Renee Brant
As a founding member of the American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children, Renee Brant became a voice for those who could not speak for themselves. While training as a doctor, Brant realized how few services there were for women and children survivors of sexual abuse. Using her training in adolescent psychiatry and women’s health, she developed her hospital’s Sexual Abuse Training Team, as well as protocols and educational programs for doctors. She went on to create a national organization to help prevent the abuse of children and give professionals better training to help abuse survivors. As a consultant and expert witness in legal cases, Brant also educated judges and juries about the impact of sexual abuse on children. Through her work, she helped create a framework for dealing with a problem that few had even been willing to speak of before. After this work became too stressful, she shifted her focus towards the impact of chronic illness on families.
Renee Brant was honored at the 2001 Women Who Dared event in Boston.