Remembering Dr. Rich Kaplan

Teacher, Mentor, Innovator and Visionary

Our dear colleague and friend, Dr. Rich Kaplan, passed away on Monday August 19^th, 2013. We would like to take a moment to fondly remember and celebrate his contributions to the field of child maltreatment and his incredible dedication and passion for children.

Rich was one of the visionaries, creators and writers of the guidelines for medical care of children who may have been sexually abused. While he often joked he was a retired social worker, he always had the talent for pulling people together around a cause to make a difference for kids. He was a gifted educator and mentor to many medical professionals and brought humor to almost everything he did. He was a core faculty member for “Medical Training Academy” and developed curriculum for “Court Prep for Medical and Legal Professionals”. Rich provided hundreds of trainings for the Midwest Regional CAC and influenced many medical providers.

Rich’s enthusiasm for mentoring was the impetus for bringing web based peer review to Children’s Advocacy Centers (CAC) and further the creation of myCasereview (formerly Telehealth Institute for Child Maltreatment) that assists CAC medical providers across the nation. Moreover, Rich spearheaded the creation of the Sioux Falls Children’s Advocacy Center in South Dakota.

He spent most summers visiting “God’s Country” otherwise known as the Boundary Water Canoe Area. Rich’s love for nature made its way into almost every conversation, whether it was through pictures or stories of the beauty he experienced up north.

In honor of Dr. Kaplan, we are hoping to offer a scholarship for participation in mentoring and training for medical providers. His compassion for kids, his work and of course his friends and family has certainly impacted each and every one of us.