2025 Annual Report

PATIENT CARE SANE PROGRAM AIMS TO HELP THROUGH RESEARCH PATIENT CARE, QUALITY & SAFETY

The Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) Program at Children’s of Alabama is one of the oldest pediatric-focused programs in the country, providing care for 250–300 children and adolescents each year who have experienced acute sexual abuse or assault. With a trauma-informed approach, the team offers comprehensive medical and forensic services, including evidence collection, STI testing and prophylaxis, pregnancy prophylaxis, and recommendations for ongoing care. The program works in close partnership with law enforcement and the Department of Human Resources, ensuring survivors receive coordinated, compassionate support. While the SANE Program has long been a leader in direct clinical care, it has not previously participated in research. That changed in 2025, when pediatric emergency medicine residents Jessica Corners, M.D., and Lauren Brewer, M.D., under the mentorship of Kara Huls, M.D., Medical Director of the SANE Program and faculty member in Pediatric Emergency Medicine, presented the first analysis of 20 years of program data (2004–2024)

LAUREN BREWER, M.D.

at the Alabama Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics spring meeting. Their work, which was also featured in the chapter’s second-quarter newsletter, represents the beginning of a new focus on research. By building this dimension of its mission, the program is poised to improve care for child survivors of sexual violence in Alabama and to contribute valuable insights to pediatric care nationally. ●

JESSICA CORNERS, M.D.

KARA HULS, M.D.

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2025 ACADEMIC ANNUAL REPORT