Our Multidisciplinary Team
Drs. Adler, Brown and Connor
Fetal Alcohol Assessment Associates (FAAA) involves three primary specialists who assess FASD deficits from different domains of expertise. For clinical assessment, we recommend simultaneous evaluation by each of our primary specialists. For forensic assessment, we recommend a sequential assessment by these specialists. Additional specialists (e.g., MRI analysis, radiologist, dysmorphologist, etc.) may be recommended as appropriate.
Psychologist and Program Director
Natalie Novick Brown, PhD, is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health with over 14 years of experience in the FASD field. She obtained her undergraduate training at UCLA and received her doctoral degree in clinical psychology from the University of Washington in 1994. She subsequently completed postdoctoral training at the University of Washington’s Fetal Alcohol and Drug Unit (FADU), where she now performs clinical consultations and also participates in research projects.
During her postdoctoral training, Dr. Brown worked directly with pioneer FASD researcher Dr. Ann Streissguth, developing expertise in assessing the primary functional disabilities associated with FASD (e.g., deficits in attention, achievement, adaptive skills, cognition, learning, memory, language, socialization, and executive functioning).
In the 1990s, Dr. Brown also assisted in the secondary disabilities study, which identified a number of adverse life outcomes associated with undiagnosed and untreated FASD (e.g., mental health problems, disrupted school experience, work and relationship problems, problems with the law, inappropriate sexual behavior, and substance abuse).
Licensed as a psychologist in both Washington State and Florida and certified by the Division of Developmental Disabilities in Washington State, Dr. Brown has now treated and/or evaluated more than 400 individuals with FASD, including many who were charged with or convicted of murder and sexually violent crimes. She also has testified as an FASD expert in several states. For further information about Dr. Brown's private practice, see DrNatalieBrown.net.
View Dr. Brown's Curriculum Vitae (CV) and retainer agreement.
Neuropsychologist and Neuropsychological Director
Paul Connor, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences’ Fetal Alcohol and Drug Unit (FADU) at the University of Washington. He received a Bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Washington, and his Ph.D. in clinical psychology, with a specialization in neuropsychology, from Brigham Young University.
Dr. Connor served his internship at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, Michigan, specializing in neuropsychology, before his return to the University of Washington for a post-doctoral fellowship in neuropsychology and fetal alcohol research. For the past 12 years he has been the neuropsychologist for this unit specializing in the study of the damaging effects on the brain, cognition, and mental health functioning caused by prenatal alcohol exposure.
He has served as the Project Director of the Seattle Longitudinal Prospective Study, a study that enrolled approximately 500 subjects prior to birth with known levels of prenatal alcohol exposure ranging from abstinence to relatively heavy exposure. He was a Co-Investigator for a study of MRI and neuropsychological functioning in patients diagnosed with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) and Fetal Alcohol Effects (FAE).
Dr. Connor was also the Principal Investigator for a study of functional MRI that assesses brain activation in relation to several tests of cognitive function known to be impaired in patients with FAS and FAE. He has authored and co-authored several articles and book chapters on the neuropsychological, neuroimaging, and psychiatric implications of the long term effects of prenatal alcohol exposure into adolescence and adulthood, and is a member of several professional societies.
Recently, Dr. Connor also entered private practice offering neuropsychological assessment services for adults with known or suspected prenatal alcohol damage in both clinical and forensic settings. For further information about Dr. Connor's private practice, see ConnorNeuropsychology.com.
View Dr. Connor's Curriculum Vitae (CV) and retainer agreement.
Psychiatrist
and Medical Director
Dr. Richard Adler is Board-certified Adult, Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist,
practicing in Seattle. He is the Medical Director of FASD Experts.
Dr. Adler graduated from an Adult Psychiatry Residency at Harvard Medical
School/McLean Hospital in Belmont, MA. He then graduated a Fellowship in
Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School/Massachusetts
General Hospital in Boston, MA.
Dr. Adler was Medical Director of the Mental Health Clinics in Somerset
and Worcester Counties, MD for four years as a National Health Services
Scholar.
Shortly after moving to Seattle in 1996, he joined the staff of Children's
Hospital and remained there for over 10 years. Dr. Adler completed the Forensic
Psychiatry Fellowship at The University of Washington School of Medicine
in 2000. Dr. Adler is presently a faculty member at UW.
Rich has national experience in civil and criminal forensic matters, and
has been retained by plaintiffs, defendants and the prosecution nationwide,
including the State of Washington, City of Seattle, King County and the
U.S. Navy in Japan. For further information about Dr. Adler's private practice,
see RichardAdlerMD.com.
View Dr. Adler's Curriculum Vitae (CV) and retainer agreement.
Legal
Director
Judge Anthony (Tony) Wartnik has a long and distinguished career in law and has been recognized by his peers for his outstanding contribution to his field. His 34-year career as a trial judge started in 1971, and he retired in 2005 as the Senior Judge of the King County Superior Court of the State of Washington.
During his career, Judge Wartnik served as the Presiding Judge for the Juvenile Court, Chief Judge for the Family Law Court, and Chair of the Family Department and Family and Juvenile Law Committees. He also was the Dean Emeritus for the Washington Judicial College, Chair of the Judicial College Board of Trustees, and Chair of the Washington State Supreme Court’s Judicial Education Committee. As well as chairing innumerable other committees and projects, Judge Wartnik chaired a multi-disciplinary committee to establish protocols for the determination of competency for youngsters who suffered from organic brain damage and thereafter chaired Governor Mike Lowry’s Advisory Panel on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS and FAE). In addition, he served on Governor Dan Evans’ Task Force on Decision Making Models in Corrections. Judge Wartnik is currently a consultant to the University of Washington Medical School’s Fetal Alcohol and Drug Unit (FADU) and the King County Superior Court on the subject of FASD in the criminal justice system. He has been a presenter at numerous local, national and international conferences and workshops on issues related to FASD and the courts and completed the SAMSHA sponsored FASD workshop “Training the Trainers.”
In his role as Legal Advisor for FASD Experts, Judge Wartnik provides
general legal review of the Team’s functioning and protocol development
and also serves as liaison between the Team and clients’ legal counsel,
providing legal expertise regarding specific issues of relevance.