Dr. Ann Streissguth, a world-renowned researcher of the effects of alcohol on development and throughout the life span, will give a lecture on a "30-Year Perspective on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Research."  The "education," "health," and "safety" themes embraced by the Decade of Behavior are woven and addressed in many aspects throughout Dr. Streissguth's work and career: Beyond simply identifying effects associated with prenatal alcohol exposure, she has developed and led education, public health, and safety programs to help those affected and to serve as preventative measures to reduce the incidence of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and Fetal Alcohol Effects.

Speaker Biography:

Ann Streissguth is a professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Washington School of Medicine.  She has 25 years of experience working with individuals with fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) and fetal alcohol effects (FAE), as well as with their families and communities.  Dr. Streissguth is the recipient of numerous awards for her outstanding contribution and research on FAS/FAE.  She has completed a major research project funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on secondary disabilities in individuals with FAS/FAE.  With her colleagues, she has also initiated a 5-year study of magnetic resonance imaging and neuropsychological functioning in people with FAS/FAE, funded by NIAAA. The Fetal Alcohol and Drug Unit, which Dr. Streissguth directs, has investigated many types of prenatal influences on later development in offspring including alcohol, tobacco, cocaine, aspirin, and acetaminophen, and rubella virus.  In all, Dr. Streissguth has published over 190 scientific papers, three books, and a slide-teaching curriculum on Alcohol and Pregnancy.  She has written extensively on the topic of FAS/FAE, including two books published in the fall of 1997: Fetal Alcohol Syndrome: A Guide for Families and Communities and The Challenge of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome: Overcoming Secondary Disabilities.  Dr. Streissguth  received the KINDER Award for Contributions to the Well Being of Children at Risk from the KINDER Clinic, University of Texas - Houston Health Science Center.  She  was also awarded the Rosett Award for Outstanding Contributions to FAS from the FAS Study Group of the Research Society on Alcoholism.

Presentation Summary:

In her talk, Dr. Streissguth will discuss some of her own work on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, which is a model for how research efforts can be presented to communities, implemented in health and safety programs, and utilized in studying detection, mechanism, treatment, and prevention of adverse effects associated with exposure to a chemical or drug. Her studies are not limited to the effects of the affected individual but on families and communities as well. Dr. Streissguth has worked directly with affected communities and populations (several projects with Native American Indian reservations and Alaska Natives, as well as in poverty stricken areas) that are significantly impacted by the effects of alcohol.  Programs that she and her colleagues have developed are widely recognized at the state and national level and have received funding by state legislatures.