Pediatrics Expert Witnesses
The experience attorneys need for injuries to children
Pediatrics is the branch of medicine that focuses on the medical care of infants, children, and adolescents up to age 18. Pediatricians are physicians who specialize in the diagnosis, treatment, and management of various health conditions that affect children. They perform everything from routine check-ups and immunizations to complex medical procedures.
Becoming a pediatrician in the United States requires a medical degree (MD or DO) and a three-year residency program in pediatrics. Many pediatricians also complete a fellowship program in a subspecialty, such as:
- Adolescent medicine
- Developmental-behavioral pediatrics
- Neonatology
- Pediatric cardiology
- Pediatric endocrinology
- Pediatric gastroenterology
- Pediatric hematology
- Pediatric nephrology
- Pediatric neurology
- Pediatric oncology
- Pediatric pulmonology
Board-Certification for pediatricians in the United States is administered by the American Board of Pediatrics (ABP).
Many pediatricians work as primary care providers for babies, children, and adolescents. Others work in hospitals and other medical settings.
The role of a pediatrician as an expert witness
In any personal injury matter involving an injury to a child, a pediatrician can be a valuable expert witness. Pediatricians can use their knowledge of anatomy and children’s health to offer an opinion on causation of the injury. Perhaps even more importantly, they can opine on the cost of treatment, the long-term prognosis, and the effects an injury may have on a child victim’s growth and development, all of which can be critical factors in calculating damages in a personal injury matter.
Pediatricians are also vital expert witnesses in medical malpractice cases involving pediatric malpractice as well as birth injury matters that involve injury during the neonatal period. An experienced, Board-Certified pediatrician can explain the applicable standards of care and offer a professional opinion on whether the defendant pediatrician met or breached that standard. They can also opine whether the breach caused an injury to a child and the medical consequences of that breach.
Talk to a member of our team today
For decades, Rieback Medical-Legal Consultants has been working with some of America’s finest medical malpractice, personal injury, and birth injury attorneys. Our network includes experienced, Board-Certified pediatricians who are prepared to testify in depositions and at trial. Contact us today for a free case summary review.