Ann Roth Pytkowicz Streissguth (born December 13, 1932) is a scientist known for her groundbreaking research on fetal alcohol spectrum disorder. She is an Endowed Professor Emeritus and Founding Director of the Fetal Alcohol Drug Unit at the

University of Washington School of Medicine The University of Washington School of Medicine (UWSOM) is a large public medical school in the northwest United States, located in Seattle and affiliated with the University of Washington. According to ''U.S. News & World Report''s 2022 Best Grad ...

. She is the author of ''Fetal alcohol syndrome: A guide for families and communities'' and ''The challenge of fetal alcohol syndrome: Overcoming secondary disabilities.'' These books guide families on how to overcome the detrimental effects brought on by fetal alcohol syndrome.

Awards

Streissguth was awarded the University of Washington Outstanding Public Service Award in 1997, and the Rosett Award in 1998 for her contributions to research on fetal alcohol syndrome. She received the American Psychological Foundation's Gold Medal for Lifetime Achievement for Psychology in the Public Interest in 2002, and an Excellence Award from the

National Organization on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome The National Organization on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (NOFAS) is a non-profit public health charitable organization focused on the issue of fetal alcohol syndrome and fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD). NOFAS was founded in 1990 and advocat ...

in 2003. In 2005, Streissguth received an Honorary Doctorate Award in the Humanities from her undergraduate alma mater,

Oregon State University Oregon State University (OSU) is a public land-grant, research university in Corvallis, Oregon. OSU offers more than 200 undergraduate-degree programs along with a variety of graduate and doctoral degrees. It has the 10th largest engineering co ...

Biography

Streissguth was born in South Pasadena, California. She received her B.S. degree at Oregon State University in 1954, and her M.S. degree at the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...

in 1959. In 1964 Streissguth received her Ph.D. from the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seattle a ...

. Throughout her career, Streissguth participated in academic work at the University of Washington. She was hired as Assistant Professor for the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences in 1968. She was associate professor from 1974-1979 until her promotion to Professor in 1979. She was named Professor Emeritus in 2005. Streissguth is a longstanding member of the

. She is known for her research program on fetal alcohol syndrome, and its effects on

child development Child development involves the Human development (biology), biological, developmental psychology, psychological and emotional changes that occur in human beings between birth and the conclusion of adolescence. Childhood is divided into 3 stages o ...

. With her colleagues Kenneth Jones, David Smith and Christy Ulleland, Streissguth conducted research on eight children who were born to alcoholic mothers which resulted in the first widely circulated paper on fetal alcohol syndrome and its relation to alcohol abuse during pregnancy. Through her research she has been able to enlighten society of the detrimental effects fetal alcohol syndrome can have on all areas of life including cognitive functioning, attention deficits, and even on motor skills. Streissguth's longitudinal observations of children as they mature to adulthood has illuminated long-term consequences of alcohol use during pregnancy. Public awareness of her findings has led to a significant decrease in the amount of alcohol consumed in the United States. Streissguth is married to Daniel Michener Streissguth and together they have one child.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Streissguth, Ann American women psychologists 21st-century American psychologists University of Washington alumni University of Washington faculty Oregon State University alumni University of California, Berkeley alumni 1932 births Living people American women academics 21st-century American women 20th-century American psychologists