Donald Bersoff, J.D., Ph.D.
The Director, Donald N. Bersoff, is a full professor in the School of Law and Department of Psychology. He received his Ph.D. from New York University in 1965 and his J.D. from Yale Law School in 1976 where he was an editor of the Yale Law Journal. He has taught at several universities and maintained a private practice in psychology before entering law school. In 1979, Dr. Bersoff became the first general counsel of the American Psychological Association. Two years later he helped found the law firm of Ennis, Friedman, Bersoff & Ewing in Washington, DC, merging it with Jenner & Block in 1988. He is the author of over 100 book chapters, articles, and papers on ethics and the interaction of law, psychology and the social sciences. He is the author of Ethical Conflicts in Psychology (2008), published in the 4th edition by the American Psychological Association, senior author of Law and Mental Health Professionals—Pennsylvania, and an extensive chapter on education and training in law and psychology. He has served as president of the American Psychology-Law Society, on the American Bar Association’s Commission on the Mentally Disabled, and as Chair of the Section on Mental Disability Law of the Association of American Law Schools.
Email: Donald.Bersoff@drexel.edu
David DeMatteo, J.D., Ph.D.
The Co-Director, David S. DeMatteo, is an assistant professor in the Department of Psychology. He received his Ph.D. in clinical psychology from MCP Hahnemann University and his J.D. from Villanova Law School where he was the Executive Editor of the Villanova Law Review. Prior to joining the Drexel faculty, he spent four years as a research scientist at the Treatment Research Institute at the University of Pennsylvania. He has also held adjunct teaching appointments at Rutgers, Widener, and Villanova universities. He has co-authored two books and authored more than 35 articles and book chapters. In 2008 he served as Program Co-Chair for the American Psychology-Law Society Conference.
Email: David.DeMatteo@drexel.edu
Naomi Goldstein, Ph.D.
Naomi Goldstein is an associate professor of psychology in the Department of Psychology and former Co-Director of the Program in Law & Psychology at Villanova Law School and Drexel. She received her Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Massachusetts—Amherst. She specializes in forensic psychology and child and adolescent behavior problems. She conducts research on adolescents’ comprehension of Miranda rights and their decisions to offer true or false confessions during interrogations. She also develops intervention programs for female juvenile offenders. Her research has been funded by the National Institutes of Health, the American Psychology-Law Society, the American Academy of Forensic Psychology, and the Institute for the Humanities at Drexel.
Email: naomi.goldstein@drexel.edu
Kirk Heilbrun, Ph.D.
Kirk Heilbrun is the Head of the Department of Psychology and previously served as an adjunct member of the Villanova Law School faculty where he co-taught the Law & Mental Health course (with Dr. DeMatteo). He received his Ph.D. in psychology from the University of Texas at Austin in 1980 and then completed a postdoctoral fellowship in law and psychology at Florida State University. His research interests include forensic mental health assessment, violence risk assessment, and risk-reducing interventions, all of which have received extramural funding since 1994. He has served as president of the American Psychology-Law Society and the American Board of Forensic Psychology. He is a Diplomate (ABPP) in both clinical and forensic psychology.
Email: kirk.heilbrun@drexel.edu
Barry Furrow, J.D.
Barry Furrow is a professor of law and Director of the Health Law Concentration at the School of Law. He received his J.D. from Harvard Law School in 1971. He founded the Health Law Program at Widener Law School and has taught law at the University of Detroit, University of Michigan, American University, and the University of North Carolina, among others. He is a member of the American Society of Law, Medicine, & Ethics and the American Health Lawyers Association. The sixth edition of his treatise, Health Law: Cases, Materials and Problems has just been published. Among other texts, he is also the author of Malpractice in Psychotherapy as well as numerous articles, book chapters, and papers on health care and ethics.
Email: barry.r.furrow@drexel.edu