Professional background

Deborah Hodes, is a consultant community paediatrician at University College London Hospitals and lead paediatrician at The Lighthouse, Camden. Deborah studied medicine at the Royal London Hospital and trained in paediatrics. Her first consultant post was in Hackney until she moved to UCLH in 2003. Deborah is a fellow of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health and has an active role there.

Her key interest is in safeguarding children. She teaches both locally and nationally and at UCLH she leads the student teaching in paediatric safeguarding. At UCLH her successful clinic for the assessment of children with complex safeguarding presentations including historic sexual abuse has contributed to the development of the UCLH led pilot service at The Lighthouse where she is the lead paediatrician.

She started the first and only multidisciplinary children’s FGM clinic with Professor Creighton for those who have undergone FGM or who are at risk. She has published on the subject, spoken internationally and has been the expert witness in two criminal court cases.

Publications

  • Hodes D, Ayadi O’Donnell N, Pall K, et al. (2020) Epidemiological surveillance study of female genital mutilation in the UK, Archives of Disease in Childhood, Epub ahead of print:. doi:10.1136/archdischild-2020-319569
  • Ali S, Patel R, Armitage AJ, Learner HI, Creighton SM, Hodes D, (2019). Female genital mutilation (FGM) in UK children: a review of a dedicated paediatric service for FGM. Archives of Disease in Childhood, archdischild-2019 318336; DOI: 10.1136/archdischild-2019-318336
  • Creighton SM, Samuel Z, Otoo-Oyortey N, and Hodes D, (2019). Tackling female genital mutilation in the UK, British Medical Journal 2019; 364 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.l15
  • Hodes D and Creighton S, Female Genital Mutilation (2019) in Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics, Robert Kliegman, Richard E. Behrman (editor), Waldo E. Nelson, Edition 21
  • Alladi S & Hodes D , Chapter 12 - Safeguarding in pediatric and adolescent gynecology eds: Creighton et al: Pediatric & Adolescent Gynecology: A Problem-Based Approach: Cambridge University Press 2018
  • Al-Jilaihawi S, Borg K, Jamieson K, et al, (2018) Clinical characteristics of children presenting with a suspicion or allegation of historic sexual abuse, Archives of Disease in Childhood 103:533-539.
  • Hodes, D., & Creighton, S. M. (2017). Setting up a clinic to assess children and young people for female genital mutilation. Archives of Disease in Childhood: Education and Practice Edition, 102(1),1418.doi:10.1136/archdischild-2016-311296
  • Al-Jilaihawi S, Borg K, Maguire S, Hodes D, (2017) The value of paediatric assessment in Historic child sexual abuse, Archives of Disease in Childhood, archdischild-2016-311989; DOI: 10.1136/ar chdischild-2016-311989