AMA Honors David Chadwick, M.D. With Scientific Achievement Award

San Diego pediatrician recognized as a pioneer in child abuse medicine

SAN DIEGO, Nov. 6, 2010 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American Medical Association (AMA) today presented David L. Chadwick, M.D., a pediatrician from La Mesa, Calif., with its Scientific Achievement Award in recognition of his pioneering work in child abuse treatment and prevention. Established in 1962, the Scientific Achievement Award honors outstanding service to the medical profession.

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"Dr. Chadwick is a trail blazer in the field of child abuse medicine, and we are delighted to honor him with the Scientific Achievement Award," said AMA President Cecil B. Wilson, M.D. "Caring for our most vulnerable patients is a priority of the AMA, and Dr. Chadwick's commitment to the protection of children has improved the health and well-being of countless young lives.

A practicing pediatrician for more than 50 years, Dr. Chadwick has engaged in clinical work with abused children since 1960, and authored the recently published book "The Child Abuse Doctors."

Dr. Chadwick founded the Center for Child Protection in 1985 at San Diego's Rady Children's Hospital and led it until his retirement in 1996. Now know as the Chadwick Center for Children and Families in honor of Dr. Chadwick, the center is acclaimed to be one of the world's leading hospital-based child protection centers.

He was one of the founders of the American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children in 1986 and served as its third president. His leadership is responsible for the recognition of child abuse pediatrics as a medical discipline by the American Board of Medical Specialties.

Dr. Chadwick was a founding member of the AMA's former National Advisory Council on Family Violence. As chair of the council for six years, he championed a multidisciplinary approach to child abuse prevention that involves forming relationships between medicine, the judicial system, law enforcement, social work and psychology.

Dr. Chadwick received the AMA award during the opening session of the 2010 Interim Meeting of the AMA House of Delegates in San Diego.

About the American Medical Association (AMA)

The American Medical Association helps doctors help patients by uniting physicians nationwide to work on the most important professional and public health issues. Working together, the AMA's quarter of a million physician and medical student members are playing an active role in shaping the future of medicine. For more information on the AMA, please visit www.ama-assn.org, or follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/AmerMedicalAssn.

SOURCE American Medical Association