Suicide Prevention Expert Witnesses

This expert received his bachelor's degree from Princeton, and received his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Texas at Austin. He is currently a Distinguished Professor in the Department of Psychology at a large university in Florida. His work is on the psychology, neurobiology, and treatment of suicidal behavior and related conditions. He has authored over 575 peer-reviewed publications, and was awarded the Guggenheim Fellowship and the Rockefeller Foundation's Bellagio Residency Fellowship. He received the Young Investigator Award from the National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression, the Shakow Award for Early Career Achievement from the Division of Clinical Psychology of the American Psychological Association, the Shneidman Award for excellence in suicide research from the American Association of Suicidology, the Dublin Award for career achievement in suicide research, and the Award for Distinguished Scientific Early Career Contributions from the American Psychological Association, as well as research grants from the National Institute of Mental Health, Department of Defense (DoD), and various foundations. He is a consultant to NASA's Human Research Program, and is the Director of the Department of Defense funded Military Suicide Research Consortium, a $30 million project. The effort was recently extended for a second five-year phase at a similar funding level. Aditionally, he has authored or edited seventeen books. He has made numerous radio, print, and television appearances, including write-ups in The Wall Street Journal and The Times of London, a radio interview on NPR's Talk of the Nation, and two appearances on the Dr. Phil Show. He runs a part-time clinical and consulting practice specializing in suicidal behavior, including legal consultation on suits involving death by suicide.

This former health and human services worker of 10+ years is the current proprietor of a behavioral health services private practice. She a certified clinical social worker in several states,and is a member of such prestigious societies as the Health Care Compliance Association and the National Association of Social Workers. Her specialty includes treatment of sexual offenders and survivors of sexual abuse, as well as in the development sexual abuse treatment programs. This expert also is a subject matter expert in the provision of behavioral health services and the documentation of medical necessity of these services to ensure appropriate Medicaid billing. She assists behavioral health agencies in the identification of areas of compliance risk and provides consultation and staff/board training to mitigate those risks. She has assisted agencies in becoming nationally accredited. She is also an independent representative of Measure of Success Tracking (MOST), which is a compliance tool that allows agencies to measure both quantitative and qualitative data to improve compliance and quality of care.

This highly qualified expert received her BA in Psychology and her MS in Clinical Social Work from the University of Texas-Pan American. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and she is a certified Family Trauma Professional, Suicide Prevention Counselor and Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA). This expert previously worked as Supervisor II for the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. Here, she led and supervised a unit of caseworkers responsible for providing adult protective services to victims of abuse, neglect, and exploitation. She provided case management supervision and interacted routinely with the Texas Department of Family Services' clients, organizations' representatives, and the public. This expert then went on to work as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and as Executive Director of the Family Crisis Center of the Rio Grande Valley. She managed and lead the social services agency and provided individual and group mental health therapy and case management supervision. This expert is currently an Adjunct Professor of Social Work at two universities in Texas and she is a Psychotherapist at a women's emotional wellness center.

This expert’s areas of interest and specialization include anxiety, depression, suicide, and the personality disorders. He has published empirical studies, theoretical papers, and treatment guidelines for these problems. His approach to treatment primarily relies on cognitive-behavioral strategies with a special emphasis on the Socratic method. He is actively involved in research on risk factors for and treatment of depression and suicide. His research tries to identify cognitive and social factors that are related to depression onset, recovery, and treatment. Much of his research strives to improve our understanding of suicide risk and suicide prevention.

This mental health expert is a Clinical Professor of Psychiatry and the Associate Director of a forensic psychiatry fellowship program for a large public university in Colorado. Much of his work has focused on the mental health of prison inmates, with a particular emphasis on the effects of solitary confinement. The expert earned his M.D. from the University of Maryland Medical School and completed his psychiatric internship/residency at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center. He is licensed in the states of Colorado, California, New Mexico, and Pennsylvania. He has also co-authored a book and nearly 30 book chapters. Among notable consulting engagements, the expert was selected to perform the independent psychiatric exam in a high-profile mass shooting trial. He is a member of the American Correctional Health Services Association, the American Psychiatric Association, and the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law.

This expert gained his MD from the University of South Florida College of Medicine and completed his residency in neurology at Brown University. He completed an additional fellowship in behavioral neurology and neuropsychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco. This expert is board certified in neurology. Currently he is an assistant professor of neurology of a university's memory and aging center and an attending at a neurology clinic.

This highly qualified expert has over 40 years of experience working with individuals with developmental disabilities as an administrator of health, education, and human services agencies. He earned his BS and MS in special education from Arkansas State University and a PhD in psychology and special education from St. Louis University. He is active in his field as a member of the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, and has published 15 articles and presented across the nation on performance management for residential centers serving individuals with disabilities. He formerly served as the director of special education at multiple state hospitals and the CEO of a community-based residential program for persons with developmental disabilities. Currently, this expert is an associate professor at a university in Arizona.

This expert is a well qualified and experienced drug and alcohol treatment professional. He completed his BA at SUNY, and his MS in clinical mental health counseling and MBA at UNLV. He is a certified addictionologist and a licensed alcohol and drug counselor. He is also active in the field as a member of the State of Nevada Association for Addiction Professionals and serves on the Governor’s Substance Abuse Working Group. He previously was the president and chief operating officer of Sierra Health Services, and was the president and co-founder of an addiction treatment facility called Resolutions. He currently is the regional vice president for a residential drug treatment company in Nevada.

This highly-qualified social worker has more than 20 years of experience in her field, working in various settings such as residential treatment centers, psychiatric hospitals, domestic violence shelters, and outpatient mental health clinics. She earned her BS in social work from Northern Arizona University before earning her MS in social work from the University of Southern California. This expert is a licensed clinical social worker and is active in her field as a member of the International Association of Trauma Professionals. Formerly, she served as a therapist at Optimist Youth Homes and Family Services before working in multiple roles in the psychiatry department of Kaiser Permanente. This expert is currently a social working in private practice in California, where she specializes in several areas related to women's health, including maternal mental health and PTSD.

This qualified expert has extensive experience with residential treatment centers, group homes, and the administration of non-profit behavioral health organizations. He earned his BA from Brown University before earning his MEd in teaching and counseling methods from Newton College and his EdD from the Harvard University. This expert began his career as the director of the Full Circle School, an alternative school serving delinquents and the socially disadvantaged. He then was the assistant principal of the Groton-Dunstable Regional Secondary School before he joined Germaine Lawrence Incorporated, where he spent over 30 years. As the executive director of a non-profit residential school and treatment center for adolescent girls, this expert gained extensive experience in the field of special education and mental health services. Currently, he serves as a consultant with a private consulting group in Vermont.

This expert has nearly 20 years of experience in the epidemiology and behavioral science field, specializing in foodborne outbreaks, worksite health, workplace behaviors, consumer retail behavior, and, most recently, the impact of COVID-19 on human behavior. She earned a BA in math and psychology from Bradley University, an MS in epidemiology and biostatistics from the University of South Florida, and a PhD in public and community health from the University of Maryland. Formerly, this expert served as an adjunct professor in public health at Montgomery College. She then went on to serve as a program analyst for behavioral and social research programs at the National Institute of Aging and National Cancer Institute, along with serving as a deputy director of strategic and innovative programs at the National Institutes of Health. This expert was also the founder and director of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute at the National Institutes of Health, as well as principal epidemiologist and global vice president of research and corporate services at Sodexo. Currently, she is the CEO of an epidemiology and behavioral science consulting firm in Maryland.

This highly-qualified applied behavior analysis expert has 20 years of experience in her field, specializing in autism, developmental disabilities, and early intervention. She earned her BA in clinical psychology from Lock Haven University and her MA in applied behavior analysis from Penn State University. She is a board-certified behavior analyst and certified as a Competent Learner Model coach. This expert is active in her field as a member of the Association for Professional Behavior Analysis and as an author of several peer-reviewed publications. She formerly served as a behavior analyst for Keystone Human Services, a clinical adjunct of psychiatry at Penn State College of Medicine, and the clinical director, chief clinical officer, and CEO of Vista Autism Service & The Vista School. Currently, this expert owns a private practice and serves as an ABA business and clinical consultant.

This highly-qualified expert has nearly 15 years of experience in the field of psychiatry, specializing in forensic psychiatry, correctional psychiatry, and addiction medicine. He earned his BS in biology from the University of Virginia before earning his MD from Tulane University. He subsequently completed an internship at Georgetown University Hospital, a residency at Johns Hopkins University, and a fellowship in forensic psychiatry at the University of California at Davis. This expert is board-certified in general psychiatry, forensic psychiatry, and addiction medicine. He spent 4 years working with San Quentin State Prison, where he developed the prison's first telepsychiatry program and served as both the medical director of the Correctional Treatment Center and a senior psychiatrist supervisor. Additionally, he served as the chief psychiatrist at the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility and as both the statewide chief of telepsychiatry and the co-founder of the statewide medication assisted treatment program for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. This expert currently serves as the CEO and founder of the forensic division for a psychiatry-focused telemedicine company based in California.