2003 Judson Daland Prize

Flaura K. Winston of the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia for her work on "biomechanical and psychological foundation of pediatric trauma prevention and treatment."

Dr. Flaura Winston has pioneered biomechanical epidemiology, a discipline that combines engineering, medicine, and public health in order to understand, and treat pediatric car crash injuries, the leading cause of death and acquired disability for children in the United States.

She identified the first case of air bag-associated child death. In 1998 she created, and heads, the Partners for Child Passenger Safety, which has collected information on 173,000 crashes involving more than 260,000 children. It is the leading resource for data on child passenger injuries, providing information to both vehicle manufacturers and legislative bodies. Her research and advocacy have led to drafting new federal air bag policies. Thirteen states now require booster seats for children after they graduate from child safety seats.

Having observed that children in the rear seats of small pick-up trucks are at greater risk of injury and death than those in the front seat, a reversal unique to this type of vehicle, she spurred collaborations between the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and vehicle manufacturers to develop new test procedures and improved safety designs.

She has developed and tested a screening tool to aid emergency physicians in recognizing children and parents at risk of post traumatic stress disorder, and is currently developing interventions to prevent the development of the disorder.