Who We Are

Personal Statement

My academic research background encompasses a variety of complex neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders. During postdoctoral training in San Antonio, I was examining phenotype/genotype correlations of Chromosome 18q- Syndrome.  Chromosome 18q- Syndrome is a disorder in which variable size deletions are associated with a range of phenotypes including short stature; intellectual disability; poor muscle tone and developmental alterations of limbs and craniofacial region. Following clinical training in Psychiatry and Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, I continued with postdoctoral training in Seattle where I was researching Hereditary Ataxias and Dyslexia. During my time as a Principal Investigator, my lab focused on  Autism and Alzheimer’s disorder.  Our focus was on rare variants that play a role in familial as opposed to sporadic Autism and late-onset Alzheimer’s disease.

  Currently, my focus is providing clinical care to individuals with Intellectual Disability and Autism Spectrum Disorder. In addition to working at Seattle Children’s Hospital Inpatient Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine Unit, I provide diagnostic assessments and medication management at Seattle Children’s Autism Center and consult at Washington State Residential Habilitation Centers.

Education

MD , Zagreb, Croatia, 1988-1993
Cellular Biology , San Antonio, Texas, 1994-1997
Internship , Chicago, Illinois, 1997-1998
Psychiatry , Seattle, Washington, 1998-2001
Child Psychiatry , Seattle, Washington, 2001-2003
Mental Illness Research , Seattle, Washington, 2002-2005

Department Affiliations

Other Affiliations

Autism Center – Seattle Children’s Hospital
Training Clinic