Kathy Franchek, a University of Utah pediatrician, is looking to close gaps for adult and child victims who pass through doctor's offices where abuse may not be noticed or mentioned.

Doctors have historically viewed domestic violence as "not our problem," she said. "We're sort of slow getting into this area."

Franchek developed a curriculum at the Baylor School of Medicine to help future doctors recognize and ask patients about domestic violence. She adapted the program for the U.'s School of Medicine.

The program grew out of her own work experience. Franchek went to a training session when she worked in Houston on child victims of domestic violence, a subject she knew nothing about at the time.

"I didn't know what to do if I had a woman in my office with a black eye," she said.

She became concerned about the impact on children and began looking for ways to help them and their mothers. She didn't know how common domestic violence was until she started asking her patients.

"It was very, very common," she said. "We see it a lot if we look for it."

About half of domestic violence victims have children under age 12, studies show. One showed that domestic abuse is a statistically significant predictor of physical child abuse; the more acts of violence, the more likely child abuse will occur.

"You can't look at only child abuse and not look at domestic violence," Franchek said.

In her own informal survey of patients, Franchek found 100 percent want their doctors to ask about abuse.

"It's a fallacy to think women will be mad," she said.

The Utah Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System found less than 30 percent of women reported that during any prenatal visit did a health-care worker ask if someone was hurting them.

Bobby Yazzie San Juan was eventually found guilty of the lesser charge of child abuse homicide, a second-degree felony, instead of first-degree murder.

San Juan, 41, is still in the Utah State Prison in Draper. His case is scheduled to come before the Board of Pardons and Parole in August 2010, said Jack Ford, state Corrections Department spokesman. San Juan is in a small single cell with no bunkmate.

He has had no disciplinary actions. No one has come to visit.

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