American Board of Pediatrics
Board Certified in Child Abuse Pediatrics, American Board of Pediatrics

Scholarly Work

Areas of Interest

Medical Child Abuse
Starvation/Torture
Patterns of Disclosure in Child Sexual Abuse
Sexually Transmitted Infections in Children

Publications

Vega, ST, Nienow, SM, Kellogg, ND. Supervisory Neglect In: Physical Abuse Series. Evidentia Learning. [elearning module]
Nienow, SM & Paugh, TR. Academy for Professional Excellence. (2004). Advanced Physical Abuse and Neglect for Child Welfare Workers. [Curriculum].
Yaphockun, K., Hatt, D., Nienow, S., Hollenbach, K., & Bryl, A. W. (2025). Standardization of the Child Physical Abuse Evaluation in a Pediatric Emergency Department. Hospital Pediatrics, 15(4), 291-299.
Smith-Dewey R, Bachim A, Bressler C, Campbell KA, Frasier L, Greeley C, Horton D, Johnson N, Leonard J, Letson MM, McNamara C, Sherman A, Nienow S, Sommers SW, Wood JN, Anderst J, (2026) AHT Diagnoses: The Influences of Clinical Presentation and Evidence of Impact, Child Abuse & Neglect, 174, 107978
Nienow, SM, Burrell, T, Phillips, J. Sexual Abuse Findings In: Anderst J, ed. Visual Diagnosis of Child Abuse, 4^th Edition. American Academy of Pediatrics [USB flash Drive]; 2016
Kellogg ND, Melville JD, Lukefahr, JL, Nienow, SM, Russell EL. Detection of Genital & Extragenital Gonorrhea & Chlamydia in Children Evaluated for Sexual Abuse. Pediatric Emergency Care. 2018 November; 34 (11): 761-766. 2018
Northrop, SA & Nienow, SM. Medical Management of the Adolescent Sexual Abuse/Assault Victim. In: Laskey T & Sirotnak A, eds. Child Abuse Medical Diagnosis and Management, 4^thLocation: American Academy of Pediatrics. 2019
Kellogg ND, Koek W, Nienow SM. Factors that prevent, prompt, and delay disclosures in female victims of sexual abuse. Child Abuse and Neglect. 101 (2020): 104360. 2020
Rooks V, Wood, JR, Hamele MT, Farnsworth GM, Nienow SM. Perspective: Child abuse in the Military. Pediatric Radiology. 2021 May, 51 (6): 883-890.
Vega, S., Nienow, S. M., Huang, M. Z., & Stover, L. B. (2023). Medical Child Welfare Task Force: a multidisciplinary approach to identifying medical child abuse. Pediatrics, 151(2), e2022058926.
Kellogg, ND, Nienow, SM. Torture and Starvation In: Physical Abuse Series. Evidentia Learning. [elearning module]
Joskowitz, K., Patwardhan, U. M., Floan, G. M., Heflinger, M., Cruz, S., David, M., ... & Ignacio, R. C. (2023). Evaluating outcomes of non-accidental trauma in military children. Journal of the American College of Surgeons, 10-1097.
Jadhav, P., Sears, T., Floan, G., Joskowitz, K., Nienow, S., Cruz, S., ... & Ignacio, R. C. (2024). Application of a machine learning algorithm in prediction of abusive head trauma in children. Journal of pediatric surgery, 59(1), 80-85.

Most Relevant Presentations

2021: Speaker, 36^th Annual San Diego International, Conference on Child and Family Maltreatment
2021: Preconference Institute, “Medical Evaluation of Child Sexual Abuse”
2023: Speaker, 38^th Annual San Diego International Conference on Child and Family Maltreatment
Preconference Institute, “Medical Evaluation of Child Sexual Abuse” 2023: Speaker 38^th Annual San Diego International Conference on Child and Family Maltreatment
Workshops: “I’ll Show You Mine if You Show Me Yours: Sexual Behaviors in Childhood”, “The Role of the Medical Director in Pediatric Sexual Assault Nursing Programs”, & “Concepts of Courtroom Testimony and Mock Trial – Part 2”
2023: Invited Speaker, Safe Care New Mexico TeleECHO Program, “STIs in Children”
2023: Invited Speaker, CDAA & California Forensic Medical Institute, Adult and Pediatrics Sexual and Physical Assault Examiner Training, “Child Sexual Abuse and Assault”
2023: Invited Speaker, Southern New Mexico Conference on Child Abuse and Neglect, Kid’s Inc Child Advocacy Center, “Child Sexual Abuse” & “Normal Sexual Behaviors in Children”
2023: Invited Speaker, NYAR Research Center Research Summit 2023, “Child Abuse Prevention – Teaching Body Autonomy”
2023: Invited Speaker, Illinois Juvenile Prosecutors Institute webinars “Normal Sexual Behaviors in Children”
2023: Invited Speaker, Child Abuse Pediatrics Fellowship ECHO, National Telemedicine Platform for Education of Child Abuse Fellows, “Medical Child Abuse”
2023: Invited Speaker, International Conference on Forensic Nursing Science and Practice (IAFN), “All Things Pediatric – What Every Pediatric SANE Nurse Should Know
2024: Speaker, 39^th Annual San Diego International Conference on Child and Family Maltreatment
Preconference Institute, “Medical Evaluation of Child Sexual Abuse”
2024: Speaker 39^th Annual San Diego International Conference on Child and Family Maltreatment
Workshops: “Physical Abuse For The Forensic Nurse” & “Medical Child Abuse – An MDT Response”
2024: Invited Speaker, Southern New Mexico Conference on Child Abuse and Neglect, Kid’s Inc Child Advocacy Center, “Abusive Head Trauma” & “Bias In Child Abuse Evaluations”
2025: Speaker 40^th Annual San Diego International Conference on Child and Family Maltreatment Preconference Institute “Medical Evaluation of Child Sexual Abuse”
2025 Invited Speaker 40^th Annual San Diego International Conference on Child and Family Maltreatment Preconference Institute “Munchausen by Proxy and Medical Child Abuse: Updates For Interdisciplinary Practice”
2025: Speaker 40^th Annual San Diego International Conference on Child and Family Maltreatment Workshops “Medical Case Review For The Forensic Nurse” “Sexually Transmitted Infections”
2025: Invited Speaker Safe Care New Mexico TeleECHO Program “Sexually Transmitted Infections”
2025: Invited Speaker Ray E Helfer Society Annual Conference “Social Media Facilitated Sexual Assault”
Invited Speaker Southern New Mexico Conference on Child Abuse and Neglect Kid’s Inc Child Advocacy Center Mescalero, NM “Starvation & Torture” “Fractures & Burns”
2025: Invited Speaker California District Attorneys Association Prosecuting Physical and Sexual Abuse of Children “Child Sexual Abuse” “Child Physical Abuse”
2025: Invited Speaker NCIS, Camp Pendleton “Abusive Head Trauma”
2025: Invited Speaker ICI Basic Child Abuse Investigations Course POST Robert Presley Institute of Criminal Investigations Specialty Training Institute for Child Abuse Investigators “A Medical Perspective of Child Sexual and Physical Abuse”
2025: Invited Panelist University of Utah Safe and Healthy Families ECHO Program “Medical Child Abuse”
2025: Invited Speaker Washington State MultiCare Forensics Program Monthly Lecture Series “Child Sexual Abuse”
2025: Invited Speaker Academy for Professional Excellence SDSU “Advanced Physical Abuse And Neglect For Child Welfare Workers”
2025: Invited Speaker ICI Advanced Child Physical Abuse Investigations Course POST Robert Presley Institute of Criminal Investigations Specialty Training Institute for Child Abuse Investigators “Child Physical Abuse”
2025: Invited Speaker 14^th Annual SART Summit CCFMTC “The Disclosure Process in Child Sexual Abuse”
2025: Invited Speaker Litigating Child Sexual Abuse Cases Gonzaga School of Law Spokane, WA
2025: Keynote Speaker Child Abuse and Neglect Conference University of Michigan “Medical Child Abuse”
2026: Speaker 41^st Annual San Diego International Conference on Child and Family Maltreatment Preconference Institute “Medical Evaluation of Child Sexual Abuse”
2026: Invited Speaker 41^st Annual San Diego International Conference on Child and Family Maltreatment Preconference Institute “Munchausen by Proxy and Medical Child Abuse: Updates For Interdisciplinary Practice”
2026: Invited Speaker 41^st Annual San Diego International Conference on Child and Family Maltreatment Immersion Block Session “Munchausen by Proxy: The Survivors Research Forgot and Systems Failed
2026: Invited Speaker Academy for Professional Excellence SDSU “Advanced Physical Abuse And Neglect For Child Welfare Workers”

Professional Activities

Teaching

Scholarly Oversight Committee Member, Child Abuse Pediatrics Fellowship, University of California San Diego
Clinical Educator for medical students, residents, and fellows rotating with The Chadwick Center at Rady Children’s Hospital to include clinic visits and inpatient consultations
CME Lecturer, for multiple medical professionals across all divisions, subspecialties, and clinical teams at UCSD and Rady Children’s Hospital
Invited Lecturer, for medical learners of all levels, physicians, allied health professionals, law enforcement investigators, child welfare services workers, attorneys, and other professionals

Advocacy

Co-Founder Pear Center
Member, San Diego County Child Protection Team – Rady Children’s Hospital
Member, San Diego County Child Fatality Review Team
Member, International Society on the Protection of Child Abuse and Neglect
Member, American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children
Member, Ray E. Helfer Society
Fellow, American Academy of Pediatrics
Executive Committee, Counsel on Child Abuse and Neglect, American Academy of Pediatrics
Executive Commitee, Helfer Society

Service

Board Member, Boys and Girls Club of San Dieguito
Co-Chair, Medical Child Welfare Task Force – Rady Children’s Hospital
Member, Human Trafficking Work Group Rady Children’s Hospital
Member, NCE planning committee for the Counsel on Child Abuse and Neglect, American Academy of Pediatrics
Member Rady Children's Hospital Child Safety Committee