2019 Family Court Conference

Biographies of Interdisciplinary Conference Participants

Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Thursday October 10, 2019

Judges' Bios

Chief Judge Robert E. Morin | Judge Peter Krauthamer | Judge Jennifer Di Toro | Magistrate Judge Mary Grace Rook |

Faculty Bios

Read Judicial Bios

Honorable Chief Judge Robert E. Morin was appointed to the Superior Court of the District of Columbia in 1996. In June 2016, he was designated for a four-year term as Chief Judge, beginning his term on October 1, 2016. Chief Judge Morin graduated from the University of Massachusetts with a degree in Sociology in 1974. He received his law degree from Catholic University Law School in 1977. After graduating from law school, Chief Judge Morin joined the law firm of Furey, Doolan & Abell, where he focused primarily on civil and criminal litigation. In 1980, he accepted a position as a Clinical Supervisor in the Criminal Division of the DC Law Students in Court Program in Washington, DC In 1982, Chief Judge Morin assisted in establishing and worked at the Southern Center for Human Rights in Atlanta, Georgia. The Center was established to provide representation of indigent persons charged in capital cases or under a sentence of death, and to train lawyers to provide such representation. In 1984, Chief Judge Morin returned to the Washington Metropolitan area and accepted a position with the Office of the Public Defender for the State of Maryland to undertake representation of defendants in the lead death penalty cases in that state. From 1986 until his investiture in 1996, Chief Judge Morin was a partner in the law firm of Fisher, Morin & Hansen, located in Washington, DC where he specialized in the area of the defense of serious criminal and death penalty cases. Since 1986, Chief Judge Morin has served as an Adjunct Professor of Law at the Georgetown Law Center, teaching Evidence and Capital Punishment. Since joining the Court, Chief Judge Morin has served on a variety of committees of the Court including the Criminal Justice Act and Family Court Panel Committees, the CJA Plan Implementation Committee, the Criminal Rules Advisory Committee, and the Superior Court Rules Committee. He has served in the Criminal Division, Civil Divisions and Family Court. From 2010 through the end of 2015, he served as Deputy Presiding Judge and then Presiding Judge of the Criminal Division.

Honorable Peter A. Krauthamer was appointed to the District of Columbia Superior Court in 2011 by President Barack Obama. Judge Krauthamer has resided in the District of Columbia and Silver Spring, Maryland since 1970. He graduated from Bethesda Chevy Chase High School and received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Brandeis University in 1979, and a Juris Doctorate from Boston University School of Law in 1982. After graduating from law school, Judge Krauthamer began his career as a staff attorney at the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia (PDS) in 1983. While at PDS, Judge Krauthamer handled juvenile delinquency cases, adult misdemeanors and tried numerous felony cases, including serious and complex felony one cases. During his tenure at PDS, Judge Krauthamer served as Deputy Chief of the Trial Division in 1988, Trial Chief in 1990, and Training Director in 1992. He joined the Federal Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia from 1994 to 1995, and then joined the Howard University School of Law Faculty as an Assistant Professor where he taught Evidence and also served as a Clinical Supervising Attorney for the Criminal Justice Clinic from 1995 to 2000. Thereafter, Judge Krauthamer served as Deputy Director for the District of Columbia Pretrial Services Agency until 2004 when he rejoined PDS as its Deputy Director until his judicial appointment. Since his appointment to the Superior Court bench, Judge Krauthamer served in the Civil Division from January 2012 until January 2013, when he began his current assignment in the Family Court. Judge Krauthamer is married and has two sons.

Honorable Jennifer Di Toro was nominated by President Barack Obama in February 2011, and confirmed by the Senate in September 2011.

Judge Di Toro holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Wesleyan University, a Master’s Degree from The University of Oxford and a Masters in Advocacy from Georgetown University Law Center. Following graduation from Stanford Law School, she received an E. Barrett Prettyman Fellowship to work in the Georgetown University Law Center’s Criminal Justice Clinic. There she represented low-income residents of the District of Columbia in D.C. Superior Court. She also supervised law students handling misdemeanor cases. After the completion of her Fellowship, Judge Di Toro joined the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia as a staff attorney. In addition to handling misdemeanor and felony cases, Judge Di Toro also worked in the Special Litigation Division where she assisted in preparing impact litigation suits, and for the General Counsel’s office handling ethics and conflicts inquiries.

Judge Di Toro has also been in private practice, as an associate at the law firm Zuckerman Spaeder LLP. There, she participated in white-collar criminal defense, complex civil litigation, and provided direct representation to clients in D.C. Superior Court.

During her fifteen years of practice, Jennifer Di Toro has worked in government, in private practice, and legal services. She joins the Superior Court for the District of Columbia from The District of Columbia’s Children’s Law Center, where she served for seven years as the organization’s Legal Director. At The Children’s Law Center, Judge Di Toro oversaw the work of nearly fifty lawyers engaged in all aspects of litigation involving children and families in the District of Columbia. Judge Di Toro was responsible for hiring, training, and supervising attorneys and supervisors assisting families seeking custody, guardianship, adoption, access to health care and special education services for needy children and families. Together with other members of the Center’s management team, Judge Di Toro established supervision standards, training and litigation protocols, and program expansion and innovation.

Throughout her career Judge Di Toro has been an active member of the legal profession. She has trained law students, attorneys working in legal services and those in private practice through the Washington Council of Lawyers, Georgetown University Law Center, and the Harvard Law School.

Honorable Mary Grace Rook was appointed by Chief Judge Rufus G. King, III and installed as Magistrate Judge on August 18, 2006.

Judge Rook was born and raised in Paterson, New Jersey. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology from the Catholic University of America and her Masters in Social Work from the University of Connecticut, where she specialized in clinical practice. She received her law degree from Catholic University’s Columbus School of Law. Prior to receiving her undergraduate degree Judge Rook spent two years living in the Philippines and worked as the director of a crisis intervention center at Clark Air Force Base. During her time there, she received a service award for civilian assistance as a result of her role in the 1975 Saigon airlift.

Upon graduation from law school, Judge Rook worked as Counsel for Child Abuse and Neglect, and also worked with the Dalton and Dalton Law Firm on special education cases. In 1999, Judge Rook took on the role of special education attorney in the civil division for the Public Defender Service, where she assisted the juvenile trial attorneys whose clients had outstanding special education needs. Judge Rook was a planner and teacher at the Public Defender Service’s (PDS’) first special education training in 2000.

Following her work as a special education attorney, Judge Rook served as Coordinator of the Juvenile Services Program for PDS. In this capacity, she was responsible for training and supervising staff attorneys and law clerks that worked with PDS at the Oak Hill Youth Center and the Youth Services Center. Judge Rook was part of the truancy workgroup that developed the middle school truancy diversion program.

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Read Faculty Bios

Maxine Akai, LICSW, LCSW-C, is a Clinical Social Worker with 10 years of experience, including a background in child welfare, education, hospital and mental health in Maryland and Washington, D.C. In 2006, Ms. Akai graduated magna cum laude from Salisbury University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work and a minor in Psychology. She then attended the University of Maryland at Baltimore where she received her Master’s Degree in Social Work in 2007. As a Prince George’s County native and a child of a Haitian mother and a Nigerian father, Ms. Akai has sought to give back to communities locally and internationally. Ms. Akai sits on the Board and is an active member of Uplift Haiti, a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt charity that teams up with local communities in accomplishing sustainable projects for improving health, education, employment, and the local economy and infrastructure in Haiti. This unique perspective provides her with a more well-rounded approach to working with colleagues and underserved communities.

Currently, Ms. Akai is employed as a Social Worker with the Department of Behavioral Health (DBH) and is co-located at Child and Family Services Agency in Washington, D.C. In this capacity, Ms. Akai serves as a liaison between both agencies, facilitates Clinical Supervision for a team of Social Workers, and makes recommendations for troubleshooting issues related to service recommendations. In this setting, she also holds team meetings for youth identified as atrisk or confirmed to be commercially sexually exploited, coordinates trainings for mental health and affiliated agencies on the subject, and is the representative for DBH at the city’s multiagency committee on said youth.

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Robert “Bobby” Bangert, L.I.C.S.W., is the Manager of Youth and Family Care Navigation at Whitman-Walker Health, a non-profit Federally Qualified Health Center specializing in LGBTQ health, and care for people living with HIV. In his current role he oversees Whitman-Walker’s Youth and Family Care Navigation program, which provides therapeutic case management support to youth and families living with HIV. He is also a clinician on Whitman- Walker’s Youth Mental Health team, providing individual therapy to youth who have experienced trauma through crime and victimization, with a particular emphasis on serving LGBTQ youth. He received his Master’s in Social Work from The Catholic University of America, concentrating in both clinical social work and social change. He is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (L.I.C.S.W.) in the District of Columbia.

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Erica Barnes, L.I.C.S.W., is a licensed independent social worker in Washington, D.C. She has been working with children and families for the past 25 years. Currently, she is the Branch Chief for the Department of Behavioral Health, School Mental Health Program. She has worked at the Department for 13 years. Ms. Barnes has been trained in a variety of different trauma programs including Trauma Debriefing for Schools and Agencies, Cognitive Behavioral Intervention for Trauma in Schools, Sensory Based Intervention for Trauma, and Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Individuals. Additionally, she is a trainer for Non Violent Crisis Intervention, Mental Health First Aide, and Question Persuade and Refer (QPR). Ms. Barnes received her Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from Northeastern University and her Master of Social Work degree from New York University.

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Barbara J. Bazron, Ph.D. is the Director of the District of Columbia Department of the Behavioral Health appointed by Mayor Muriel Bowser. In this role, she manages the District’s recovery oriented and integrated behavioral health system. Throughout her career, Dr. Bazron has used her expertise in strategic planning and organizational development to build systems of care that promote the integration of mental health and addictions services, foster equity with physical health care, and address disparities in health care. Prior to her appointment, Dr. Bazron served as the Deputy Secretary of the Maryland Department of Health’s Behavioral Health Administration which is responsible for the state’s services and supports for individuals with mental health and substance use disorders, including five psychiatric hospitals. During her tenure, she led improvements in the forensic services system. Columbia.

Dr. Bazron previously served as Interim Director and Senior Deputy Director of the District’s Department of Behavioral Health where she led initiatives to expand evidence-based practices for children and youth, integrate peer leadership in treatment models, and increase access to care in nontraditional settings, including an urgent care clinic located at the U.S. Superior Court for immediate service for courtordered referrals. She also established a research and evaluation division to collect accurate and reliable data to drive sound decision making.

Dr. Bazron is an early innovator and a published author on cultural competency in behavioral health. She also has clinical experience as a family therapist and as an educational diagnostician. Dr. Bazron received a Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Pittsburgh, a Master of Education from the University of Cincinnati, and a Bachelor of Arts from Oberlin College.

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Nicole Beck, J.D. is a Staff Attorney at Break the Cycle. She represents clients ages 12 to 24 in Civil Protection Order hearings and trials, seeking protective orders against abusers. Ms. Beck’s clients are victims of domestic violence, dating violence, stalking, and sexual assault. Ms. Beck also represents students in Title IX proceedings at local universities and secondary schools. Ms. Beck assists National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (NCJFCJ) with their technical assistance and training of judges on teen dating violence. Ms. Beck also conducts outreach and education events with Break the Cycle to educate youth about dating violence, healthy relationships, and their legal rights. Ms. Beck spent two years clerking for the Honorable Laura A. Cordero, an Associate Judge with the District of Columbia Superior Court. While clerking, Ms. Beck assisted the Judge with management of a domestic violence calendar and a civil calendar. Ms. Beck received her law degree from the George Washington University Law School and was awarded the National Association of Women Lawyer’s Outstanding Law Student award in 2015.

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Eric Chapman is the Substance Use Disorders (SUD) Prevention Branch Chief for the District of Columbia Department of Behavioral Health (DBH) and National Prevention Network (NPN) representative for the District of Columbia. Prior to this role, he served as DBH’s Community Engagement Branch Manager and was responsible for the oversight of the agency’s substance abuse prevention subgrants and community engagement efforts.

Before coming to DBH, Mr. Chapman was involved in policy work within the criminal and juvenile justice arena and earlier than that, focused on community capacity building and youth violence intervention throughout the District of Columbia. Having both academic and practical experiences in the fields of criminal justice and juvenile violence prevention within the District, he remains committed to working with his team to reduce risk factors and increase protective factors associated with substance use and other destructive behaviors.

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Kimberley Cruz, J.D. is a Family Court Supervisory Attorney in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. Ms. Cruz graduated from the University of Virginia with a B.A. in 2002, and received her J.D. from Case Western Reserve University in 2006. Following law school, Ms. Cruz spent two years as an Assistant Public Defender in Fort Myers, Florida defending criminal clients in misdemeanor and felony cases. In 2008, Ms. Cruz joined the Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF) as a prosecuting attorney for child abuse and neglect cases. Ms. Cruz became a Supervising Attorney with DCF in 2010, where she remained until 2014. In 2014, Ms. Cruz joined the Superior Court of the District of Columba as an Attorney Advisor, specializing in abuse and neglect cases. In 2016, she assumed the role of Branch Chief of the Child Abuse and Neglect (CCAN) office, overseeing the Family Court Panel attorneys and managing attorney appointments in neglect matters. Ms. Cruz became the Family Court Supervisory Attorney in 2017, where she now continues to oversee CCAN, as well as the Self-Help Center, the Attorney Advisor’s Office, and the Attorney Negotiators.

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Carrie Dahlquist, M.P.H. is the Manager of the Tobacco Control Program with D.C. Department of Health’s (DOH) Community Health Administration where she oversees initiatives to reduce tobacco use and smoking initiation through policy, systems, and environmental change. Prior to her current role, she served as a Public Health Analyst with DOH’s Comprehensive Cancer Control Program. Ms. Dahlquist serves on the D.C. Tobacco Free Coalition, the D.C. Health Cancer Programs Leadership Committee, and the D.C. Cancer Registry Advisory Board. Her prior experience includes working with the American Cancer Society in Washington, DC, Texas, and Louisiana; the National Multiple Sclerosis Society in Virginia and Texas; and the Alzheimer’s Association in Texas. In addition to her public health work, she helps others lead physically active lives as a fitness instructor. Ms. Dahlquist is a graduate of University of Louisiana with a Bachelor of Arts in Government and is currently pursuing a Masters in Public Health at University of Massachusetts Amherst.

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Jose de Arteaga, J.D., M.S.W. grew up in Puerto Rico and thereafter moved to Wisconsin. He is a former foster parent and State of Wisconsin Probation and Parole Agent. Mr. de Arteaga earned a law degree from the University of Wisconsin Law School. He has always been a champion of, and passionate about, civil rights on many different levels. After graduating law school he fought for working families at the United Steel Workers of America. Thereafter, he moved to Washington, D.C. to represent the D.C. employees in the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) union and The Doctors Council. He then accepted his current position with the District of Columbia Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services as a Program Manager in the Revenue Maximization Division. In addition, Mr. de Arteaga enjoys his pro bono work with “Landmine Blow,” an all-volunteer non-governmental organization (NGO), dedicated to raising awareness of the global landmine and cluster munitions crisis through building water wells in conflict affected communities around the world.

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Katherine Deye, M.D., F.A.A.P. received her undergraduate degree in Molecular Biology from Princeton University and her medical doctorate from Jefferson Medical College, where she was elected to the Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society and received the Edward J. Moore Memorial Prize in Pediatrics. She completed her pediatrics training at the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. After several years practicing general pediatrics, she completed the Ewing Fellowship in Child Abuse Pediatrics at Children’s National Health System and Inova Fairfax Hospital for Children in 2009. Since that time, she has worked as a board certified Child Abuse Pediatrician at Children’s National Health System, and she also recently joined the staff of Inova Fairfax Hospital for Children. She is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at George Washington University and Virginia Commonwealth University.

Dr. Deye is the co-founder and medical director for the CAREs Clinic at Children’s National, a medical home for trafficked and at-risk youth, which recently opened in conjunction with the Adolescent Medicine Division. In addition to providing direct care for maltreated children, Dr. Deye teaches both medical trainees and non-medical professionals about various aspects of child abuse. She serves as the Medical Director of the Pediatric Sexual Assault Program at Inova Fairfax Hospital. Dr. Deye has presented both locally and nationally, has authored a number of publications on the topic of child maltreatment, and is the principal investigator in a current study on sex trafficked youth at Children’s National. Dr. Deye is an active member of multiple regional multidisciplinary teams including the D.C. Multidisciplinary Team on Abuse & Neglect and the D.C. Human Trafficking Task Force. Her additional responsibilities include providing expert witness testimony, and teaching law enforcement personnel, attorneys, judges and other professionals about child abuse and neglect.

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Michelle Dodge, J.D., L.I.C.S.W., L.C.S.W.-C. is a licensed clinical social worker specializing in the use of play to treat children and families affected by trauma and intrafamily conflict and violence. Prior to entering private practice, Ms. Dodge was employed as a Senior Program Specialist with the Office on Violence Against Women at the United States Department of Justice. She developed and implemented the first grant program dedicated to the issues of supervised visitation and safe exchange and managed federal demonstration projects and technical assistance focusing on child custody, domestic violence, and sexual assault. Ms. Dodge has worked for the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, the District of Columbia Department of Health and Human Services, and as an adjunct professor and guest lecturer with the National Catholic School of Social Service at the Catholic University of America. She received her B.A. from Wellesley College, dual degrees in law and social work from The Catholic University of America, and completed a two year post-graduate Child and Adolescent training program at the Washington School of Psychiatry. Ms. Dodge is the owner of JMD Counseling and Therapeutic Services, LLC and maintains offices in Takoma Park, Maryland and McLean, Virginia.

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Aisha Braithwaite Flucker is a Section Chief for the Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia (OAG), Family Services Division, Child Protection Section (CPS). As the Section Chief, Ms. Flucker manages a team of CPS trial attorneys who represent the Child and Family Services Agency (CFSA) in neglect, guardianship, adoption, and termination of parental rights cases. Ms. Flucker is also a member of the Mayor’s Advisory Committee for Child Abuse and Neglect and attends Infant Mortality Review and CFSA’s Child Fatality Review meetings. Prior to being the Section Chief, Ms. Flucker was a trial attorney with CPS from 2006 to 2016. During that time, Ms. Flucker was selected to represent CPS at Safe Shores-The D.C. Children’s Advocacy Center, where she was a member of the multi-disciplinary team that conducted forensic interviews of child victims of sexual and physical abuse. In 2010 and 2012, OAG acknowledged Ms. Flucker’s dedicated service and awarded her with the Exemplary Service Award. Prior to joining the Office of the Attorney General, Ms. Flucker worked in Prince George’s County, Office of Law, as an assistant county attorney in Child In Need of Assistance cases. In 1997, Ms. Flucker received a Bachelors of Arts, magna cum laude, from Howard University. From 1997 to 1999, Ms. Flucker worked for Maximus, Inc., a human services consulting firm, where she assisted underserved mothers with finding employment. In 2002, Ms. Flucker received a Juris Doctorate from American University’s Washington College of Law, where she was a Marshall-Brennan Fellow and a line editor for the Gender, Social Policy and the Law Journal. As a Marshall-Brennan Fellow, Ms. Flucker taught constitutional law to high school students in the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS). While in law school, Ms. Flucker interned for the Department of Justice, United States Attorney’s Office, Appellate Division and was a Summer associate at the Venable Law Firm.

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Michael Gillard, Psy.D. earned his Doctorate of Psychology from Wright State University, School of Professional Psychology. He completed his pre-doctoral internship at St. Elizabeths Hospital, John Howard Pavilion. After receiving his doctorate, Dr. Gillard provided treatment and evaluative services at the Commission on Mental Health, Oak Hill Youth Center. Dr. Gilliard initially split time between Oak Hill Youth Center and the Commission on Mental Health, Youth Forensic Services Division. Dr. Gilliard also engaged in evaluative and consultant services for several social service agencies within the state of Maryland and the Commonwealth of Virginia. Currently, at the Department of Mental Health, Assessment Center, Dr. Gilliard continues to provide evaluative and consultant services. Dr. Gilliard’s professional and training experiences facilitated the inception of Gilliard and Associates Psychological Services, LLC (GAAPS). In addition to working at GAAPS, Dr. Gilliard completes attachment and bonding evaluations, interactive evaluations, psychological evaluations, psychoeducational evaluations, and competency evaluations at the Department of Behavioral Health, Assessment Center, and the Juvenile Adjudicatory Competency Program.

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Adalphie Johnson, M.Div. comes to SMYAL with more than 8 years of program experience in the non-profit arena specifically in the Sexual Reproductive Health and Youth Development fields. Although a native Washingtonian, Ms. Johnson completed her education in Prince George’s County Public Schools and earned her Masters of Divinity from The Samuel Dewitt Proctor School of Theology at Virginia Union University.

Ms. Johnson has been able to create, support, provide, and implement safe spaces and developmentally appropriated programming to support youth in the “DMV” through partnerships and working with District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS), District of Columbia Public Charter Schools (DCPCS), recreation centers, faith based institutions, and a variety of other Community Based Organizations (CBOs) and non-profits.

As the Programs Director at SMYAL, Ms. Johnson is committed to providing safe spaces for all LGBTQ youth to celebrate who they are and to walk authentically in their truth.

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Djinge Lindsay, M.D., M.P.H. serves as the Senior Medical Advisor in the Community Health Administration (CHA), District of Columbia Department of Health (D.C. Health), and was previously CHA’s Deputy Director for Policy and Programs. She additionally serves as the District of Columbia’s Title V Maternal and Child Health Block Grant Director. CHA promotes healthy behaviors and healthy environments to improve health outcomes and reduce disparities in the leading causes of mortality and morbidity in the District. CHA focuses on nutrition and physical fitness promotion; cancer and chronic disease prevention and control; access to quality health care services, particularly medical and dental homes; and the health of families across the lifespan. In her role, Dr. Lindsay provides direction for program and policy development, implementation, and evaluation. Working with her team, her day to day work focuses on community engagement and partnerships, quality improvement, coordination of clinical and community-based services, and ongoing evaluation. Prior to joining D.C. Health, Dr. Lindsay practiced primary care within the largest integrated health care delivery system in the nation. Dr. Lindsay completed her residency with the Georgetown University-Providence Hospital Family Medicine Residency Program. She holds a Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) Degree from the George Washington University, a Master of Public Health (M.P.H.) in Health Care Management and Policy from the Harvard University School of Public Health, and a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Chemistry from Howard University.

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Michael Mancilla, L.I.C.S.W. is currently at Children’s National Medical Center as a therapist with Youth Pride Clinic and also provides health education on the unique needs of LGBTQ youth to clinical providers and staff at the hospital and in the community. He is a psychotherapist in private practice and co-authored the book “Love in the Time of HIV: Gay Man’s Guide to Sex Dating and Relationships,” which was nominated for a Lambda Literary Award. He has 20 years’ experience providing services to the LGBTBTQ community and has been profiled in front page stories of the Washington Post, New York Times and two documentaries by CNN.

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Brenda Rhodes Miller is the founding Executive Director of D.C. Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, which was established to cut the city’s teen pregnancy rate in half. D.C. Campaign has accomplished its mission twice, in 2005 and 2015, since 1999 and is dedicated to cutting the rate in half again no later than 2025. Ms. Miller is the author of The Church Ladies’ Divine Desserts and Sweet Recollections, The Church Ladies’ Celestial Suppers and Sensible Advice (Penguin Putnam), and The Laying on of Hands, a novel (Random House/Harvest Moon).

In 2017, Ms. Miller was named Washingtonian of the Year by Washingtonian Magazine. She has held senior level nonprofit management positions including senior vice president/COO for Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan Washington, where she launched a family planning clinic in an African Methodist Episcopal Church and a sexuality education project in a Baptist Church for public housing residents and deputy director of the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy. Miller graduated from Spring Hill College with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Arts and received a Master of Science in Advertising from the University of Illinois.

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Roger A. Mitchell Jr., M.D. is board certified in Anatomic and Forensic Pathology by the American Board of Pathology and a Fellow with the National Association of Medical Examiners (NAME). Dr. Mitchell is a member of the National Medical Association (NMA) and serves as Chair of the NMA Task Force on Gun Violence. He represents NMA on the Research Advisory Committee for the American Foundation for Firearm Reduction in Medicine (AFFIRM).

Dr. Mitchell is a graduate of Howard University, Washington D.C., and New Jersey Medical School, Newark and is licensed to practice medicine in Washington D.C. He has performed nearly 1400 autopsy examinations in his career and has testified as an expert on numerous cases.

Dr. Mitchell began the study of forensic science and violence prevention as a Forensic Biologist for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) – DNA Unit in January 1997.

As the Chief Medical Examiner of a major city, Dr. Mitchell is uniquely positioned to understand the social determinants that lead to the violence affecting our most vulnerable communities. He has a great interest in Violence as a public health issue and has co-authored position papers on The Violence Epidemic in the African American Community for the National Medical Association (NMA) and the Definition, Investigation, Postmortem Examination and Reporting of Deaths in Custody for the National Association of Medical Examiners (NAME).

His most recent article is entitled, Incidence and Cause of Potentially Preventable Death after Civilian Public Mass Shooting in the U.S., which is published in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons.

Dr. Mitchell recently served on the Forensic Science Standards Board (FSSB) for the National Institute of Science and Technology (NIST). He is sought after for his expertise on violence, death investigation, mass fatality management, and has lectured for the Governments of Egypt, Bangladesh, Mumbai, London and several countries in Africa and Asia associated with the CDC Foundation Data for Health Project.

Dr. Mitchell is a licensed minister serving as a mentor in his local community. Dr. Mitchell often shares how drugs and violence have shaped his own life.

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Loral Patchen, Ph.D., M.S.N., M.A., C.N.M., I.B.C.L.C.is the Executive Director and Co- is vice chair of Obstetrics and Gynecology, innovation and community programs at MedStar Washington Hospital Center (MWHC). As such, she leads several innovative clinical and research programs to promote improved health decision making and parenting skills and to investigate health disparities in maternal and child health.

At MWHC, Dr. Patchen is responsible for strategic and operational leadership for midwifery services and the Women’s Community Health Practice. She also is chair of the Baby Friendly Task Force and provided leadership for MWHC’s efforts to secure Baby Friendly Designation in 2017. Current programming initiatives under her leadership include increasing exclusive breastfeeding rates among minority mothers, reducing the burden of sexually transmitted infections among minority youth, promoting inclusive clinical practices for the LGBTQA community, incorporating behavioral health services in the OB/GYN setting, and promoting diverse options, such as nitrous oxide, for pain management during labor.

Dr. Patchen also directs overall program implementation, management, and service delivery for the Center for Adolescent Women and the Teen Alliance for Prepared Parenting (TAPP) Program. TAPP addresses teen pregnancy with a focus on subsequent pregnancy prevention. It is a comprehensive program that provides clinical and psychosocial services to help youth avoid pregnancy, complete their education, and master life skills. The program has received national recognition for its work. In 2017, 39% of TAPP program participants adopted a long-acting reversible contraceptive method (IUD or contraceptive implant), which is much higher than the national rate among teens (5.8%). Overall, 95% of program participants adopt a contraceptive method.

Dr. Patchen has published several articles on obesity and childbearing, adolescent reproductive and sexual health, and mHealth interventions in peer-reviewed journals, including the Journal of Midwifery and Women’s Health; Journal of Pediatric & Adolescent Gynecology; Contraception; MCN: The American Journal of Maternal/Child Nursing; and Sexually Transmitted Diseases. She is frequently invited to speak at professional meetings, presenting topics ranging from health equity to the continuum of adolescent development. She is board certified by the American College of Nurse-Midwives, and she is fluent in Spanish as well as English. Her experience prior to joining MedStar Health includes service as a Peace Corps volunteer in Honduras and as a consultant for the World Bank.

Dr. Patchen earned her Ph.D. in Public Health Sciences in the Department of Population, Family and Reproductive Health at Bloomberg School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University, where she also earned a Master’s degree in International Economics (Community Health). She has an additional Master’s degree in Nursing for Midwifery from Yale University. She also is an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant.

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Susma Shanti Vaidya, M.D., M.P.H. is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the George Washington (GW) University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Associate Director of the IDEAL Clinic at Children’s National Medical Center, and is board certified in pediatrics and obesity medicine. Dr. Vaidya is a native of the D.C. area. She received her Bachelor of Arts (.B.A) from Johns Hopkins University, her Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) from the University of Maryland School of Medicine, a Masters of Public Health (M.P.H.) from the Harvard School of Public Health, and completed her pediatric residency at Children’s National Medical Center. She has been on faculty at Children’s National Medical Center (CNMC) and GW since 2004 as an attending in General Pediatrics. Dr. Vaidya has also been an attending in the IDEAL Clinic since its inception in 2006 as a small program in the general pediatrics clinic at CNMC through its expansion to its current state consisting of 5 clinics at Regional Outpatient Centers in the D.C. Metropolitan area. She is devoted to providing comprehensive care to children with obesity, including co-morbid disorders, and has a particular interest in expanding access to pediatric obesity care, specifically through telemedicine.

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Jeffrey Walker is a native Washingtonian and a current employee of D.C. Department of Behavioral Health working in the Substance Use Disorder (SUD) Prevention Branch under the Prevention and Early Intervention Division. He attended Cheyney University where he studied Criminal Justice and is a proud member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity. Mr. Walker has managed multiple programs within different nationally recognized non-profit organizations, including the Latin American Youth Center, Anti-Violence Partnership of Philadelphia, and Life Pieces to Masterpieces. He is also a mentor trainer and provides technical assistance to non-profit organizations throughout D.C. and Maryland as a consultant through Maryland MENTOR. He believes that the voices of the youth are paramount and the catalyst for change.

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Katara Watkins-Laws, Ph.D. is a Staff Psychologist at the Child Guidance Clinic (CGC), Superior Court of the District of Columbia. She received her doctorate in Counseling Psychology from Howard University and also holds a Graduate Certificate in Working with Survivors of Trauma and Torture from University of Maryland. Dr. Watkins-Laws was previously a Clinical Research Associate in the CGC, where she coordinated the data collection used in the ongoing research of interventions and outcomes of youth in the Juvenile Behavioral Health Program (JBDP), youth with status offenses, and youth at risk for sexual exploitation in the District of Columbia. She has presented at multiple professional conferences and has authored and coauthored several scientific articles including publications in the NSHA Dialog, The Journal of Negro Education, Psychology and Public Policy, and Law. Prior to her role at the Court, she completed her pre-doctoral internship at Lawrence Hall Youth Services, through the Chicago School for Professional Psychology in Chicago, Illinois. She has also held positions as a research intern in the Research Initiative for Student Enhancement program (RISE) at Kennedy Krieger Institute Family Center and John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, Maryland. She was also a federal intern at Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) in the Office of Policy and Political Planning in Rockville, Maryland. Dr. Watkins-Laws is a native of Washington, D.C.

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Ariel White, M.D. grew up in Washington D.C. and is an adolescent medicine specialist physician in the Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine at Children’s National Hospital. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Elon University and went to medical school at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. She completed a combined Internal Medicine and Pediatrics Residency at the University of Tennessee in Memphis in 2017. In her current role at Children’s National, Dr. White is an attending physician who cares for youth ages 12-22 years old and is part of the Center for At-Risk Evaluations (CARES) Clinic, which aims to function as the medical arm of a city-wide multidisciplinary team response to suspected cases of minor sex trafficking. Her research focuses on Medicaid Freedom of Choice legislation and youth access to family planning services in Washington D.C.

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Malcolm H. Woodland, Ph.D. is the Deputy Director of the Family Court Social Services Division of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. He has worked in juvenile justice for several years as an administrator and as a child and adolescent forensic psychologist, conducting evaluations, providing psychological treatment, and expert testimony. His research considers psychological test and measurement issues in forensic populations as well as out-of-school time programming for African American boys. Prior to his current position, Dr. Woodland served as the Chief Psychologists of the Child Guidance Clinic in the Family Court. He was American Educational Research Association postdoctoral fellow at the University of California, Berkeley and his work on youth development, forensic assessment, and African American males can be found in several peer-reviewed periodicals such as the Journal of Counseling Psychology, Journal of Forensic Psychology Practice, and Urban Education. He obtained his doctorate in clinical psychology from Howard University and completed his undergraduate studies at Tougaloo College in Mississippi. Dr. Woodland is also the co-founder and director of a non-profit organization, Young Doctors D.C., in Washington, D.C., which exposes D.C. youth to careers in health and medicine.

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