Desmond
Runyan
Professor
and Chair
MPH, 1975, and MD, 1976,
University of Minnesota; DrPH, 1983, University of North Carolina at Chapel
Hill; joint appointments: Professor of Pediatrics and Clinical Professor
of Epidemiology 
My work involves the application of clinical epidemiology to the problem of violence against children. My research has focused on the impact of societal intervention on the mental health functioning of the child victims. I have examined the impact of the foster care system, court testimony, and the medical examination on the children. My work has touched on all aspects of abuse including sexual abuse, physical abuse, Munchausen's Syndrome By Proxy, and Failure-to-Thrive. My current project is a 20-year study of the impact of abuse. Information about this study can be found at www.iprc.unc.edu/longscan. I am participating in the UN Secretary General’s Study of Children and Violence as a member of the NGO Advisory Panel. For that study, I have convened a working group to develop a new set of survey instruments that can be used internationally to assess the epidemiology of violence against children.
I serve
as a general pediatrician at the University of North Carolina Hospitals
and as the Medical Director for the Center for Child and Family Health-NC.
This facility, which provides prevention, evaluation, and treatment for
abused and neglected children is sponsored jointly by UNC, Duke, and North
Carolina Central University.
You may contact Dr. Runyan by email: drunyan@med.unc.edu; by phone at: (919) 843-8262; or by post at: CB #7240, Department of Social Medicine / University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill / Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7240.
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