Dr. Michael Holick’s Lab and Ehlers-Danlos syndrome for Pro Publica
March 25, 2019

Dr. Michael F. Holick examines a woman for symptoms of Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, at the General Clinical Research Center at Boston University Medical Campus in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, on Fri., July 27, 2018. The woman's children were taken away after she was charged with child abuse when a whole body x-ray of her youngest child displayed a fractured humerus, two fractured ribs, and a hyperextended knee, which were determined to be non-accidental trauma. No injuries were found in the woman's other child, but the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families took the woman's children away. Holick frequently testifies on behalf of parents in similar situations in cases where he believes the child has Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, which he says would explain the child's bone trauma. Holick assess parents and relatives to look for a genetic predisposition to the syndrome. In addition to testing joint hypermobility, Holick also does a whole genome sequence of parents and relatives and looks at the white parts of their eyes (the sclera) for symptoms of the syndrome. Holick said that the woman was not instructed to give Vitamin D supplements to her baby, in line with recommendations by the American Academy of Pediatrics, and which might have mitigated risks of the child developing Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. In this case, Holick says he believes the woman has the syndrome and that her child is likely to also have the syndrome, which might explain the baby's bone fractures. Holick is a Professor of Medicine at Boston University, seen here He is known for his contributions to research on Vitamin D, including being part of the effort to get Vitamin D added to orange juice in the United States. Holick also holds positions as Professor in Physiology & Biophysics at Boston University School of Medicine; Director of the General Clinical Research Unit at Boston University Medical Campus; Director of the Bone Health Care Clinic at Boston Medical Center; and Director of the Vitamin D
A promotional poster for Dr. Michael F. Holick's book "The UV Advantage" rests in a corner of his office across the hall from his Vitamin D, Skin, and Bone Research Laboratory at Boston University Medical Campus in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, on Fri., July 27, 2018. Holick is a Professor of Medicine at Boston University. He is known for his contributions to research on Vitamin D, including being part of the effort to get Vitamin D added to orange juice in the United States. Holick frequently testifies on behalf of parents in similar situations in cases where he believes the child has Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, which he says may be related to Vitamin D deficiency. Holick also holds positions as Professor in Physiology & Biophysics at Boston University School of Medicine; Director of the General Clinical Research Unit at Boston University Medical Campus; Director of the Bone Health Care Clinic at Boston Medical Center; and Director of the Vitamin D, Skin and Bone Research Laboratory, Endocrinology, Diabetes & Nutrition, Medicine at Boston University School of Medicine.

I spent a couple of hours with Dr. Michael Holick, a professor and researcher at Boston University, photographing an examination of a woman accused of child abuse and around his cluttered office and lab for ProPublica.

Holick is well-known from his research on Vitamin D--he was responsible for getting the nutrient added to orange juice sold in the United States--and relies on his own controversial theories on Vitamin D deficiency and connections to a rare disease called Ehlers-Danlos syndrome to testify on behalf of those accused of child abuse.

The article on Holick's work is well worth a read: The Child Abuse Contrarian. The piece was also published by the New Yorker.

A big thank you to Jillian at ProPublica for calling me for the assignment. I've always admired ProPublica's work from afar, and it was such a pleasure to get the chance to work with the organization.

Dr. Michael F. Holick is a Professor of Medicine at Boston University, seen here at the General Clinical Research Center at Boston University Medical Campus in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, on Fri., July 27, 2018. He is known for his contributions to research on Vitamin D, including being part of the effort to get Vitamin D added to orange juice in the United States. Holick frequently testifies on behalf of parents in similar situations in cases where he believes the child has Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, which he says may be related to Vitamin D deficiency. Holick also holds positions as Professor in Physiology & Biophysics at Boston University School of Medicine; Director of the General Clinical Research Unit at Boston University Medical Campus; Director of the Bone Health Care Clinic at Boston Medical Center; and Director of the Vitamin D, Skin and Bone Research Laboratory, Endocrinology, Diabetes & Nutrition, Medicine at Boston University School of Medicine.
Dr. Michael F. Holick uses the Beighton Score to assess a woman for joint hypermobility which is a symptom of Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, at the General Clinical Research Center at Boston University Medical Campus in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, on Fri., July 27, 2018. The woman's children were taken away after she was charged with child abuse when a whole body x-ray of her youngest child displayed a fractured humerus, two fractured ribs, and a hyperextended knee, which were determined to be non-accidental trauma. No injuries were found in the woman's other child, but the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families took the woman's children away. Holick frequently testifies on behalf of parents in similar situations in cases where he believes the child has Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, which he says would explain the child's bone trauma. Holick assess parents and relatives to look for a genetic predisposition to the syndrome. In addition to testing joint hypermobility, Holick also does a whole genome sequence of parents and relatives and looks at the white parts of their eyes (the sclera) for symptoms of the syndrome. Holick said that the woman was not instructed to give Vitamin D supplements to her baby, in line with recommendations by the American Academy of Pediatrics, and which might have mitigated risks of the child developing Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. In this case, Holick says he believes the woman has the syndrome and that her child is likely to also have the syndrome, which might explain the baby's bone fractures. Holick is a Professor of Medicine at Boston University, seen here He is known for his contributions to research on Vitamin D, including being part of the effort to get Vitamin D added to orange juice in the United States. Holick also holds positions as Professor in Physiology & Biophysics at Boston University School of Medicine; Director of the General Clinical Research Unit at Boston University Medical Campus; Director of the Bone Health Care Clinic
Dr. Michael F. Holick uses the Beighton Score to assess a woman for joint hypermobility which is a symptom of Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, at the General Clinical Research Center at Boston University Medical Campus in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, on Fri., July 27, 2018. The woman's children were taken away after she was charged with child abuse when a whole body x-ray of her youngest child displayed a fractured humerus, two fractured ribs, and a hyperextended knee, which were determined to be non-accidental trauma. No injuries were found in the woman's other child, but the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families took the woman's children away. Holick frequently testifies on behalf of parents in similar situations in cases where he believes the child has Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, which he says would explain the child's bone trauma. Holick assess parents and relatives to look for a genetic predisposition to the syndrome. In addition to testing joint hypermobility, Holick also does a whole genome sequence of parents and relatives and looks at the white parts of their eyes (the sclera) for symptoms of the syndrome. Holick said that the woman was not instructed to give Vitamin D supplements to her baby, in line with recommendations by the American Academy of Pediatrics, and which might have mitigated risks of the child developing Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. In this case, Holick says he believes the woman has the syndrome and that her child is likely to also have the syndrome, which might explain the baby's bone fractures. Holick is a Professor of Medicine at Boston University, seen here He is known for his contributions to research on Vitamin D, including being part of the effort to get Vitamin D added to orange juice in the United States. Holick also holds positions as Professor in Physiology & Biophysics at Boston University School of Medicine; Director of the General Clinical Research Unit at Boston University Medical Campus; Director of the Bone Health Care Clinic
Dr. Michael F. Holick is a Professor of Medicine at Boston University, seen here in his office across the hall from his Vitamin D, Skin, and Bone Research Laboratory at Boston University Medical Campus in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, on Fri., July 27, 2018. He is known for his contributions to research on Vitamin D, including being part of the effort to get Vitamin D added to orange juice in the United States. Holick frequently testifies on behalf of parents in similar situations in cases where he believes the child has Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, which he says may be related to Vitamin D deficiency. Holick also holds positions as Professor in Physiology & Biophysics at Boston University School of Medicine; Director of the General Clinical Research Unit at Boston University Medical Campus; Director of the Bone Health Care Clinic at Boston Medical Center; and Director of the Vitamin D, Skin and Bone Research Laboratory, Endocrinology, Diabetes & Nutrition, Medicine at Boston University School of Medicine.
Bottles and knick-knacks fill a bookshelf in Dr. Michael F. Holick's office across the hall from his Vitamin D, Skin, and Bone Research Laboratory at Boston University Medical Campus in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, on Fri., July 27, 2018. Holick is a Professor of Medicine at Boston University. He is known for his contributions to research on Vitamin D, including being part of the effort to get Vitamin D added to orange juice in the United States. Holick frequently testifies on behalf of parents in similar situations in cases where he believes the child has Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, which he says may be related to Vitamin D deficiency. Holick also holds positions as Professor in Physiology & Biophysics at Boston University School of Medicine; Director of the General Clinical Research Unit at Boston University Medical Campus; Director of the Bone Health Care Clinic at Boston Medical Center; and Director of the Vitamin D, Skin and Bone Research Laboratory, Endocrinology, Diabetes & Nutrition, Medicine at Boston University School of Medicine.
DNA sampling equipment lays on a desk in Dr. Michael F. Holick's Vitamin D, Skin, and Bone Research Laboratory at Boston University Medical Campus in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, on Fri., July 27, 2018. Holick is a Professor of Medicine at Boston University. He is known for his contributions to research on Vitamin D, including being part of the effort to get Vitamin D added to orange juice in the United States. Holick frequently testifies on behalf of parents in similar situations in cases where he believes the child has Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, which he says may be related to Vitamin D deficiency. Holick also holds positions as Professor in Physiology & Biophysics at Boston University School of Medicine; Director of the General Clinical Research Unit at Boston University Medical Campus; Director of the Bone Health Care Clinic at Boston Medical Center; and Director of the Vitamin D, Skin and Bone Research Laboratory, Endocrinology, Diabetes & Nutrition, Medicine at Boston University School of Medicine.
Dr. Michael F. Holick is a Professor of Medicine at Boston University, seen here at the General Clinical Research Center at Boston University Medical Campus in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, on Fri., July 27, 2018. He is known for his contributions to research on Vitamin D, including being part of the effort to get Vitamin D added to orange juice in the United States. Holick frequently testifies on behalf of parents in similar situations in cases where he believes the child has Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, which he says may be related to Vitamin D deficiency. Holick also holds positions as Professor in Physiology & Biophysics at Boston University School of Medicine; Director of the General Clinical Research Unit at Boston University Medical Campus; Director of the Bone Health Care Clinic at Boston Medical Center; and Director of the Vitamin D, Skin and Bone Research Laboratory, Endocrinology, Diabetes & Nutrition, Medicine at Boston University School of Medicine.
Dr. Michael F. Holick collects DNA from a woman during an examination for symptoms of Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, at the General Clinical Research Center at Boston University Medical Campus in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, on Fri., July 27, 2018. The woman's children were taken away after she was charged with child abuse when a whole body x-ray of her youngest child displayed a fractured humerus, two fractured ribs, and a hyperextended knee, which were determined to be non-accidental trauma. No injuries were found in the woman's other child, but the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families took the woman's children away. Holick frequently testifies on behalf of parents in similar situations in cases where he believes the child has Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, which he says would explain the child's bone trauma. Holick assess parents and relatives to look for a genetic predisposition to the syndrome. In addition to testing joint hypermobility, Holick also does a whole genome sequence of parents and relatives and looks at the white parts of their eyes (the sclera) for symptoms of the syndrome. Holick said that the woman was not instructed to give Vitamin D supplements to her baby, in line with recommendations by the American Academy of Pediatrics, and which might have mitigated risks of the child developing Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. In this case, Holick says he believes the woman has the syndrome and that her child is likely to also have the syndrome, which might explain the baby's bone fractures. Holick is a Professor of Medicine at Boston University, seen here He is known for his contributions to research on Vitamin D, including being part of the effort to get Vitamin D added to orange juice in the United States. Holick also holds positions as Professor in Physiology & Biophysics at Boston University School of Medicine; Director of the General Clinical Research Unit at Boston University Medical Campus; Director of the Bone Health Care Clinic at Boston Medical Center
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