Ruth Sharp Altshuler Award: Mrs. Caren H. Prothro

Mrs. Caren Prothro is a resident of Dallas, Texas, where she is a noted civic leader in the arts, higher education and other community services. Mrs. Prothro is a founding member of the Dallas Children's Advocacy Center Board of Trustees and long-time supporter of DCAC's work in the community for child abuse victims. She currently serves on the Board of Trustees of the Dallas Museum of Art, the Dallas Center for the Performing Arts Foundation, and Southern Methodist University. Mrs. Prothro has been the recipient of many community awards, including The Annette G. Strauss Humanitarian Award, the Governor's Volunteer Service Award, and the Juvenile Justice Community Advocacy Award. She also has served on many boards, including J.P. Morgan-Chase Bank of Texas, Dallas County Youth Services, the YMCA, Junior League of Dallas, and the Commission on Children & Youth.

The Dallas Children's Advocacy Center is proud to present Mrs. Caren Prothro with the Ruth Sharp Altshuler Award for her commitment to protecting the children of Dallas County. Through her on-going involvement with the Advocacy Center, she ensures that child abuse victims in Dallas County have a place to find hope and healing.

Dr. Matthew J. Cox joined the faculty at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in 2004 and serves as the Medical Director of the REACH program (Referral and Evaluation of At-Risk Children) at Children's Medical Center Dallas. In addition to his clinical work at Children's he is also an assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of Texas Southwestern School of Medicine. He is board certified in pediatrics and is a fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Dr. Cox was raised in Texas and earned his bachelors degree at Texas A&M University and his medical degree from the University of Texas Medical School at Houston. He completed his pediatric internship and residency at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville where he also served as chief resident from 2001-2002. Dr. Cox pursued subspecialty training in the area of child abuse and neglect by completing a fellowship at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and the University of Pennsylvania. He has authored several publications on the concerns of child maltreatment.

Under Dr. Cox direction, the REACH Program at Children's is dedicated exclusively to caring for suspected victims of child abuse and the complex social issues surrounding the abused. A multidisciplinary team of professionals provide quality medical care and supportive services that include social work, translation and advocacy, and child life. The REACH program fosters vital links to community resources such as Dallas Children's Advocacy Center, Dallas Police Department, Child Protective Services, and the District Attorney's Office.

In 2007, the Texas Health and Human Services Commission appointed Dr. Cox as a member of the Committee on Pediatric Centers of Excellence Relating to Abuse and Neglect. The committee was designed to improve and standardize the medial services provided to abuse and neglected children in Texas.