Presenters

Co-Presenters hide

Presenter(s): Jane Halladay Goldman, Tish (Elizabeth) Tighe, Corina Constantin

Organization(s): Rape Treatment Center at UCLA Santa Monica

Objectives:

  • Describe the key elements of a trauma-informed, survivor-centered sexual assault medical-forensic exam, including consent, choice, privacy, pacing, and dignity.
  • Identify ways sexual assault advocates can support survivors before, during, and after the exam while collaborating effectively with medical-forensic providers and other response partners.
  • Explain the importance of follow-up advocacy and care after the exam, including emotional support, information about options and rights, connection to counseling, and assistance navigating medical, legal, and systems responses.

Description: Using the sexual assault medical-forensic exam storyline from The Pitt as a teaching tool, this session will explore best practices for survivor-centered, trauma-informed sexual assault exams. Presenters from the UCLA Rape Treatment Center, who consulted on the episode, will discuss what the show captured well, what real-world practice requires, and how advocates can support survivors before, during, and after an exam. The session will highlight survivor choice, consent, evidence collection, coordination with medical providers and law enforcement, and the critical importance of follow-up advocacy, counseling, and healing beyond the initial exam.