Biography
Rebecca Girardet was awarded a Bachelor's of Arts degree in Human Biology with honors from Stanford University in 1987 and her Doctorate of Medicine from the University of Arizona in 1992. She was awarded a year-long fellowship in 1989 from the American Heart Association to conduct HIV research at the Pasteur Institute in Paris, France. She completed her residency in pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine in 1995. Dr. Girardet worked in private practice and later as an instructor with the Baylor College of Medicine Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine. She joined the McGovern School of Medicine at UT Health Sciences Center - Houston in 1998, where she founded and directed the Division of Child Safety and Integrated Care. She moved to the University of New Mexico Department of Pediatrics in 2021, where she directs the Child Abuse Pediatrics fellowship program and Para Los Niños Clinic, and is a co-convener of the UNM Child Health Grand Challenge multidisciplinary research coalition for child maltreatment prevention. She is board-certified in both general pediatrics and child abuse pediatrics.
Personal Statement
As a board-certified child abuse pediatrician, I have a strong background in child maltreatment, childhood adversity, and social determinants of health. I enjoy teaching and research, and building collaborative initiatives to improve care for children and families.
Areas of Specialty
Child maltreatment
Child maltreatment and injury prevention
Sexually transmitted disease
Integrated care
Achievements & Awards
- Faculty Service Award for Outstanding Advocacy, UNM Department of Pediatrics, 2025
- Faculty Service Award, UNM Department of Pediatrics, 2023
- Best Long Presentation Award, Shared presentation on “Integrated Med-Psych Programs, A Different Approach to Medical Maltreatment”, 2018, Ray E. Helfer Society Annual Meeting
- Dean’s Teaching Excellence Award, 2013, McGovern Medical School
- Chair Emeritus, award for service as co-chair of the Committee on Child Abuse and Neglect, 2010, Texas Pediatric Society
- Team Excellence Award, 2007, Advocacy Centers of Texas
Key Publications
Journal Article
Girardet, Rebecca A. Strickler, Leslie Hinrichsen, A Gardner, B Bodor, G Cruz, Theresa Characteristics of Child Deaths and Near-Deaths Resulting From Violence or Maltreatment. Child maltreatment 10.1177/10775595261465668
Journal Article
Gong, Xi Lu, Yujian Girardet, Rebecca A. Schreier, Hannah M.C. Li, Zhenlong Cruz, Theresa H. Lin, Yan Do We Care Enough About Child Maltreatment? - Analyzing U.S. Public Perceptions of Child Maltreatment Using Social Media Data 10.2139/ssrn.5840206
Journal Article
Anderst, J Carpenter, S L Abshire, T C Killough, E Mendonca, E A Downs, S M Wetmore, C Allen, C Dickens, D Harper, J Rogers, Z R Jain, J Warwick, A Yates, A Hord, J Evaluation for Bleeding Disorders in Suspected Child Abuse. Pediatrics 10.1542/peds.2022-059276
Journal Article
Girardet, R G Shellman, A B Llorens, A Nguyen, L Ellsworth, M Rennie, K Ha, C Evaluation of an Intensive Program for Children With Co-occurring Medical and Emotional Disorders. Clinical pediatrics 10.1177/00099228221091429
Journal Article
Nasrazadani, A Ruda, M Girardet, Rebecca A. Campbell, J Breeden, K Torres, B Gonorrheal and chlamydia yield for genital and extragenital testing in children evaluated for sexual abuse. Child abuse & neglect
Languages
- French
- Spanish
- English
Research and Scholarship
Girardet R, Bolton K, Hashmi S, Sedlock E, Khatri R, Lahoti S, Lukefahr J. Child Protective Services Utilization of Child Abuse Pediatricians: A Mixed Methods Study. Child Abuse and Neglect 76:381-387, 2018
Girardet R, Lahoti S, Bolton K, Kellogg N. Characteristics of cases submitted to a statewide system of child abuse experts. Children and Youth Services Review 67:198-202, 2016