Susan J. Kelley

Career

Prior to her current positions, Kelley had previously served as chairperson and Professor, Department of Maternal-Child Health Nursing at Boston College. She was also the Director of Nursing education at Massachusetts Emergency Medical Services and a pediatric nurse at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital, and Boston City Hospital. She has also served as a guest lecturer at George Mason University.

In 2000, Kelley served on the Task Force for International Child Health Nursing Alliance. She is a reviewer for the academic journal Nursing Research, as part of their peer review process.

Child abuse prevention

Kelley has specialized in the field of child abuse, since 1979 and has appeared as a featured expert on child abuse on national programs including the Today Show, NBC Evening News and CBS Morning News.

Criticism

As a pediatric nurse in the 1980s, Kelley interviewed many of the children involved in the Fells Acres day care sexual abuse trial in Malden, Massachusetts. Kelley's interview techniques in that case were later criticized—they were called “improper” and “biased” by a Massachusetts appellate judge, after video tapes of her questioning of the children were played in court during the appeal of one of the defendants.

Professional associations

• Former President, Georgia Professional Society on the Abuse of Children
• Member, Advisory Board, American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children (APSAC)
• Member, Board of Directors, Georgia Council on Child Abuse
• Member, Board of Directors, Pediatric Services of America, Inc. (Nasdaq: PSAI)
• Member, editorial boards:
  • Child Maltreatment
  • Journal of Child Sexual Abuse
  • Trauma, Violence and Abuse: A Review Journal