Expertise and Experience: An insightful thinker and former expert chess player, Professor Neppe is able to appreciate the strengths and weaknesses of lawsuits and advise consultatively, truthfully and objectively, in a manner that may make enormous changes to the case and the strategy: Cases have even settled when the other side has heard he has been retained. He has even been retained to avoid him being the other side's expert witness. His medicolegal expertise is even being used in cases outside the United States, as well as nationally within the USA. He works quickly, often saving time yet being thorough and incisive, and at times, recommending important directions that can impact case outcome. These skills led to his monograph/book to facilitate attorneys in choosing a medical expert witness (see http://www.brainvoyage.com/attorneyadvice.php)
Moreover, after examining the medical records, by giving a preliminary oral opinion on the strengths and weaknesses of a case, plaintiff attorneys can decide whether to proceed, and defense attorneys whether to settle. This can save considerable costs later.
SPECIAL EXPERTISE
He is an authority on numerous related areas:
1. head trauma / brain injury / cerebral disturbances (key chapters in books; own published classification of closed head injuries),
2. side-effects and clinical impacts of brain medications (e.g. author of two books on psychopharmacology; extensive publications),
3. seizures and atypical spells (extensive background; publications; pioneering discoveries; measuring instruments; classifications; use of ambulatory EEG),
4. tardive dyskinesia and related extrapyramidal syndromes (developed a successful treatment for tardive dyskinesia; and evaluation technique, the STRAW),
5. neuroleptic malignant syndrome (e.g. published review),
6. attention deficit (e.g. new treatment published),
7. mental status (a leading authority),
8. narcolepsy (developed questionnaire),
9. vegetative states and minimally conscious states (published on special evaluation skills in persistent vegetative states and minimally conscious states; expert consultant in a major case), and
10. organic and psychiatric aspects of brain and biological conditions. (e.g. consultancies to DSM-IVR)
11. psychopharmacology and medications for the brain.
12. pharmaceutical patents involving psychotropic or psychoactive drugs (used by both branded and generic companies).
13. nutraceuticals (dietary supplements—writing a book), (developed a special document on the hazards for the ASCP) obesity (including psychotropic medication side-effects) and diet (currently, writing a book on the subject) and on previously used compounds such as Ephedra alkaloids (both plaintiff and defense expert).
14. Brain injury due to posioning e.g., retained for neuropsychiatric expertise on carbon monoxide's effects on the brain.
These skills allow Dr. Neppe to be a very powerful expert for many different kinds of cases, including personal injury, malpractice and competency issues (as well as pharmaceutical patent issues). Moreover, his potential use in multiple capacities, such as Neuropsychiatry and Behavioral Neurology and Psychopharmacology as well as Psychiatry and Seizure phenomena, and as an expert on higher brain functioning, and his combined MD and PhD qualifications, and extensice publications in many areas, markedly increases his versatility and range as an expert consultant, permits the retaining of fewer experts in certain cases, and allows for powerful rebuttals and more complete perspectives in consultations.
Professor Neppe's expertise is particularly valuable. His professional background includes both an MD and PhD. This reflects his broader skills and effectively increases his credibility.
His apparent ability to debate issues and think on his feet, and his persuasive speaking style learnt from years of in-demand public speaking as a professional speaker, may be a decided advantage for potential jurors, as well as for judges in trial or arbitration. Feedback in this regard supports this hypothesis: He has learnt to address people at the correct level, as reflected in his contributions as a book author for both laypersons and colleagues, as a playwright, and particularly with his extensive experience with the media, sometimes in live programs. Despite all of this, the majority of his work is as a clinician.
Career: PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND
Vernon Neppe is currently Director of the Pacific Neuropsychiatric Institute in Seattle, WA. He is also an attending physician at Overlake Hospital, Bellevue, WA and on staff at Northwest Hospital, Seattle, WA. He practices medicine in Washington State but his major current academic university affiliation is as (Adjunct Full) Professor of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at St. Louis University, St. Louis, MO. This is a singular, extremely unusual honor of respect, 1700 miles from his home base.
Dr. Neppe is board certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, and has been additionally certified in Geriatric Psychiatry and Forensic Psychiatry [10 y cert-2004]. He was in the first group board certified by the United Council for Neurologic Subspecialties in Behavioral Neurology and Neuropsychiatry. He is a Board Certified Forensic Examiner and in Forensic Medicine as well as being a Fellow and Life Member of the American College of Forensic Examiners. He also has an overseas specialist qualification with majors in Psychiatry and Neurology (the Diploma in Psychological Medicine).
Dr. Neppe is a fellow (or higher) of eight and member of more than a dozen additional professional associations (including American or International Psychiatric, Medical, Neuropsychiatric, Epilepsy, Psychogeriatric, Psychopharmacological and Psychological Associations and Societies).
He has been the Co-Principal Researcher of a highly competitive international research grant.
In 2002, he was honored internationally as apparently the first physician based in the United States to be elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of South Africa. In 2004, he was elected a Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and then in December 2007, elevated to their highest single public level of Distinguished Fellow. He was singularly chosen to lead the first USA and International Delegation in Psychopharmacology and Neuropsychiatry (China, 2006 through People to People Ambassador Program established by President Eisenhower).
HISTORICITY
Dr. Vernon Neppe founded the Pacific Neuropsychiatric Institute (PNI) in Seattle, WA in late 1992. The PNI aims at serving as an international model in the discipline of Neuropsychiatry and Behavioral Neurology; the PNI endeavors to provide directions for neuropharmacological and psychopharmacological approaches.
Prior to that in 1986, Professor Neppe, had been recruited from South Africa after an international search by the university, to establish and become Director of the first Division of Neuropsychiatry in a Department of Psychiatry in the United States (University of Washington in Seattle, WA where, until 1992, he was tenured full-time faculty).
Prior to that he trained and worked at the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa: He completed his medical degree in 1973, internship in 1974, and specialist post-graduate training in 1980 with both Psychiatric and Neurological backgrounds, and then worked as a consultant attending then senior consultant at the University.
While in South Africa, the country of his birth, he organized apparently the first multiracial sports match (if chess is a sport!).He also further trained at Cornell University Medical College in New York ("Neuropsychiatry-Behavioral Neurology/ Psychopharmacology" fellowship [1982-3]) as the "Witwatersrand University Overseas Traveling Fellow".
He has been licensed to practice medicine in Britain, in 2 states of the United States and is on the Canadian specialist register. Until overseas practice regulations changed, he was licensed in two states of Australia and in South Africa.
RECOGNITIONS
Vernon Neppe has made more than a thousand scientific presentations in a dozen countries. This includes chairing international conferences on four continents and radio and television appearances around the world, and lecturing at about 100 medical schools or affiliates round the world. He is an outstanding communicator as evidence by the demand for his speaking skills, both nationally and internationally.
His incisive quick analyses, ability to think on his feet, and his respect at giving a fair, objective opinion all contribute to his highly respected forensic expertise.
Dr. Neppe is recognized in numerous books. These include editions of:
-Marquis' Whose Who in the World (including the current edition),
-America's Top Doctors. (Castle Connolly; all seven editions; Dr Neppe is currently the only physician listed in his several combined subspecialties of psychiatry / neurology (Neuropsychiatry/ Behavioral Neurology, Psychopharmacology and Forensic Psychiatry).
-Woodward White's The Best Doctors in America,
-Men of Achievement (International Biographical Institute, Britain)
-Two Thousand Notable American Men (American Biographical Institute)
-Five Thousand Personalities of the World
-Five Hundred Leaders of Influence.
-Great Minds of the 21st Century
Dr. Neppe was an International Man of the Year 1992-3 (International Biographical Center in Cambridge, England) "in recognition of his services to Neuropsychiatry, Psychopharmacology and Anomalistic Psychology". He was one of 3 winners worldwide of the Rupert Sheldrake New Scientist Research Hypothesis Competition (1983, London) and received the Marius Valkhoff Medal in 1982. Dr. Neppe was chief research consultant to the Epilepsy Institute in New York and consultant to the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual 3 Revision and DSM 4. He also received an award in an Obesity expertise competition. He received a 2000 Millennium Medal of Honor.
RESEARCH AND WRITING BACKGROUNDS
Dr. Neppe has developed numerous pioneering models and contributed to books in every one of his areas of expertise. Dr. Neppe is author of the books Innovative Psychopharmacotherapy, The Psychology of Deja Vu and three other deja vu EBooks, Cry the Beloved Mind: A Voyage of Hope, a play Quakes. Of particular interest is a special monograph written for attorneys on maximizing expert medical witnesses (see www.brainvoyage.com)
He has written more than thirty chapters in textbooks. He has served as guest editor of the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry and founding editor of a South African scientific journal. He is currently Science Editor for a journal. He has been on the editorial boards of several other publications. He has acted as a referee for more than a dozen scientific journals.
Dr. Neppe has developed several measuring instruments, including computerized applications. Prof Neppe's major research areas include developing several measuring neuropsychiatric instruments and inventories, evaluating anomalistic psychology and brain, such as the BROCAS SCAN (Screening Cerebral Assessment of Neppe), the INSET (Inventory of Neppe of Symptoms of Epilepsy and the Temporal Lobe)and the SOBIN (Soft Organic Brain Inventory of Neppe). His contributions in pharmacological areas is profound including pioneering the use of anticonvulsant drugs in neuropsychiatry and psychiatry, developing a very promising treatment for the sometimes permanent movement disorder of tardive dyskinesia, and describing the extended use of azapirones in aggression and attention deficit disorder. He has proposed the latest classification of closed head injury and has also suggested a classification of seizures in relation to psychiatry. He has published broadly, including in obesity and minimally conscious states (in press)
Dr. Neppe's book "Cry the Beloved Mind: A Voyage of Hope" is written with the main target audience being patients and family members, as well as colleagues and students. Widely acclaimed, it allows for a great deal of insights as to comprehensive evaluations in Neuropsychiatry and Psychopharmacology. Cry the Beloved Mind, is discussed in some detail at http://www.brainvoyage.com as are his other recent books.
Attorney peer reviewers have found his recent, remarkable electronic monograph valuable "How Attorneys Can Best Utilize Their Medical Expert Consultant: A Medical Expert?s Perspective". This book is available for download by attorneys (http://www.brainvoyage.com/attorneyadvice.php).
An updated revision of his book "The Psychology of Deja Vu" in electronic format led to a special trilogy of books (Deja Vu Revisited, Deja Vu: A Second Look, Deja Vu: Glossary and Library).
His recent play "Quakes" is the first play in the genre of "sciction".
His website at The Pacific Neuropsychiatric Institute (PNI) is http://www.pni.org has a special forensic section at http://www.pni.org/forensics. This large academic site delineates comprehensive evaluation and management in Neuropsychiatry and Psychopharmacology at clinical, research, forensic, education and phenomenological levels. Foci include terminology, criteria and concepts on seizures and epilepsy, temporal lobe, brain, the anomalous, head injury (traumatic brain injury), forensic medicolegal facets, deja vu, vortex pluralism, measuring instruments and ethics.
SOURCES
This brief introduction to Dr. Vernon Neppe has several internet linked derivation sources e.g. http://www.pni.org and http://www.brainvoyage.com
http://www.pni.org/forensics
Lawyer References: Ralph Pittle, WA, USA David Shroyer, OH, USA D'Arcy McGoey, ON, Canada John Maloney, NJ, USA
Disclaimer: Lawyers can only recommend the services of this expert based upon their own professional experience in working with them. They are not liable for any future loss arising out of any act or omission by this expert.
Professor Vernon M. Neppe MD
