Patrice Carroll
Director of PWS Services Latham

Patrice Carroll is the director of PWS services for both children and adults at Latham Centers in Massachusetts, USA. Patrice received her MSW from Simmons College, Boston, MA 2008. Patrice is the co-chair of the PWSAUSA professional providers board of directors as well as the United States delegate for IPWSO and has over 18 years of experience working with children and adults diagnosed with PWS. Patrice is a co-author of the book Living Healthy with Prader-Willi Syndrome.  In addition to her experience with developing person-centered vocational programming for people with PWS, she has specialized in the multi-modal management of skin and rectal picking using intensive, non-contingent, sensory stimulation.

Anastasia Dimitropoulos, Ph.D.
Professor Department of Psychological Sciences at Case Western Reserve Univerity

Anastasia Dimitropoulos is a Professor in the Department of Psychological Sciences at Case Western Reserve University (CWRU). She received her doctorate in psychology from Vanderbilt University and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Yale University Child Study Center. Dr. Dimitropoulos has been engaged in research on Prader-Willi syndrome for over twenty-five years. Her research currently focuses on building and evaluating a play-based remote intervention program to optimize development in children with PWS known as the PRETEND (Play-based Remote Enrichment To ENhance Development) program. She is also the lead investigator for the Cleveland team on the KidsFirst Autism Registry, a partnership between the Hartwell Foundation, Stanford University, University of California Davis, and CWRU, whose goal is to identify shared sub-classifications of behavior among individuals with autism to better inform intervention. Additionally, Dr. Dimitropoulos is the Director of the Schubert Center for Child Studies at CWRU, where she utilizes her expertise in child development to lead the center in its mission to bridge research, policy, practice, and education to improve the well-being of all children and adolescents.

Jessica Duis, M.D.
Pediatric Geneticist

Dr. Jessica Duis is a pediatric geneticist, who did he medical training at Johns Hopkins. She is a board certified pediatrician and medical geneticist who practices in the area of genetics and complex/special care pediatrics. She has focused her career on chromosome 15 disorders including duplication 15q and her career has spanned translational, clinical and bench research. She is passionate about establishing standards of care and personalized therapeutic interventions for individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders. She has designed and worked on many clinical trials and currently focuses on management guidelines and establishing outcome measures that quantitatively capture clinically significant features of neurodevelopmental disorders in the natural environment.

Lauren Schwartz, Ph.D.
Behavior and Mental Health Programs, FPWR

Lauren Schwartz, Ph.D. received a B.S. from the University of California, San Diego in Developmental Psychology and a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of California, San Diego/San Diego State Joint Doctoral Program.  She did her clinical internship and research fellowship at the University of Washington, Departments of Psychiatry and Rehabilitation Medicine.  She has focused her studies and clinical work in the area of adjustment and recovery from disability.  She has a particular interest in the impact of disability on families and the interaction between family responses to disability and patient physical and psychological functioning.   She is currently on the faculty at the University of Washington School of Medicine in the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine where she does clinical work, teaching and research.   She and her husband Mark, have two children, including a daughter with PWS.  Lauren is one of the founding members of the FPWR and served as President of the FPWR Board of Directors from 2005-2009.

Parisa Salehi, M.D.
Clinical Director of SCH PWS Clinic

Dr. Parisa Salehi received her medical degree from the University of Nevada School of Medicine in 2007. Her pediatric and pediatric endocrine training were at Children’s Hospital Orange County, Orange, CA, and Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, LA, CA, respectively. She joined the faculty at Seattle Children’s Division of Endocrinology in 2013 and has been the clinical director of the SCH PWS Clinic since its inception in 2014.

Deepan Singh, M.D.
Child, Adolescent & Adult Psychiatrist

Dr. Deepan Singh is a board-certified child, adolescent, and adult psychiatrist, who currently serves as the Vice-Chair of Ambulatory Psychiatry Services at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, NY. 

Dr. Singh received his medical education at Sikkim Manipal Institute of Medical Sciences in India following which he did his residency training in Psychiatry at SUNY Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn. He then received sub-specialty training in child & adolescent psychiatry at Zucker Hillside Hospital in Queens. In addition, he has received training in psychodynamic psychotherapy at the Institute for Psychoanalytic Education affiliated with NYU. During his years in practice, Dr. Singh has had the opportunity of gaining expertise in a wide variety of treatment modalities applied to all ages and across the disease spectrum. Prior to joining Maimonides, Dr. Singh served as the Founding Associate Dean of Students & Diversity for the NYU Long Island School of Medicine, a primary-care-focused free tuition medical school. 

Over the past eight years, Dr. Singh has developed a strong interest and expertise in the management of Prader-Willi Syndrome. He has numerous peer-reviewed publications and presentations on the behavioral aspects of PWS. He remains active clinically and in clinical research. He serves on the scientific review boards for Prader-Willi Syndrome Association (USA) and the Foundation for Prader-Willi Research. He is also part of the International Prader Willi Syndrome Organisation's Mental Health Network. Dr. Singh's most recent work is his book "Neuro-behavioral Manifestations of Prader-Willi Syndrome: A Guide for Clinicians and Caregivers" which is an easy-to-read resource for all clinicians and caregivers taking care of persons with PWS. 

Diane Stafford, M.D.
Clinical Professor of Pediatrics

Dr. Diane Stafford is a Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at Stanford University school of Medicine in the Division of Pediatric Endocrinology. She has been caring for patients with PWS for over 20 years both at Stanford and previously at Boston Children’s Hospital, with a particular interest in variations in puberty seen in this group. She is the Chair of the newly formed PWS-CLIC (Clinical Investigation Collaborative) working with FPWR to improve the care of those with PWS through collaborative investigation and research.

Theresa Strong, Ph.D.
Director of Research Programs, FPWR

Theresa V. Strong, Ph.D., received a B.S. from Rutgers University and a Ph.D. in Medical Genetics from the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB).  She performed postdoctoral studies at the University of Michigan in the laboratory of Francis Collins, M.D., Ph.D., studying the molecular basis of cystic fibrosis and Huntington disease. After her postdoc, she returned to the faculty at UAB, where her laboratory focused on developing gene therapy approaches for cancer. She became the Director of UAB’s Vector Production Facility and a Professor in the Department of Medicine.  Theresa is one of the founding members of FPWR and has directed FPWR’s grant program since its inception. In October of 2016, she transitioned to a full time position as Director of Research Programs at FPWR.  She remains an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Genetics at UAB.  She and her husband Jim have four children, including a son with PWS.

Cindy Szapacs, BCBA, M.Ed.
Board-Certified Behavior Analyst

Cindy Szapacs is a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst who has a Master’s Degree in Education from the University of Virginia. She has been working in the field of special education, mostly using applied behavior analysis, for many years. She has worked both as a direct service provider to individuals with a variety of diagnoses between the ages of 1 and 21 as well as a consultant providing individual, small group and large group trainings to families and professionals.  Currently, Cindy works as a Behavior Analyst, supporting classrooms run by the Bucks County Intermediate Unit #22 in Pennsylvania. She also is a mother of two boys, one of whom happens to have PWS. Since joining the PWS family, she has learned a lot about this unique population and has made a point of educating herself, professionals and parents on how to best meet the needs of those with PWS. 

Staci Zimmerman
IEP Consultant

Staci Zimmerman has over 20 years of experience in special education, teaching and consulting in various school districts in CO.  She supports private clients, and contracts with The Prader-Willi Syndrome Association of Colorado (PWSACO), Prader-Willi Syndrome USA (PWS-USA), and Rocky Mountain Down Syndrome Association (RMDSA), as an IEP Consultant. Staci collaborates with the PWS Multi-Disciplinary Clinic at the Children’s Hospital CO, supporting patients, families, providers, and school districts in Colorado.  Additionally, Staci collaborates with educators from Jewish Day Schools, integrating students with learning needs in a dual-curriculum education. Staci is an Adjunct Professor, in the Office of Clinical Experiences and Partnerships, School of Education, at Metropolitan State University of Denver.  She teaches undergraduate Special Education, and supervises student teachers in various school districts in CO.  Staci attended The University of Kansas, with a B.A in sociology and a Master's in Special Education.  She continued post graduate work at The University of Kansas Medical Center in Autism Spectrum Disorder. Staci has lived in Denver, CO for the past 21 years. She lives with her husband and 10 year old daughter.  Staci enjoys teaching fitness classes, snowboarding and hiking with her family, and keeping an active, healthy lifestyle in Colorado. 

Registration Details

Refund Policy: discounted tickets are not refundable. Regular priced tickets may be refunded up to 30 days prior to conference, less a $25 processing fee.