PD&A experts are leaders in their respective areas of expertise.
Dr. Park Dietz
At PD&A you will find experts who have been:
Educated at Harvard, Princeton, Yale, Dartmouth, Columbia, Cornell, the University of Pennsylvania, Johns Hopkins, Stanford, U.C. Berkeley, U.C.L.A., the University of Virginia, Duke, and other major universities
Medical and law school professors at Harvard, Columbia, Cornell, the University of Pennsylvania, N.Y.U., U.C.L.A., U.C.S.F., the University of Virginia, the University of Ottawa, the University of Toronto, and other major universities
Heads of hospitals, a mental health system, academic departments, medical examiner offices, a crime lab, a community mental health center, teaching clinics, psychiatry training programs, child and adolescent psychiatry training programs, forensic psychiatry training programs, psychology-law programs, research programs, corporate security departments, and F.B.I. investigative units, teams, and programs
Board certified in psychiatry, forensic psychiatry, child and adolescent psychiatry, forensic psychology, neurology, forensic pathology, and various medical and surgical specialties and subspecialties
President, Vice President, and committee chair for national professional organizations, such as the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law, the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, the American Psychology-Law Society, and the National Organization of Forensic Social Work
Board examiners for the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology
F.B.I. supervisors and members of the internationally recognized Behavioral Science Unit of the F.B.I.’s National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime
Authors of more than 3,000 professional publications
Editors of professional journals and books
Invited to deliver more than 5,000 lectures and training programs in 40 countries in the Caribbean, North America, Central America, South America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Australia, and the South Pacific
Commissioners or consultants to federal and state government commissions
Invited to testify before the U.S. Congress and state legislatures
Consultants to state and local governments in every state in the U.S., every province in Canada, and 25 other nations in the Caribbean, Central America, South America, western Europe, eastern Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Australia, and the South Pacific
Consultants in more than 30,000 criminal investigations throughout the world
Innovators in strategies to prevent workplace violence, sexual abuse of children, and police misconduct
Consultants on the architectural design of a dozen prison, jail, and state hospital construction projects
Consultants to the NCAA, the NBA, and the NBA Players Association
FAQ’s
+ As an Attorney, how do I select an Expert for a Case?
When you call PD&A, a consultation will be arranged to identify the issues in your case that might be addressed through expert consultation or testimony, and Dr. Dietz or the appropriate subject matter expert will offer you options for addressing the needs of the case through one or more experts in each substantive area and will recommend the dream team for your particular case.
Example 1:
If you are handling a tort claim regarding child sexual abuse, you may be offered experts on the assessment of damages to child victims and their parents, experts on evaluating negligence for the setting in which the abuse occurred, experts on false allegations, experts on offender behavior, experts on the history of prevention programs, or experts on the analysis of biological fluids, rape kits, or wounds, depending on the issues in the case.
Example 2:
If you are prosecuting or defending someone for homicide, you may be offered experts on criminal behavior analysis, diminished capacity, insanity, adjudicative competence, sentencing mitigation, manner and cause of death, wound pathology, or toxicology. Often our role is to counter other experts who have used the wrong methods or have misinterpreted the evidence. We also offer consultation from experienced homicide prosecutors to assist you in organizing, preparing, and presenting your case and in cross-examining experts.
Example 3:
If you are handling a tort claim regarding a large number of plaintiffs exposed to a toxic or traumatic event, you may be offered teams of medical and psychological experts to conduct IMEs to evaluate the plaintiffs’ mental and physical damages, scientific experts to evaluate the type and dose of any toxic exposure, and industry experts to evaluate whether the event was caused by negligence. PD&A has handled cases involving hundreds of plaintiffs and is accustomed to scheduling teams of experts to conduct IMEs.
+ As an Expert, how can I make use of PD&A Consultation Services?
In any of the disciplines we cover, we provide confidential consultation services to help other experts or investigators at every stage of a case, including planning a budget, requesting documents, summarizing documents, conducting or suggesting lines of investigation, developing interview strategies, conducting library research, data analysis, formulating or phrasing opinions, report writing, and preparation of demonstrative exhibits. We can help improve your work in a spirit of collegiality, as we routinely do for each other.
+ As a Journalist or Producer, how can I make use of PD&A's resources?
We handle media inquiries on a daily basis for news organizations of every size, in every medium, and on every continent. Simply call us and let us know the area of inquiry and your deadline. We particularly enjoy responding to written questions and participating in documentaries. We are even available to conduct interviews of dangerous people on camera, as long as they competently consent.
+ As a Student, how do I prepare for a Forensic Career?
First, go to the best schools you can get into and afford. Second, focus on everything you’ll need for your intended career. The more you know about the basic science and the settings in which you’ll work, the better a forensic scientist you’ll be. Third, focus on your communication skills. The more clearly you communicate in writing and speech, the greater the success you’ll have in helping lawyers, jurors, and judges understand complex matters. Fourth, avoid the mistake of confusing legal knowledge with forensic knowledge. The lawyers you work with can give you the law, and what you need to give them is mastery of the science, communicated clearly. Fifth, do everything in your power to maintain your integrity and objectivity against all of the challenges to both that life will bring your way.
A word of caution: Be suspect of masters programs in forensic psychology or courses in profiling, as neither of these will qualify you to do what you might imagine. To be a forensic psychologist, you’ll need a doctorate in psychology, and to be a profiler, you’ll need to be an outstanding law enforcement investigator for many years before you’ll be eligible for the appropriate training, which is only offered by law enforcement.