About

Joanne Nicole Wood, MD, MSHP, is a Professor of Pediatrics (General Pediatrics) at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. She serves as an Attending Physician in the Department of Pediatrics and is a faculty member at PolicyLab and the Center for Pediatric Clinical Effectiveness at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Dr. Wood is the Research Director for Safe Place: The Center for Child Protection & Health and co-Directs the National Clinician Scholars Program at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. She holds the Louis M. Bell Endowed Chair in Pediatrics at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and is the Section Chief for Safe Place: Center for Child Protection and Health. Her educational background includes a BS from Haverford College, an MD from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, and an MSHP in Health Policy Research from the same institution.

Research topics

• Pediatrics
• Environmental health
• Medicine

Selected publications

• Intracranial Injuries in Asymptomatic Infants Undergoing Subspecialty Evaluation for Physical Abuse: A Multicenter Study

  Academic Pediatrics · 2026-03-14

  articleSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• Confessions in Cases of Child Physical Abuse—A CAPNET Study

  Academic Pediatrics · 2026-01-18

  articleOpen access

  OBJECTIVE: Prior research on confessions of physical abuse (PA) has explored mechanisms of injury. Little is known about conditions supporting a confession of abuse or how confessions may influence case outcomes. METHODS: This cross-sectional study of suspected PA in children aged <10 years at 10 centers participating in CAPNET, a multicenter child PA research network, included children with in-person Child Abuse Pediatrics (CAP) consultations between February 2021 and December 2022 and excluded children without injury. Our focus was a confession of inflicted injury known to the CAP during clinical involvement. We compared child and clinical characteristics, out-of-home (OOH) placements, and arrests between cases with and without confessions. Multivariable models using generalized estimating equations (GEE) produced adjusted predicted probabilities (APP) clustering by CAPNET site. RESULTS: Confessions were known to CAPs in 115/4297 (2.7%) cases, with significant site variability. In a multivariable GEE model, confessions were more likely in cases with injuries with high specificity for abuse (APP 6.0% vs 1.6%, P < .001), near-fatality (APP 5.6% vs 2.3%, P < .001), and older children (APP 4.8% vs 2.5%, P = .025). OOH placements and arrests were more common in cases with confessions. CAP awareness of confessions, OOH placements, and arrests did not follow racial or ethnic patterns seen in the US child welfare system. Lower socioeconomic status was associated with OOH placements and arrests but not with CAP awareness of confessions. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings highlight differences in case characteristics and outcomes where a confession is known to the CAP and raise questions about agency response based on child characteristics.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Yield of injury testing for contacts of children evaluated for physical abuse

  Child Abuse & Neglect · 2026-02-25

  articleOpen access
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Bridging access and impact: primary care parenting intervention reduces early behavior problems in both virtual and in-person delivery modes

  UNC Libraries · 2026-03-12

  articleOpen access

  Background Early childhood behavior problems are common and linked to adverse outcomes, including risk of maltreatment. Child-Adult Relationship Enhancement in primary care (PriCARE) is an evidence-based group parenting program delivered in pediatric primary care to reduce disruptive behaviors and strengthen caregiver-child relationships. In-person RCTs have demonstrated the efficacy of PriCARE, but barriers such as workforce shortages, transportation issues, and limited behavioral health infrastructure restrict access. Virtual delivery offers a potential solution, yet its effectiveness relative to in-person delivery is not well established. Objective To evaluate the effectiveness of virtual PriCARE in improving child behavioral outcomes and compare these outcomes with those from prior in-person trials. Study design A multi-center RCT of virtual PriCARE is underway with caregivers of children aged 18 months to 6 years. Child behavior was assessed using the Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory (ECBI) at baseline and at 6-8 month follow-up. An interim analysis was conducted to examine changes in ECBI scores from baseline to follow-up among virtual participants and to compare mean ECBI change trajectories between virtual delivery and prior in-person trials. Attendance patterns were compared using the Cochran-Armitage trend test. Effectiveness was evaluated using linear regression models with ANCOVA adjustment for baseline ECBI scores and caregiver/child demographics. Results Subjects included 698 virtual PriCARE participants and 417 in-person PriCARE participants. Attendance was higher virtually, with 23.8% of participants completing all sessions, compared to 18.9% in-person (p < .001). Children in the virtual intervention group showed significant reductions in ECBI Intensity (−7.81 vs. 1.45, p < 0.001) and Problem scores (−3.80 vs. −1.91, p < .001) compared with usual care. The delivery mode×intervention interaction was not significant for either ECBI Intensity (p = 0.833) or Problem scores (p = 0.744), suggesting no evidence of differential effects by delivery mode. Conclusions Virtual PriCARE was associated with significant improvements in early childhood behavior problems and higher completion rates, with no evidence of differential effects by delivery mode. These findings highlight the potential of virtual behavioral interventions in pediatric primary care to expand reach, reduce access barriers, and provide scalable prevention strategies to promote child well-being and prevent maltreatment. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT05233150. Registered 10 February 2022 https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05233150.

  PublisherDOI

• Reference Trajectories of Extra-Axial Cerebrospinal Fluid during Childhood and Adolescence Defined in a Clinically Acquired MRI Dataset.

  Apollo (University of Cambridge) · 2026-01-01

  articleOpen access

  Purpose To build extra-axial cerebrospinal fluid (eaCSF) growth charts that define key diagnostic criteria for benign enlargement of the subarachnoid space (BESS) by providing an age-related reference benchmark to aid in assessing atypical eaCSF development. Materials and Methods In this retrospective study, T1-weighted MRI scans from patients who underwent imaging at a pediatric health care system between January 2004 and December 2023 were accessed to form a clinical control group. Nine scans from patients diagnosed with BESS by a board-certified pediatric neuroradiologist were also reviewed. T1-weighted scans were segmented into various tissue types, including eaCSF. Growth charts of eaCSF were modeled using the clinical control group. The results of patients with confirmed BESS were then benchmarked against these charts to test the performance of the eaCSF growth charts. Generalized additive models of location, scale, and shape were used. Results The eaCSF measurements were obtained for 1205 patients (619 female; age range, 0.19-19.6 years). Measurements show that eaCSF evolved dynamically with age, steadily decreasing from birth to 2 years, then trending upward in childhood. Seven of the nine patients with a clinical diagnosis of BESS had eaCSF measurements above the 97.5th percentile for at least one measurement. Percentile scores distinguished patients with BESS from controls with areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve of greater than 0.95. Conclusion MRI-derived eaCSF measurements evolved dynamically throughout early life. Patients with atypical CSF development could be differentiated from clinical controls using computational measurements paired with normative modeling. Keywords: MRI, Brain/Brain Stem, Pediatrics, Benign Enlargement of Subarachnoid Space Supplemental material is available for this article. © The Author(s) 2025. Published by the Radiological Society of North America under a CC BY-NC-ND license.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Bridging access and impact: primary care parenting intervention reduces early behavior problems in both virtual and in-person delivery modes

  Frontiers in Pediatrics · 2026-02-11

  articleOpen access

  Background Early childhood behavior problems are common and linked to adverse outcomes, including risk of maltreatment. Child-Adult Relationship Enhancement in primary care (PriCARE) is an evidence-based group parenting program delivered in pediatric primary care to reduce disruptive behaviors and strengthen caregiver-child relationships. In-person RCTs have demonstrated the efficacy of PriCARE, but barriers such as workforce shortages, transportation issues, and limited behavioral health infrastructure restrict access. Virtual delivery offers a potential solution, yet its effectiveness relative to in-person delivery is not well established. Objective To evaluate the effectiveness of virtual PriCARE in improving child behavioral outcomes and compare these outcomes with those from prior in-person trials. Study design A multi-center RCT of virtual PriCARE is underway with caregivers of children aged 18 months to 6 years. Child behavior was assessed using the Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory (ECBI) at baseline and at 6-8 month follow-up. An interim analysis was conducted to examine changes in ECBI scores from baseline to follow-up among virtual participants and to compare mean ECBI change trajectories between virtual delivery and prior in-person trials. Attendance patterns were compared using the Cochran-Armitage trend test. Effectiveness was evaluated using linear regression models with ANCOVA adjustment for baseline ECBI scores and caregiver/child demographics. Results Subjects included 698 virtual PriCARE participants and 417 in-person PriCARE participants. Attendance was higher virtually, with 23.8% of participants completing all sessions, compared to 18.9% in-person ( p &amp;lt; .001). Children in the virtual intervention group showed significant reductions in ECBI Intensity (−7.81 vs. 1.45, p &amp;lt; 0.001) and Problem scores (−3.80 vs. −1.91, p &amp;lt; .001) compared with usual care. The delivery mode×intervention interaction was not significant for either ECBI Intensity ( p = 0.833) or Problem scores ( p = 0.744), suggesting no evidence of differential effects by delivery mode. Conclusions Virtual PriCARE was associated with significant improvements in early childhood behavior problems and higher completion rates, with no evidence of differential effects by delivery mode. These findings highlight the potential of virtual behavioral interventions in pediatric primary care to expand reach, reduce access barriers, and provide scalable prevention strategies to promote child well-being and prevent maltreatment. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov , NCT05233150. Registered 10 February 2022 https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05233150 .

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• A Feasibility Study on the Virtual Adaptation of Child–Adult Relationship Enhancement in Primary Care

  UNC Libraries · 2025-12-19

  articleOpen access
  PublisherDOI

• Occult Abdominal Trauma Screening in the Evaluation of Suspected Child Physical Abuse

  Pediatrics Open Science · 2025-01-08 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access

  BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Occult abdominal trauma (OAT) screening with transaminases, followed by abdominal computed tomography (CT) for transaminase values greater than 80 IU/L, has been recommended in cases of suspected physical abuse. This study aimed to evaluate case characteristics associated with OAT evaluation and determine OAT prevalence in these children. METHODS: Injured children aged younger than 60 months undergoing Child Abuse Pediatrics (CAP) consultation for suspected physical abuse from February 2021 to May 2023 were identified in CAPNET, a multicenter research network. Children with symptoms or signs of intra-abdominal injury were excluded. We identified case characteristics associated with transaminase screening and abdominal CT imaging using logistic regression and determined OAT prevalence. RESULTS: Of 6161 eligible children, 3982 (64.6%) underwent transaminase screening; 687/3982 (17.3%) had transaminases greater than 80 IU/L with 298/687 (43.4%) undergoing abdominal CT imaging. Variability in screening and imaging practices was identified between CAPNET sites. In a fully adjusted model, transaminase screening was associated with ages younger than 6 months, greater clinical severity, and site. CT imaging was associated with site, inpatient status, and higher transaminase range. We identified 16 OAT cases in children with transaminases greater than 80 IU/L, representing 2.3% of CAP-evaluated children with positive transaminase screening and 0.3% of all eligible children. CONCLUSIONS: Providers often perform transaminase screening but not abdominal CT imaging despite transaminases greater than 80 IU/L. The low prevalence of OAT suggests that routine transaminase screening in suspected child physical abuse evaluations may not be necessary when all signs and symptoms of abdominal injury are absent.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Changes in child placement after child abuse pediatrics consultation for suspected physical abuse

  Child Abuse & Neglect · 2025-08-08

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  BACKGROUND: The association between child abuse pediatric (CAP) assessments and child welfare outcomes is unknown. OBJECTIVE: To determine the association between a CAP determination of the likelihood of physical abuse and change in child placement. We hypothesized that child race would be associated with CAP determination of abuse likelihood and child welfare outcomes. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: Children under age ten years with in-person CAP consultation and referral to child protective services for suspected physical abuse at a U.S. pediatric referral center participating in CAPNET, a CAP research network, from 02/2021 to 01/2023. METHODS: We created a series of generalized estimating equations clustered by site, adding covariate blocks representing child characteristics, clinical case factors, and social risk indicators to understand the probability of placement change after CAP consultation. RESULTS: Of 3732 eligible children, 950 (25.5 %) experienced a placement change around a CAP consultation for physical abuse. Adjusting for site, placement change was 28.7 % (25.7-31.8 %) more likely for children with a CAP determination of a high v. lower likelihood of abuse and 6.7 % (3.1-10.4 %) more likely for children of Black/Indigenous v. other race (p < 0.001). These differences persisted with attenuation in fully adjusted models. There was no significant association between CAP determination and child race. CONCLUSIONS: CAP assessment of physical abuse likelihood is strongly associated with the probability of change in child placement. While not associated with CAP assessment of abuse likelihood, Black or Indigenous race is associated with increased probability of placement change even after adjusting for child, case, and social risk factors.

  PublisherDOI

• Testing for Bleeding Disorders in Child Abuse: Aap Recommendation Adherence and Testing Results

  SSRN Electronic Journal · 2025-01-01

  preprintOpen access
  PublisherDOI

Recent grants

• Occult Injury Screening and the Detection of Physical Abuse in Young Children

  NIH · $628k · 2012–2017

Frequent coauthors

• David M. Rubin

  Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

  68 shared

• Philip V. Scribano

  Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

  56 shared

• Chris Feudtner

  Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

  51 shared

• M. Katherine Henry

  48 shared

• Daniel M. Lindberg

  37 shared

• Rachel P. Berger

  University of Pittsburgh

  34 shared

• Kristine A. Campbell

  31 shared

• Cindy W. Christian

  University of California, San Francisco

  30 shared

Labs

• Joanne Nicole Wood LabPI

Education

• MSHP

  University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine

  2009

• MD

  University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine

  2002