User:Jmerrick

Joav Merrick, born in Copenhagen, Denmark (1950-),MD, MMedSci, DMSc is professor of child health and human development affiliated with the Zusman Child Development Center, Division of Pediatrics, Soroka University Medical Center, Ben Gurion University, Beer-Sheva, Israel and the Kentucky Children’s Hospital, University of Kentucky, Lexington, United States of America. Married to Geula Gadassi, early childhood specialist. Children: Michael Talia, Efrat Miriam, Etai Jaakov, Alona Yona, Amir David and Maya Rachel.

Educational background
Resident and Attending Physician at various Pediatric Departments in the Copenhagen region and later positions as Director of the Section for Ambulatory, Community and Psycho-Social Pediatrics, Director of the Prospective Pediatric Research Unit, University Hospital, Copenhagen and Director of the Child Protection Team at one of the Municipalities in the Copenhagen County. Initiator and Director of the Children’s House, National Hot-line, National Center for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect, Copenhagen. Initiator of the establishment for a Danish Ombudsman and initiator of the biannual Scandinavian Congresses on Child Abuse and Neglect since 1983.

Clinical Professor in Child Health and Community Pediatrics at the University of Copenhagen, visiting Professor at the Mount Sinai Hospital in Chicago and the C. Henry Kempe National Center for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect, Denver, USA, Visiting Professor at the Nordic School of Public Health, Gottenburg, Sweden and  Honorary Professor at the Australian Institute for Coordinated  Research, State of  Victoria. Today affiliated with Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Division of Pediatrics, Community Health and School of Continuing Medical Education. From 2007 professor of Pediatrics at the Kentucky Children’s Hospital, University of Kentucky, Lexington, United States.

Division for Mental Retardation in Israel
In 1989 he moved with his family to Israel and in 1991 became the medical director of the Division for Mental Retardation, Ministry of Social Affairs, Jerusalem responsible for the medical care of over 8,000 persons with intellectual disability in more than 60 residential care centers and 60 community related residential care facilities (hostels, protected apartments). The Division for Mental Retardation today provides services to 25,000 persons with intellectual disability.

National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
From 1999 the initiator and also the director of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, an academic virtual research institute on children, the disabled and the intellectually disabled in Israel affiliated with the Office of the Medical Director, Ministry of Social Affairs, Jerusalem, Israel (website: http://www.nichd-israel.com).

Publications
Numerous publications in the field of pediatrics, child health and human development, rehabilitation, intellectual disability, disability, health, welfare, abuse, advocacy, quality of life, prevention and other public health related topics (home page: http://jmerrick50.googlepages.com/home).

Book publications
Several books like “Children and the Emergency Room”, “Incest”, “Child Abuse”, “Child Sexual Abuse”, “Children in Alcohol- and Drug-abusing families”, Children at risk”, “Childhood” and “Child Development”, “Suicidal behavior in adolescence”. Also textbooks, such as “The Scandinavian Textbook on Social and Community Pediatrics”, “The Scandinavian Textbook on Child Abuse and Neglect” and “Principles of Holistic Medicne”.

Have authored more than ten books alone or with others, like "Children and the emergency room. A picture book for children","Child abuse and neglect in Scandinavia", "A textbook on child abuse and neglect",  "Children at risk", "The baby and child medical handbook", "Principles of holistic medicine. Philosophy behind quality of life", "Principles of holistic medicine. Quality of life and health" and "Principles of holistic medicine. Global quality of life. Theory, research and methodology". Have initiated and edited close to 50 books, such as "Incest. A book on child sexual abuse", "Child health and development. The Scandinavian textbook on Social- and Community Pediatrics", "A book on children in alcohol- and drug-abusing families", "The Scandinavian textbook on child abuse and neglect", "A textbook on intrafamilial child sexual abuse", "Child sexual abuse in the family", Childhood. A book about child health and development during the last 300 years", "Down syndrome", "Epilepsy in adolescence", "Resilience and adolescence", "Adolescent pregnancy", "Adolescence and eating disorders", "Adolescents and their parents", "Adolescent violence in violent times", "Disability and adolescence", "Accidents, risk behavior and adolescence", "Guidelines of the medical director", "Adolescence and physical activity", "Suicide and adolescence", "Suicidal behavior in adolescence. An international perspective", "Adolescence and alcohol", "Positive youth development program in Hong Kong", "Adolescence and alcohol. A international perspective", "Disability, virtual reality and associated technologies", "Disability, rehabilitation and virtual reality", "Aging and disability", "Virtual reality technologies for disability and rehabilitation", "Advances in virtual reality therapy and rehabilitation", "Down syndrome. Today and tomorrow", "Alcohol and suicide. Research and clinical perspectives" and "Aging and disability.Research and clinical perspectives".

Awards and honors
Received the Peter Sabroe Child Award for outstanding work on behalf of Danish Children in 1985 and the International LEGO-Prize (“The Children’s Nobel Prize”) for an extraordinary contribution towards improvement in child welfare and well-being in 1987

Professional honors
Member and boardmember in several Danish, Scandinavian, Israeli and International organizations and societies. Executive Council of the International Society for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect  1984-96. Chairman of the Finance Committee, 1986-88 and Chairman of the Journal Committee from 1994-96.

Review and editorial work
On the Editorial Board of the “International Journal on Child Abuse and Neglect” from 1984-94, but continues to perform referee work. From 1999 Editorial Board of the International Journal of Religion, Disability and Health published by Haworth Press, New York. From 1999 review work for the Israel Medical Asssociation Journal (English Journal) and from 2000-2008 the Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Adolescent Medicine and Health published by Freund Publishing House (London and Tel Aviv). From 2001 review work for the International Quarterly Public Health Review (Int Scientific Publications, Tel Aviv) and Journal of Intellectual Disability Research (Blackwell Science, Oxford). From 2002 on the editorial board of the Internet Journal of Pediatrics and Neonatology (Internet Scientific Publications, Ispub.com) and the International Nursing Journal of Intellectual and Developmental Disability (internet journal launched in 2004 by the Developmental Disabilities Nurses Association, Blaine, Washington). From 2003 the Principal Editor of the “Child Health and Human Development” domain of the on-line Scientific World Journal published by Scientific World Ltd operating from Newbury, UK and New York and in 2006 the Principal Editor of TSWJ-Holistic Health and Medicine published by Scientific World Ltd. From 2007 the editor-in-chief of the International Journal of Child Health and Human Development (Nova Science, New York), the International Journal of Child and Adolescent Health (Nova Science) and the Journal of Pain Management (Nova Science). From 2007 the editor-in-chief of the book series Health and Human development (Nova Science).