Dr. Mary DeJoseph

Dr. Mary DeJoseph integrates her professional and personal experience with prenatal alcohol exposure to educate as many health care and human service professionals as she possibly can. Her professional, clinical experience with alcoholism and high risk alcohol use began in 1988 when she became certified to practice Family Medicine in PA. She continues as adjunct faculty at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine and is active with many different organizations at the local, state and federal level to educate and advocate for families affected by FASD. She served as a consultant on the CDC Northeast FASD Regional Training Center and continues education and outreach activities nationally with the NJ/ Northeast FASD Education and Research Center. She has worked on the National Task Force on FAS/FAE and is a contributing author to the National Task Force publication, “Reducing Alcohol Exposed Pregnancies”.

Dr DeJoseph serves on the SAMHSA FASD Center for Excellence Expert Panel, the NIAAA committee on “Women, Drugs and Pregnancy”, the NJ FASD TASK Force, the NJ Governor’s Council on the Prevention of Developmental Disabilities, and the Philadelphia FASD Screening, Diagnosis and Treatment Initiative. She does training and consulting work for the Mental Health Association of NJ regarding FASD and addiction as co-occurring issues. She has worked with the Certification Board of NJ to bring education about FASDs to addiction treatment personnel throughout NJ. She has written updated policy statements for the American Society of Addiction Medicine on FASD and on Alcohol-using Pregnancies. She has recently co-authored a chapter on “FASD and the Family” and written a chapter on “Adults and Adolescents with FASDs” (pending publication).

Dr. DeJoseph is clear that the most important part of her work in the field of FASD is with the Circle of Hope/ Birth Mothers Network and her own family. The clinical, education and research aspects of her work require time, energy, and attention; work with birth mothers and her own family is the driving force, motivation, and inspiration for all of her education and outreach. Dr DeJoseph has had a profound experience of forgiveness and acceptance with her husband and three children and this informs every phone call, email, personal story, and workshop she attends to. She believes that forgiveness, and especially self-forgiveness, frees parents, professionals, and affected people to be our most loving, compassionate and creative selves (and acknowledges that this is not an evidence-based statement).  Dr DeJoseph advises anyone involved with people with an FASD in any capacity to strive for hope, flexibility, and an excellent sense of humor.