Kirsten Bechtel

Kirsten Bechtel is a Professor of Pediatrics (Emergency Medicine) and Emergency Medicine at Yale School of Medicine. She serves as Medical Director of the Pediatric Sexual Assault Forensic Examiner (SAFE) Program, Chairperson of the Yale Traffic Safety Subcommittee, and Co-Chairperson of the State of Connecticut Child Fatality Review Panel. Additionally, she is Principal Investigator for the Injury Free Coalition for Kids at Yale-New Haven Children's Hospital.

Her research focuses on

• Pediatric emergency care
• Child abuse and neglect prevention
• Firearm safety interventions
• Sexual assault forensic protocols
• Adverse childhood experience mitigation

She has led studies on firearm storage practices, pediatric opioid poisonings, and gender disparities in medical conferences.

Recent publications highlight trends in

• Lethal means restriction counseling
• Emergency department trauma response
• Forensic pediatric care standards
• Medical imaging utility in asthma

These works span disciplines including Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Injury Prevention, and Public Health Policy.

Scientific recognition includes

• David Leffell Prize for Clinical Excellence (2021)
• Ather Ali Award for Humanism in Medicine (2020)
• Eton Ivy Award (2015)
• Partners Award (2010)
• Invitation to Surgeon General's Child Maltreatment Prevention Workshop (2005)

In clinical practice, Dr. Bechtel emphasizes

• Non-interruptive patient communication
• Comfort measures for families in emergency settings
• Advocacy for vulnerable children

at Yale New Haven Children’s Hospital, a Level 1 trauma center.