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March 28, 2024

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Criticized child abuse expert leaves Tacoma hospital

By Associated Press
Published: March 12, 2021, 9:52am

BREMERTON – A Tacoma children’s hospital doctor criticized for lacking a key accreditation yet relied upon by law enforcement to charge two fathers in Kitsap County Superior Court with killing their children no longer works at the hospital.

In response to a Kitsap Sun inquiry Wednesday about the status of Dr. Elizabeth Woods, the Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital confirmed Woods had left her position to pursue other opportunities, the newspaper reported.

“As part of our work to constantly improve the care and services we provide, the department is undergoing changes to its physician staffing and leadership model,” said Holly Harvey, a hospital spokesperson.

Harvey didn’t answer further questions.

Woods was listed as of Wednesday on the hospital’s website as the medical director at Mary Bridge Children’s Child Abuse Intervention Department. Her profile was gone Thursday.

She was the subject of a 2020 investigation by NBC News and KING5 that found she lacked key credentials other child abuse experts had and overstepped her role as a physician in a separate case.

Woods was relied on by Kitsap police and prosecutors for several abuse cases in which parents or caregivers were charged with violent crimes against children.

Her opinion was used last week to charge a man with the crime of “homicide by abuse” for the death of his 5-month-old son.

Woods’ license is still active, according to the state Department of Health. Messages sent Thursday to the department as well as the Washington Medical Commission were not immediately returned.

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