About the Panelists
David Hessl
David Hessl, PhD, is a licensed clinical psychologist and the head psychologist at the Fragile X Research and Treatment Center at UC Davis, where FXTAS (Fragile X-associated tremor/ataxia syndrome) was first discovered and reported in 2001. His clinical interests involve cognitive, emotional, and behavioral evaluation of children, adolescents, and adults with neurodevelopmental disorders, especially those with Fragile X syndrome, autism, ADHD, and learning disabilities. He also has expertise in developmental psychopathology, particularly mood and anxiety disorders, in infants and young children.
He directs the Translational Psychophysiology and Assessment Laboratory (T-PAL) at the MIND Institute to investigate the emotional psychophysiology of children with neurodevelopmental disorders, and to develop novel outcome measures for clinical trials. His work currently concentrates on autism, Fragile X syndrome, Down syndrome, and Fragile X premutation carriers, who are at risk for neurodegenerative disease.
He received his PhD in Child Clinical Psychology from the University of Washington in 1997, which included a clinical internship at Stanford University, and received postdoctoral fellowship training at the UC Berkeley Institute of Human Development during 1997-1998.
Dr. Hessl’s career has focused on Fragile X-associated disorders since 1998, having published 114 peer-reviewed journal articles on these topics to date. Dr. Hessl also serves on the National Fragile X Foundation’s Clinical Trials Committee.
Deborah Hall
Deborah Hall, MD, PhD, is an adult neurologist and movement disorder specialist at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. She has training in genetics, epidemiology, and human subjects research. She conducts research primarily in two areas. Her work in Parkinson’s disease focuses on early interventions, such as neurotrophic factors and exercise, genetics and genomic causes of disease, and treatment for complications including falls. She also researches ataxia, specifically Fragile X-associated disorders, by investigating epidemiology, clinical features of movement and balance, and interventions. She has been National Institutes of Health–funded for the last 10 years as a primary investigator. She has a busy clinical practice focused on movement disorders within the Department of Neurological Sciences at Rush. She is the director of the FXTAS Clinic at Rush and the Movement Disorder DNA Repository within the Section of Movement Disorders at Rush.
Dr. Hall received her doctorate from Indiana University and her master’s from the University of Colorado, where she completed her residency and fellowship.
Randi J. Hagerman
Developmental pediatrician Randi J. Hagerman, MD, FAAP, is a highly regarded professional within the Fragile X community. She co-founded the National Fragile X Foundation in 1984 and served on the board for 25 years. In 2009, she decided it was time to step aside and let others bring their expertise to the board, though she continues to help guide the foundation to this day.
There is no aspect of the NFXF that Randi has not helped shape. Her strength as both a clinician and researcher has informed the NFXF mission and strategic plan. She and her husband, Dr. Paul Hagerman, generously support the NFXF mission. While Randi is no longer a board member, she is active on the NFXF Scientific & Clinical Advisory Committee and the Fragile X Clinical & Research Consortium where she represents the UC Davis Medical Center’s MIND Institute as medical director of the Fragile X Clinic.
Randi continues to be a sought-after speaker and her work has expanded from Fragile X syndrome to all Fragile X-associated disorders. Randi is continually on the go as an international spokesperson for Fragile X. Fortunately, she’s only seconds away by phone when we need to call upon her for her guidance, advice, and wisdom.
