Michelle Ward

Michelle is an academic pediatrician who has spent 15 years working at the intersection of health care, social services, and the law.  As a physician leader who has helped shape the specialized field of Child Maltreatment Pediatrics in Canada, her work has taken her from the hospital bedside, to lecture halls, to boardrooms, and in to court rooms.  Her work has given her a front seat view of childhood adversity and resilience, its effects on individuals and families, and the complex systems around these issues.  Michelle is currently the Division Head of Child and Youth Protection at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario in Ottawa, an Associate Professor at the University of Ottawa, and the President of the Child and Youth Maltreatment Section of the Canadian Paediatric Society.   After finishing a B.ScH in biology and psychology at Queen’s University, Michelle completed her medical training at McMaster University.  She is board certified in Pediatrics (Canada and USA) and Child Abuse Pediatrics (USA).   She has authored scientific publications and book chapters, is a sought-after advisor and speaker in medical and legal communities, and teaches at the Faculty of Medicine (University of Ottawa) in the areas of child maltreatment pediatrics, communication skills, and advocacy.  Michelle is currently undertaking a Fellowship in Global Journalism at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health (University of Toronto) with a view to pairing solid science with compelling stories to bring the most important issues for children, youth, and families to the public and to policy-makers. 

Research Interests: child and youth maltreatment, vulnerable populations, parenting issues.