The 41 signatories to the letter and competing interest statements

References

The 41 signatories to the letter and competing interest statements

Competing interests: We are physicians and scientists who have a common interest in applying the principles of science and medicine to infant injury evaluation. Each of us either participated in writing this letter or reviewed it prior to submission. Each of us agrees with its content.

FAB, PDB, TC, BJC, DLC, VJMD, LJD, JEL, PEL, DM-P, MDN, AKO, JO, GR, SJR, MJS, PS, WS, JBS, ST, HW, and PW have consulted or testified for the prosecution and the defence as part of their official salaried responsibilities , as paid consultants or pro bono in fatal and non-fatal alleged child abuse cases.

RS has given evidence to the Courts (not for either prosecution or defence) and has been reimbursed by the public Legal Aid system.

JHD, GS, and LCT have testified for the prosecution in fatal alleged child abuse cases as part of their official salaried responsibilities.

JG, HG, RJ, REM, MM, KT, JBL, RR, JS, RU, CVE, and EW have consulted and testified for the defence pro bono and as paid consultants in fatal and nonfatal alleged child abuse cases.

TLB, KM and JN have no competing interests other than as stated in the first sentence above.

None of us answers, "Yes" to Questions 1, 2, 3 or 5 in the BMJ "Declaration of competing interest".

Patrick E. Lantz

Forensic Pathologist

Associate Professor of Pathology

Wake Forest University Health Sciences

Winston-Salem, NC 27157

Marvin Miller

Paediatric Geneticist

Professor of Paediatrics and Obstetrics/Gynaecology

Affiliated Professor of Biomedical Engineering

Wright State University School of Medicine

Dayton, OH 45404

Kirk L. Thibault

Biomechanical Engineer

Philadelphia, PA 19112

Mark J. Shuman

Forensic Pathologist

Associate Medical Examiner

Miami-Dade County Medical Examiner Department

Miami, FL 33179

Gregory D. Reiber

Forensic Pathologist

Associate Clinical Professor of Pathology

University of California Davis School of Medicine

Sacramento, CA 95817

Patrick D. Barnes

Paediatric Neuroradiologist

Associate Professor of Radiology

Stanford University Medical Centre

Palo Alto, CA 94305

Faris A. Bandak

Injury Biomechanican

Professor, Dept of Neurology

F. Edward Hébert School of Medicine

Uniform Services University of the Health Sciences

Bethesda, MD 20814

Thomas L. Bohan

Physicist and Attorney

Portland, ME 04101

Thomas Carlstrom

Neurosurgeon

Iowa Methodist Medical Centre

Des Moines, IA 50309

Brian J. Clark

Consultant Ophthalmic Pathologist

Moorfield Eye Hospital & Institute of Ophthalmology

University College

London, England

Dimitri L. Contostavlos

Forensic Pathologist

West Chester, PA 19382

Joseph H. Davis

Forensic Pathologist

Professor of Pathology Emeritus

University of Miami

Miami, FL 33176

Vincent J. M. DiMaio

Forensic Pathologist

Chief Medical Examiner, Bexar County

San Antonio, TX 78229-4565

Ljubisa J. Dragovic

Forensic and Neuropathologist

Chief Medical Examiner, Oakland County

Pontiac, MI 48341

John Galaznik

Paediatrician

Northport, AL 35476

Horace Gardner

Ophthalmologist

Manitou Springs, CO 80829

Ron Jollo

Family Practitioner

Bend, OR 97709

Jan E. Leestma

Consultant Neuropathologist

The Children’s Memorial Hospital

Chicago, IL 60614

John B. Lenox

Trauma Medical Research Physician and Biomechanical Engineer

San Antonio, TX 78216-5144

Roger E. McLendon

Professor of Pathology (Neuropathology)

Duke University Medical Centre

Durham, NC 27710

Darinka Mileusnic-Polchan

Forensic Pathologist

Assistant Chief Medical Examiner for Knox County

Assistant Professor of Pathology

University of Tennessee Medical Centre

Knoxville, TN 37922

Kenneth Monson

Biomechanical Engineer

Department of Neurological Surgery

University of California San Francisco Medical Centre

San Francisco, CA 94143

Marvin D. Nelson, Jr.

Paediatric Neuroradiologist

John L. Gwinn Professor of Pediatric Radiology

Childrens Hospital Los Angeles

Professor of Radiology

USC Keck School of Medicine

Los Angeles, CA 90027

Julie Niedermier

Psychiatrist

Columbus, OH 43214

Ayub K. Ommaya

Clinical Professor of Neurosurgery

Georgetown University

Washington, DC 20057

Janice Ophoven

Paediatric Forensic Pathologist

Woodbury, MN 55129

Richard Reimann

Physicist

Department of Physics

Physics Department

Boise State University

Boise, ID 83725-1570

Susan J. Roe

Forensic Pathologist

Minneapolis, MN 55414

Gert Saayman

Forensic Pathologist

University of Pretoria

Pretoria, SA 0001

Joseph Scheller

Assistant Professor of Paediatrics and Neurology

George Washington University School of Medicine

Washington, DC 20037

Waney Squier

Consultant Neuropathologist and Honorary Clinical Lecturer

Radcliffe Infirmary

Oxford, England OX2 6HE

Peter Stephens

Forensic Pathologist

Burnsville, NC 28714

John Stephenson

Paediatric Neurologist

Glasgow, Scotland G3 8SJ

Robert Sunderland

Senior Clinical Lecturer in Paediatrics

University of Birmingham

Consultant Paediatrician

Birmingham Childrens’ Hospital

Birmingham, England B4 6NH

Shaku Teas

Forensic Pathologist

River Forest, IL 60305

Linsey C. Thomas

Forensic Pathologist

Minneapolis, MN 55419

Ronald Uscinski

Neurosurgeon

Clinical Professor of Neurosurgery and Paediatrics

Georgetown University

Washington, DC 20007

Chris Van Ee

Biomechanical Engineer

Design Research Engineering

Novi, MI 48377

Helen Whitwell

Professor of Forensic Pathology and Neuropathology

Medico-Legal Centre, University of Sheffield

Sheffield, England S3 7ES

Ed Willey

General and Forensic Pathologist

St. Petersburg, Fl 33707

Philip Wrightson

Neurosurgeon (retired)

Auckland 1005, NZ

Extra references (w1-7)

Kemp AM, Stoodley N, Cobley C, Coles L, Kemp KW. Apnoea and brain swelling in non-accidental head injury. Arch Dis Child 2003;88:472-6.
Levin AV. Retinal haemorrhages and child abuse. In David TJ, ed. Recent Advances in Paediatrics, pp 151-219. London, United Kingdom: Churchill Livingstone, 2000.
Reece RM, Sege R. Childhood head injuries: accidental or inflicted? Arch Paediatr Adolesc Med 2000;154:11-5.
Geddes JF, Plunkett J. The evidence base for shaken baby syndrome. BMJ 2004;328:719-20.
Geddes JF, Plunkett J. The evidence base for shaken baby syndrome—authors’ reply. BMJ 2004;328:1317. (29 May.)
Sackett DL, Rosenberg WM, Gray JA, Haynes RB, Richardson WS. Evidence based medicine: what it is and what it isn’t. BMJ 1996;312:71-2.
Hill AB. Observation and experiment. N Eng J Med 1953;248:995-1001.