900323
research-article2020
JIVXXX10.1177/0886260519900323Journal of Interpersonal ViolenceMoore et al.
Brief Note
Domestic Minor Sex
Trafficking: A Case
Series of Male Pediatric
Patients
Journal of Interpersonal Violence
1­–15
© The Author(s) 2020
Article reuse guidelines:
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https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260519900323
DOI: 10.1177/0886260519900323
journals.sagepub.com/home/jiv
Jessica Moore, BA,1
Meagan Fitzgerald, MS, CCLS,1
Timothy Owens, MA, LMHC,2,3
Brett Slingsby, MD, FAAP,1,2
Christine Barron, MD, FAAP,1,2
and Amy Goldberg, MD, FAAP1,2
Abstract
Domestic minor sex trafficking (DMST) is the commercial sexual exploitation
of children (<18 years old) who are U.S. citizens or lawful permanent
residents, victimized within U.S. borders. There is limited knowledge and
research in regard to male involvement in DMST outside the context
of homelessness and runaway youth. To our knowledge, no research
specifically examines at-risk or involved male youth from a larger dataset of
youth who present to a child abuse outpatient medical clinic. The objective
of the present case series was to describe the demographic, psychosocial,
medical, and psychiatric characteristics of natal male participants (who did
not identify as transgender) suspected of DMST involvement. Six medical
records of male patients under the age of 18 who were referred to a child
protection clinic for concern of DMST involvement between 8/1/13 and
1
Hasbro Children’s Hospital, Providence, RI, USA
Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
3
Rhode Island Hospital, Providence, USA
2
Corresponding Author:
Amy Goldberg, Lawrence A. Aubin, Sr. Child Protection Center, Hasbro Children’s Hospital,
Potter Building 005, 593 Eddy St., Providence, RI 02903, USA.
Email: Agoldberg@lifespan.org
2
Journal of Interpersonal Violence 00(0)
12/31/18 were retrospectively reviewed. Our case series demonstrates that
male participants present for concern of sex trafficking and have complex
behavioral, medical, and psychiatric concerns similar to what has been
identified in research focused on female victims. Therefore, testing (e.g.,
sexually transmitted infection (STI)/HIV testing, urine toxicology screening),
DMST screening, and interventions (e.g., STI prophylaxis, referrals to mental
health counselors) should be completed in male patients.
Keywords
domestic minor sex trafficking, males, patients, child abuse, victimization
Introduction
Commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC) is defined as the engagement of minors (<18 years of age) involved in sexual acts for items of value
(e.g., money, food, shelter, drugs) (Greenbaum & Crawford-Jakubiak, 2015).
Within this definition, sexual acts are broadly defined to include street-based
and Internet-based sex, escorting, stripping, pornography, or an act completed for sexual purposes in any venue (Greenbaum & Crawford-Jakubiak,
2015; Moore, Kaplan, & Barron, 2017). The identification of minors as victims does not require evidence of threat, force, fraud, or coercion (Victims of
Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000, 2000). As a subset of CSEC,
domestic minor sex trafficking (DMST) specifically involves U.S. citizens or
lawful permanent residents under 18 years old who are victimized within
U.S. borders (Moore et al., 2017; U.S. Department of State, 2014). All children, especially adolescents, are at risk of exploitation, but some children are
at heightened vulnerability due to individual (e.g., history of child abuse,
substance use), family (e.g., parental substance abuse, domestic violence),
and community (e.g., poverty) factors (Goldberg, Moore, Houck, Kaplan, &
Barron, 2017; Institute of Medicine [IOM] & National Research Council
[NRC], 2013).
Young men are often not identified as at-risk or involved victims of sex
trafficking (Dennis, 2008; Johnston, Friedman, & Shafer, 2012; Jones, 2010;
Rivers & Saewyc, 2012). Research focused on male sexual abuse suggest that
challenges to victim disclosure may be due to fear of being perceived as
homosexual, deviant, and/or willing participants (Alaggia, Collin-Vézina, &
Lateef, 2017; Sorsoli, Kia-Keating, & Grossman, 2008). Providers may also
be unaware of male DMST victimization because prior literature has depicted
Moore et al.
3
child sex trafficking as a primarily female issue, focusing almost exclusively
on females as victims (I. M. Barron & Frost, 2018; Dennis, 2008). A 2011
report by the Bureau of Justice Statistics identified almost 95% of sex trafficked victims were young women (Banks & Kyckkelhahn, 2011). In addition, a 2016 national study “Youth Involvement in the Sex Trade” found that
cis males less than 25 years old comprise approximately 36% of children
involved in the U.S. sex industry (Swaner, Labriola, Rempel, Walker &
Spadafore, 2016). Chase and Statham (2004) revealed that boys and young
men in the United Kingdom who engaged in sex trafficking were far less visible than their female counterparts (Chase & Statham, 2004).
A review by Barnert et al. (2017) identified that there remains limited
knowledge and research in regard to male involvement in DMST outside
the context of homelessness and runaway youth (Barnert, Iqbal, Bruce,
Anoshiravani Kolhatkar, & Greenbaum, 2017). Moreover, a review of 166
recent articles found that most studies failed to acknowledge the existence
of adult male sex workers. When males were discussed, they were more
commonly assigned agency in comparison to women, and HIV was often
the primary focus as opposed to violence (Dennis, 2008). Sexual orientation is more frequently discussed in studies that include males as compared
to women (Dennis, 2008). Furthermore, a 2004 report found that in comparison to female youth involved in sex trafficking, male juvenile victims
were often older and more frequently arrested by law enforcement
(Finkelhor & Ormrod, 2004). These differences in perceptions of male trafficking may be reflective of a lack of professional and community awareness regarding male victimization.
Research on male victims may be difficult due to hesitancy of males disclosing their victimization, lack of provider awareness or recognition of
males as victims instead of perpetrators, and because most outreach programs
focus on female youth (Bryan, 2014; Walker, 2013). Of 222 institutions and
programs receiving funding for domestic and international anti-trafficking
programs, only two programs were specifically designed for males of all ages
(including adults) (Jones, 2010). Due to these challenges, there are very
sparse resources and organizations that provide prevention, identification,
and intervention services for boys and young men who are involved in or atrisk for DMST involvement.
To our knowledge, there is no research that specifically examines male
youth who present to a child abuse outpatient medical clinic for concerns of
sex trafficking involvement. Our goal was to contribute detailed data to the
paucity of information available regarding male DMST victimization to
inform future prevention, identification, and medical management efforts.
4
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Method
Setting
The Institutional Review Board approved all research procedures. The study
was conducted in a single center at an urban-based tertiary care children’s
hospital in New England. Patients with allegations of abuse and neglect are
evaluated in the state’s only outpatient child protection center, staffed by
board-certified child abuse pediatricians working within a multidisciplinary
team. Physicians, staff nurses, and social workers collaborate with community professionals comprised of child protective services, law enforcement
(local, state, and federal), forensic interviewers, state’s attorney general’s
offices, and community mental health providers.
Patients
Subject identification was obtained from an electronic record database maintained of 120 patients who presented to a child protection clinic for potential
DMST involvement between August 1, 2013, and December 31, 2018.
Patients were included in the database if they were directly referred by a parent/guardian, law enforcement, or community professional to the child protection center for concerns of sex trafficking involvement. Patients may also
be referred to the emergency department (ED) or other medical facility and
were subsequently referred to child abuse pediatricians for DMST concerns.
In addition, youth who presented with medical complaints other than potential DMST involvement, but were screened by child abuse pediatricians for
DMST, were also included in the database.
Operationalized categories of participants were adapted from a prior study
by Moore and colleagues (2019). Confirmed DMST victims were defined as
participant disclosure of involvement, or evidence that indicated DMST victimization (e.g., law enforcement sting operations, pictures posted on
Backpage.com). Participants highly suspected presented without evidence or
disclosure but had concerns highly suggestive of DMST involvement: were
solicited to engage but reportedly refused and had a combination of high-risk
factors indicative of potential involvement (e.g., running away, high-risk
sexual activity; Moore, Houck, Barron, & Goldberg, 2019).
Six patients were identified as meeting inclusion criteria from a larger
database of 120 patients who had concern for DMST involvement. Included
patients were all natal males, who did not identify as transgender, under the
age of 18 years referred to the child abuse outpatient clinic. These patients
were all U.S. citizens based on their country of birth found in the medical
Moore et al.
5
record. Female patients (111) and patients who identified as transgender (2)
were excluded. One 9-year-old male was referred for assessment with concern for sex trafficking while he was illegally transported into the United
States; thus, he did not meet inclusion criteria for concern of domestic sexual
exploitation and was excluded from the analysis.
Record Review and Data Analysis
A retrospective medical record review was conducted of patients who presented to the state’s only child protection program. An electronic medical
record (EMR) review was conducted by a trained research coordinator (J.M.)
and overseen by the principal investigator (A.G.). EMRs included inpatient,
outpatient, and consultation patient encounters in the ED, the child protection
clinic, and other medical center clinics (e.g., adolescent health care center,
inpatient psychiatric). The sources of information consisted of physician
(e.g., child abuse pediatricians, psychiatrists, emergency medicine physicians) notes documenting patient/guardian interviews, demographic characteristics, medical histories, orders for the administration of medications, and
diagnostic tests. Medical encounters were reviewed for the period of 1 year
prior to and including their initial evaluation for DMST. Demographic, medical, psychiatric, and psychosocial variables were selected from a combination of a comprehensive literature review (IOM & NRC, 2013) and clinical
practice. All variables were collected from EMRs when available and descriptive statistics were calculated.
Results
Demographics and characteristics of the six cases are presented in Table 1.
Case 1: A 16-year-old White male presented to the ED for a psychiatric evaluation, where he disclosed engaging in DMST during the time
he ran away from home. This participant was classified as a confirmed
victim of DMST. His 19-year-old boyfriend asked the participant to
solicit other men online and engage in sexual acts for money. At the
time of his evaluation, the participant was living at home with his
grandparents. He stated that he identifies as gay. The patient was positive for gonorrhea at his referral visit for DMST. The patient had a
history of multiple risk factors, including frequent running away from
home, substance abuse (i.e., marijuana use), a sexual abuse history,
Child Protective Service (CPS) involvement, and parental substance
abuse. Moreover, the patient had attention-deficit hyperactivity
6
Journal of Interpersonal Violence 00(0)
Table 1. Characteristics of the Six Participants Who Presented With Concern for
DMST.
Variable
n
Age, years (M)
Race
White
Black
Status of involvement
Confirmed victim
Suspected victim
Identifies as LGBTQ
Living situation
Home
Current STI
Historic STI
Risk factors
Alcohol/substance use
Runaway
CPS custody
Truancy
History of sexual abuse
Parental substance abuse
Psychiatric variables
Prior psychiatric diagnosis
Historic suicidal ideation
Historic self-injurious behavior
15.5
5
1
4
2
4
6
1
1
6
3
3
1
4
2
6
5
2
Note. DMST = domestic minor sex trafficking; LGBTQ = lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender,
Queer; STI = sexually transmitted infection; CPS = Child Protective Service.
disorder (ADHD), depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation, and self-injurious behavior.
Case 2: A 17-year-old White male presented to the child protection
clinic with his mother for concern of DMST involvement. He was
found at school to be posting naked pictures online as an ad to sell
sex for money. He denied that he ever engaged in sexual activity for
money or other items, classifying him as suspected of involvement.
During his evaluation for DMST, the participant was living at home
with his parents. The participant endorsed substance use and had a
urine toxicology screen positive for benzodiazepine and cannabinoids. He had a history of ADHD, anxiety, depression, and suicidal
Moore et al.
7
ideation. He reported being in an intimate relationship with a sameage male and denied identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (LGBTQ).
Case 3: A 14-year-old African American male presented to the ED
with his mother due to psychiatric complaints. During this evaluation,
the participant self-disclosed soliciting sex online with adult men in
exchange for money or marijuana, making him a confirmed victim of
DMST. He also stated that he seeks out sexual partners in order to
connect to someone intimately. The child protection team was consulted. During this evaluation, the participant lived at home with his
mother and identified as bisexual. The participant has a history of
anxiety, major depressive disorder, PTSD, a suicide attempt requiring
a psychiatric hospitalization, and self-injurious behaviors. He also has
a history of sexual abuse, emotional abuse, and parental substance
abuse; he presented to a prior child protection evaluation and was
positive for chlamydia at that time.
Case 4: A 14-year-old White male presented to the child protection
clinic, accompanied by his father, for concerns of sexual abuse. Upon
arrest for stealing, he self-disclosed to the police that an adult male
engaged in sexual acts with him in exchange for money; the police
referred the patient to the child protection clinic for sexual abuse. At
that time, notably law enforcement did not identify this youth as a
victim of trafficking. During his child abuse medical evaluation, he
screened positive for confirmed DMST involvement. He lived at
home with his biological father and reported infrequent alcohol and
marijuana use. He has a history of sexual abuse and prior CPS
involvement for parental neglect and homelessness. He is developmentally delayed and has diagnoses of conduct disorder, learning disabilities, anxiety, ADHD, and PTSD. The participant was hospitalized
in the past for suicidal ideation.
Case 5: A 16-year-old White male was referred to the child protection
clinic after presenting to the ED for running away from home, where he
lived with his parents. He has a history of truancy, ADHD, running
away, and substance use (i.e., alcohol and marijuana). When screened
for sex trafficking, the participant denied involvement but is knowledgeable of DMST and believed his older brother was engaged. He was
classified as suspected of involvement. The participant stated that he
was interested in and sexually active with both boys and girls. During
his evaluation, the urine testing was positive for cannabinoids.
Case 6: A 16-year-old White male was accompanied by CPS to the
child protection clinic after disclosing sexual assault by an older man,
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and for concerns of DMST. The participant described a previous consensual relationship with the alleged perpetrator, but was then
drugged, restrained, and assaulted with forced penile-anal and penileoral penetration. The participant disclosed engaging in sexual activity
with numerous adult men he met online in exchange for money, making him a confirmed DMST victim. At the time of evaluation, the
participant lived at home with his grandparents. His urine toxicology
screen was positive for cannabinoids. On physical exam, the patient
was noted to have blunt force trauma and abrasions on his penis—
these injuries were determined to be related to the assault. He identifies as gay. He has a history of sexual abuse, involvement with CPS,
and frequently ran away from home. The participant also had diagnoses of depression, ADHD, oppositional defiant disorder, and obsessive compulsive disorder; additionally he had passive suicidal ideation
and a psychiatric hospitalization at prior medical visits. The participant was given HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). A report was
made to the police.
Discussion
The current case series is the first to specifically provide contextual data on
six males presenting to medical attention with concern of DMST. Overall,
our cases have several risk factors in common (e.g., running away, substance
use), have medical needs (e.g., sexually transmitted infections [STIs], psychiatric diagnoses), and identify as gay or bisexual. Given the paucity of literature on male victims, future research focusing on male youth involved in
DMST would help to better identify and specifically understand male victims
of DMST, to raise awareness about the consequences of involvement, and to
provide prevention and intervention services designed specifically for males.
Previous qualitative literature found that LGBTQ youth are at heightened
susceptibility to become trafficking victims (Dennis, 2008; IOM & NRC,
2013). This may be in part because family conflicts correlate with runaway
behavior, homelessness, and other high-risk factors connected to DMST
involvement (IOM & NRC, 2013). Minors who run away from home and/or
have dysfunctional support systems may exchange sex for basic needs, such
as food and shelter, or social connection when separated from family (IOM &
NRC, 2013). In support of the association between LGBTQ youth and runaway behavior, four of our cohort identified as gay or questioning their sexual orientation and three of these four ran away from home. Moreover, our
participants reported using substances and/or having a positive toxicology
screening, which have also been linked in prior research to running away,
Moore et al.
9
homelessness, LGBTQ status, and sex trafficking involvement (Goldberg
et al., 2017; IOM & NRC, 2013; Varma, Gillespie, McCracken, & Greenbaum
2015). Our findings suggest the interconnectivity between risk factors found
in prior studies that make youth vulnerable to DMST victimization. Providers
should ask patients about potential risk factors identified in previous literature that make youth susceptible to DMST victimization (Goldberg et al.,
2017; IOM & NRC, 2013; Varma et al., 2015). For example, inquiring about
runaway behavior, substance abuse, and high-risk sexual activity may help
providers gauge adolescents’ level of risk to DMST involvement.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) identifies that children and
adolescents involved in DMST are associated with chronic untreated infections, such as recurrent STIs (Greenbaum & Crawford-Jakubiak, 2015). A
U.S.-based cross-sectional study of female victims of sex trafficking reported
that 59% had an STI (Muftić & Finn, 2013). In our cohort, two participants
had an STI. Providers should be cognizant of medical issues indicative of
high-risk sexual behavior, such as STIs, necessitating appropriate treatment
and potentially screening for DMST involvement. Recurrent STIs, and STIs
that are uncommonly found, should prompt clinicians to screen for high-risk
sexual activity and potential DMST involvement (Greenbaum & CrawfordJakubiak, 2015). In addition, preventive medicine, such as PrEP, should be
considered on a case-by-case basis for patients involved in or at-risk for trafficking (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2019).
Recent studies identified a history of mental illness as a potential indicator
of involvement (Goldberg et al., 2017; IOM & NRC, 2013; Varma et al.,
2015). Psychiatric complaints were examined by Goldberg and colleagues as
the most common reason primarily female youth (95%) presented to medical
attention a year prior to the initial concern for DMST involvement (Goldberg
et al., 2017). The current case series found that all participants had previous
psychiatric diagnoses, including depression, anxiety, and ADHD. Histories of
self-injurious behaviors and suicidal ideation were also reported. Psychiatric
complaints may be considered a risk factor for DMST involvement, and also
may function as a consequence due to the trauma victims endure (Goldberg
& Moore, 2018). Future studies with more robust data should examine the
correlation between mental health and vulnerability to trafficking.
The trend of psychiatric issues found in our case series, in conjunction
with prior literature (Barnert et al., 2017; Goldberg et al., 2017; Greenbaum
& Crawford-Jakubiak, 2015), begin to suggest two points: one, screening for
sex trafficking should be considered for male patients who present for psychiatric complaints and/or have psychiatric diagnoses; two, male patients
who present with concern for or have confirmed involvement in DMST
should be evaluated for mental health issues. Providers should be cognizant
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Journal of Interpersonal Violence 00(0)
of youth who present withdrawn and depressed, have recurrent medical visits
for psychiatric complaints, prior mental health diagnoses and psychiatric
admissions, and suicidal ideation (Goldberg & Moore, 2018). Psychological
issues may be indicative of underlying trauma endured by victims, or place
youth at increased susceptibility to becoming trafficked in the future; therefore, clinicians have the opportunity to identify or potentially prevent sex
trafficking involvement.
Remarkably, most of our male participants self-disclosed their involvement in DMST to a medical provider, classifying them as confirmed victims.
Both males and females involved in DMST may suffer extreme shame about
their experiences and have a fear of being labeled a “prostitute,” or are not
aware that they are being victimized (Rafferty, 2016). Disclosing involvement may be even more difficult for males given potential stigmatization
associated with male sexual victimization. High-risk or engaged male youth
may be missed more often by providers; expectations of who constitutes a
trafficking victim, as well as culturally reinforced ideas of who can be victimized, may prevent appropriate screening, identification, and necessary
interventions.
Provider knowledge of males as victims will facilitate important conversations surrounding DMST involvement. C. E. Barron and colleagues
(2019) found that the majority of health care providers (72%) have not
received education or training on caring for sex trafficked patients (C. E.
Barron et al., 2019). Through developing a trusting and nonjudgmental
approach, with the male patient’s health and safety as their priority, professionals can create safe environments for disclosure. Utilizing a funnel
approach, providers can start by asking broad questions about male patients’
knowledge of DMST, whether their friends are involved, and whether they
are involved to facilitate these important conversations and screenings
(Goldberg et al., 2019). For example, the patient in Case 5 of our study
denied involvement, but disclosed that he knew of friends involved, including his brother. Knowing friends or family involved in sex trafficking is a
risk factor for involvement (Goldberg et al., 2017; IOM & NRC, 2013);
therefore, it was important to document these responses in his medical chart
and rescreen for involvement at a follow-up visit to offer preventions and
potentially early interventions. Moreover, providers should also question
patients’ sexual activity and their partners. Most of our cases demonstrated
histories of high-risk sexual behavior with older partners, indicative of sexual abuse and potential sex trafficking involvement. In addition, although
Case 2 did not identify as LGBTQ, he disclosed having a same-sex male
partner. Inquiring about sexual history and partners may inform interventions and identify potential risky sexual activity.
Moore et al.
11
Limitations and Future Directions
There are several limitations to consider when interpreting the findings of
this case series. Due to the small sample and single data collection site, the
generalizability of these data is limited. Moreover, exploited males who do
not come into contact with medical providers for concern of DMST were not
represented in our findings. The racial composition of our cohort of DMST
patients may not be representative of DMST populations in other geographic
locations. Existing data do not consistently distinguish events occurring prior
to or during the period of exploitation (e.g., substance use), and therefore risk
factors of involvement cannot be determined.
The identification of DMST victims, and particularly males, is known to
be difficult due to patients not always disclosing their exploitation, limited
provider awareness, and because sex trafficking crimes are hidden (Dennis,
2008; Rafferty, 2016; Smith et al., 2009). Our male participants establishing
rapport with physicians and speaking about their experiences offer a glimpse
into a phenomenon that remains otherwise invisible and inaccessible.
Participants who were identified as involved or high-risk and who presented
to physicians demonstrate the important need of raising community and provider awareness about DMST. Considering that a few participants presented
through referral from law enforcement, establishing a multidisciplinary team
of community professionals is important in coordinating referrals and facilitating disclosures of involvement.
Further research is needed to explore similarities and differences between
male and female youth involved in DMST regarding medical needs and risk
factors; this may assist providers in targeted prevention, identification, and
intervention efforts. Research should also investigate the trafficking experiences of male victims (e.g., recruitment, social media use, violence) to understand the recruitment and enmeshment of these youth with their abuser(s).
Considering that more than 50% of child pornography in the United States
includes boys, studies should also investigate how this relates to different
forms of sex trafficking victimization particularly for boys (Jones, 2010;
United Nations Children's Fund [UNICEF], 2001). Moreover, studies should
examine male youth who are sex trafficked into the United States from other
countries. This is a separate and distinct population deserving exploration.
Conclusion
Our small case series provides two key elements to the existing body of literature on males involved in sex trafficking. First, males present for concern
of DMST involvement to medical providers. Given recent education in our
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Journal of Interpersonal Violence 00(0)
institution, and the establishment of a Human Trafficking Task Force among
a multidisciplinary team, referrals have increased for concern of DMST
involvement in our state for males. Second, these youths have complex
behavioral, medical, and psychiatric concerns similar to what has been identified in research focused on female victims. Therefore, testing (e.g., STI/
HIV testing, urine toxicology screening), DMST screening, and interventions
(e.g., STI prophylaxis, referrals to mental health counselors) should be completed in male patients. Our case series also begins to demonstrate that male
participants who present with high-risk factors, such as running away,
LGBTQ status, and substance abuse, should be screened for potential DMST
involvement. Male youth should be given follow-up appointments with specialized health care providers to retest for STIs, check compliance to medications, and rescreen for involvement. Finally, prevention and identification
programs specifically for males should be established and implemented.
Declaration of Conflicting Interests
The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research,
authorship, and/or publication of this article.
Funding
The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research,
authorship, and/or publication of this article: All phases of this study were supported
by the Fleet Scholarship grant, 101-6345.
ORCID iD
Jessica Moore
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8273-198X
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Author Biographies
Jessica Moore, BA, is the research coordinator at the Lawrence A. Aubin, Sr. Child
Protection Center at Hasbro Children’s Hospital in Providence, Rhode Island. She has
published research focusing on different forms of child maltreatment, including
Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking, Acute Sexual Assault, Child Sexual Abuse, and
Child Physical Abuse. She has spoken at national and regional conferences on child
sex trafficking, and developed a symposium in 2015 on DMST for medical providers
in the region.
Meagan Fitzgerald, MS, CCLS, has earned her master’s degree in Child Life &
Family Centered Care from Wheelock College in Boston, MA. Meagan has specialized training in child life services with emphasis on psychosocial development and
Moore et al.
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effective coping strategies for hospitalized children and victims of crime. She is currently employed by Lawrence A. Aubin, Sr. Child Protection Center at Hasbro
Children’s Hospital in Providence, Rhode Island.
Timothy Owens, MA, LMHC, is a licensed Mental Health Clinician who is a
Qualified Level Treatment Provider for the treatment of Sexually Abusive Youth in
the state of Rhode Island. He is currently employed by Rhode Island Hospital and is
the Lifespan Behavioral Health Team’s Clinical Program Coordinator at the Rhode
Island Training School – Youth Development Center (RITS-YDC), Rhode Island’s
only juvenile correctional facility. Mr. Owens is also an Associate Teaching Faculty
Member in the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior through the Warren
Alpert Medical School at Brown University.
Brett Slingsby, MD, FAAP, is the associate fellowship director of child abuse pediatrics at the Lawrence A. Aubin, Sr. Child Protection Center at Hasbro Children’s
Hospital in Providence, Rhode Island. He is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics,
Clinician Educator at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University.
Christine Barron, MD, FAAP, is the division director of the Lawrence A. Aubin, Sr.
Child Protection Center at Hasbro Children’s Hospital in Providence, Rhode Island.
She is a full professor of Pediatrics, Clinician Educator at The Warren Alpert Medical
School of Brown University.
Amy Goldberg, MD, FAAP, is an attending physician at the Lawrence A. Aubin, Sr.
Child Protection Center at Hasbro Children’s Hospital in Providence, Rhode Island.
She is an associate professor of Pediatrics, Clinician Educator at The Warren Alpert
Medical School of Brown University.