about the author

DR. JOHN J. MEDINA is a developmental molecular biologist focused on the genes involved in human brain development and the genetics of psychiatric disorders. He has spent most of his professional life as a private research consultant, working primarily in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries on research related to mental health. Medina holds joint affiliate faculty appointments at Seattle Pacific University, where he is the director of the Brain Center for Applied Learning Research, and at the University of Washington School of Medicine, in its Department of Bioengineering.

Medina was 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.

In 2004, Medina was appointed to the rank of affiliate scholar at the National Academy of Engineering. He has been named 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. Medina has been a consultant to the Education Commission of the States and a regular speaker on the relationship between neurology and education.

Medina’s books include: Brain Rules for Baby: How to Raise a Smart and Happy Child from Zero to Five; The Genetic Inferno; The Clock of Ages; Depression: How it Happens, How it Heals; What You Need to Know About Alzheimer’s; The Outer Limits of Life; Uncovering the Mystery of AIDS; and Of Serotonin, Dopamine and Antipsychotic Medications.

Medina has a lifelong fascination in how the mind reacts to and organizes information. As a husband and as a 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, Medina speaks often to public officials, business and medical professionals, school boards, and nonprofit leaders.