John J. Medina, PhD
John J. Medina, PhD, is a developmental molecular biologist with special research interests in the isolation and characterization of genes involved in human brain development and the genetics of psychiatric disorders. Dr. Medina holds joint faculty appointments at the University of Washington Department of Bioengineering and Seattle Pacific University, where he is the director of the Brain Center for Applied Learning Research. He is also a private research consultant, working primarily in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries on issues related to mental health.
Dr. Medina was also the founding director of the Talaris Research Institute, a Seattle-based research center originally focused on how infants encode and process information at the cognitive, cellular and molecular levels. Prior to founding Talaris, Dr. Medina was a special assistant to the provost at the University of Washington.
In 2004, Dr. Medina was appointed to the rank of affiliate scholar at the National Academy of Sciences. He has also been named the Outstanding Faculty of the Year at the College of Engineering at the University of Washington, the Merrill Dow/Continuing Medical Education National Teacher of the Year and, twice, the Bioengineering Student Association Teacher of the Year. His communication interests have extended to K-12 education and, as such, Dr. Medina has been a consultant to the Education Commission of the States and a regular speaker on issues related to neurology and education.
Dr. Medina is the author of the book Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School (Pear Press, February 2008).
Dr. Medina's other books include The Outer Limits of Life and Uncovering the Mystery of AIDS (Thomas Nelson); The Clock of Ages and The Genetic Inferno: Inside the Seven Deadly Sins (Cambridge University Press); Depression: How It Happens, How It Heals and What You Need to Know About Alzheimer's (CME, Inc. and New Harbinger Press); and Of Serotonin, Dopamine and Antipsychotic Medications (HMR Press).
Dr. Medina has a lifelong interest in how the mind reacts to and organizes information from a variety of inputs. As a husband and father of two boys, he has an interest in how the brain sciences might influence the way we teach our children. In addition to his research, consulting and teaching, Dr. Medina speaks often to public officials, business and medical professionals, school boards and nonprofit leaders.