The National Center on Shaken Baby Syndrome (NCSBS) celebrates the extraordinary life of Robert W. Block, M.D., FAAP, who recently passed away at the age of 81.

Dr. Block’s career is filled with honors and achievements. He was an emeritus professor of pediatrics and past Daniel C. Plunket Chair of the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Oklahoma School of Community Medicine in Tulsa. Dr. Block was Oklahoma’s first chief child abuse examiner, serving in that role from 1989 to 2011. He served as the 2011-2012 American Academy of Pediatrics President and chaired the AAP’s Committee on Child Abuse and Neglect.

Dr. Block’s career earned him the Ray Helfer Society Award for contributions to the prevention of child abuse and neglect in 2006 and induction into the Tulsa Hall of Fame in 2013. In 2021, Dr. Block received the Oklahoma Center for Nonprofits Visions Lifetime Achievement Award given to an individual who dedicated a lifetime of philanthropy and volunteer leadership to charitable causes and has been instrumental in the success of one or more charitable organization(s).

The NCSBS was fortunate enough to be one of the nonprofit organizations for which Dr. Block dedicated his leadership. He served on the NCSBS International Advisory Board from 2010 through 2019, leading this group of medical, legal and prevention experts as the Board Chair from 2016 through 2019. Dr. Block’s influence lives in our programs and the education materials we deliver to families and caregivers of new babies. He was a giant among his peers and in the world of shaken baby syndrome/abusive head trauma prevention, but his humility allowed him to connect with everyone on any level. So, it is with sorrow that we reflect on the incredible life of a true champion for families.

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