Shalon M. Nienow, MD, FAAP

Dr. Shalon Nienow is Section Chief of Child Abuse Pediatrics at Rady Children’s Hospital, the Medical Director at the Chadwick Center for Children and Families, an associate clinical professor of pediatrics at the University of California San Diego, and Clinical Director of Child Abuse Pediatrics at UC San Diego School of Medicine.

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 as well as methods of testing for sexually transmitted infections in children; and has co-authored publications on both topics. She regularly provides trainings to various members of the multidisciplinary team. Dr. Nienow serves on the NCE planning committee for the AAP Section on Child Abuse and Neglect, was an editor for the AAP’s latest publication of the Visual Diagnosis CD, served on the ABP content development team for Maintenance of Certification for the Child Abuse Sub-Board, and was elected to the Executive Committee of the American Academy of Pediatrics Counsel on Child Abuse and Neglect. 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.