Addiction Medicine Expert Witnesses: 13

• General Psychiatry for Adults
• General Psychiatry for Children
• Addiction Psychiatry
• Forensic Psychiatry
• Organizational Consultation for Schools and Universities

James H. Reich, MD, MPH, is a board-certified Forensic Psychiatrist with extensive civil psychiatry experience who has done hundreds of evaluations.

After getting his MD from the University of Colorado Medical Center in Denver, Dr. Reich earned his MPH at Yale University and did his psychiatric residency at UC Davis. Dr. Reich has held academic positions at Yale, Iowa, Harvard, and Brown Universities.  Currently, he has teaching appointments at the professor level at both UCSF and Stanford University. Throughout his career, he has published over a hundred peer-reviewed publications. 

Litigation Support - Dr. Reich’s services are available for civil and some criminal law cases. Clients are assured of his personal dedication to each case. He does high quality research, expert evaluations, writes a solid report, and will testify well. Dr. Reich has been deposed over 50 times.

Areas of Expertise:

Joel L. Kent, MD, has been quadruple-board certified in Family Medicine, Anesthesiology, Palliative Care, and Pain Management over the arc of his career.

Background: Much of Dr. Kent’s expertise is an artifact of both the clinical and educational leadership roles he has held over the course of his career. He has served as Division Head of Pain Medicine at medical schools between 1997 - 2017; originally at the University of Maryland and subsequently at the University of Rochester. In addition to this clinical leadership role, he also lead the pain medicine educational missions at these institutions from 1997 to 2015. Dr. Kent served as Director of the Pain Medicine Fellowship Training Programs at the University of Maryland form 1997 to 2007 and at the University of Rochester from 2007 - 2015. Both these programs are accredited through the Accreditation Counsel for Graduate Medical Education.

Over the course of his career, Dr. Kent has developed particular expertise surrounding the use of Opioid Analgesics. He has provided over 50 lectures to other physicians regarding the safe and proper use of opioid. He has served as an expert case reviewer for both the state of Maryland and the state of New York. The vast majority of these case reviews involved resolving concerns regarding the appropriateness of controlled substance prescriptions. In 2014, he provided a series lectures on behalf of the New York State Department of Health which were presented across New York State to educate physicians about the safe use of opioid analgesics in both cancer and non-cancer related pain conditions.

Since July 2017, Dr. Kent has been serving as a content expert on the Opioid Abuse Prevention and Pain Management Advisory Group to the Healthcare Association of New York State (HANYS). All these accomplishments attest to Dr. Kent’s high level of expertise in the complex and evolving realm of opioid therapy for the management of chronic pain problems.

Litigation Support: Dr. Kent has served as a medical expert witness for nearly 20 years. He has served as an expert witness and case reviewer for the states of both Maryland and New York's Departments of Health. He has provided expert case review and litigation support to health insurance carriers seeking restitution for fraudulent expenses related to opioid therapy. Dr. Kent provides litigation support and expert testimony in plaintiff and defense cases.

Expertise: Dr. Kent has expertise in all areas of Pain Medicine and has focused expertise in the prescribing and oversight of opioid analgesics. His specialties include acute and chronic pain management, opioid analgesics, interventional pain management therapies, RSD/CRPS and low back pain.

Jason D. May, MD, FAAEM, FACEP, is an award winning, board certified Emergency Medicine physician. Dr. May has over 18 years of full time experience in busy community emergency departments and part time free-standing emergency medicine departments.  He has a full-time clinical practice and significant leadership experience as former Chief of Staff at Columbus Regional Hospital, and as a member of the Board of Directors of the American Academy of Emergency Medicine. 

Dr. May is recognized by the American Academy of Emergency Medicine as having expertise in pediatric, trauma, neurological, and cardiac resuscitation. He is an experienced teacher, serving as Emergency Physicians Incorporated of Columbus' Medical Director of the Columbus Police Dept. SWAT Tactical (2012-present) and Risk Management Officer (2019-present).

Litigation Support - Dr. May provides expert witness services to attorneys representing plaintiff and defendant in cases involving emergency medicine. His services include medical record review, depositions, and trial testimony as needed.

Areas of Expertise:

Specialties & Experience

General Specialties: Psychiatry, Telepsychiatry, TeleHealth, Correctional Healthcare

Specialty Focus: Prisons & Jails, Wrongful Death, Suicide, Deliberate Indifference, Medical Malpractice, Gross Negligence, Addiction, Nursing Homes, Geriatric Psychiatry, Violence,  Telepsychiatry, Overdose, Involuntary Hospitalization

Education: MD, Northwestern University; Residency, Psychiatry, University of Cincinnati; Fellowship, Child/Adolescent, University of Cincinnati

Years in Practice: 30+

Additional Information:

• Board Certified actively practicing psychiatrist.  Northwestern Educated 
• Vast experience in disability and file review.
• Special interest in Telepsychiatry.  
• 30+ years of diverse clinical experience including telepsychiatry, locum tenens, private practice (treated over 20,000 outpatients and admitted over 10,000 patients to hospitals), correctional healthcare (Folsom and Pelican Bay State Prisons) and nursing homes.  
• Served as a psychiatric consultant to over 40 nursing homes.
• Experienced expert witness case reviewer.
• Experienced Independent Medical Examiner.
• President and Founder - MasteringTeleHealth.com (online training for clinicians and therapists)
• Licensed in California & Illinois  

James Patrick Murphy, MD, MMM, FASAM, is a fellowship trained (Mayo Clinic) board certified Anesthesiologist with subspecialty board certifications in Pain Medicine and Addiction Medicine. Dr. Murphy has a Master of Medical Management degree (MMM) from the University of Southern California, Marshall School of Business.

Background Experience:  Dr. Murphy is the president and founder of a private practice in the specialties of Pain Medicine (since 1998) and Addiction Medicine (since 2004), and serves on the faculty in the Anesthesiology Department of the University of Louisville School of Medicine. He has served as a United States Naval Flight Surgeon, Anesthesiologist, Medical School faculty (Mayo Clinic and University of Louisville), Pain Medicine specialist (interventional pain procedures and medication management), and Addiction Medicine Specialist.

Dr. Murphy is a past president of the Greater Louisville Medical Society and is president elect of the Kentucky Society of Addiction Medicine. He currently serves as the American Society of Addiction Medicine's representative on the American Medical Association's Pain Care Task Force. Dr. Murphy is also on the board of the Kentucky Harm Reduction Coalition (i.e. Narcan distribution and training) and serves as a task force work group member of the Kentucky Department for Public Health's Displaced Opioid Patient Workgroup.

Litigation Support: Dr. Murphy provides expert witness services to attorneys representing both plaintiff and defendant. He is particularly adept at defining "legitimate medical purpose in the usual course of professional practice." His services include medical records review, thorough reporting, depositions, and trial testimony as needed.

Areas of Medicolegal Expertise: 

View Dr. Murphy's Consulting Profile.

Dr. James C. Norris, Ph.D., DABT, EURT is an Expert Witness in Toxicology and Pharmacology. He has Litigation and Arbitration experience in the United States, United Kingdom and Hong Kong. Dr. Norris has given testimony to government agencies, has acted as a consultant for the media (BBC) and is an Industrial Site Crisis Team Member. He is avaliable for both Plaintiff and Defense.

Areas Of Expertise:

• Carcinogenicity and Chemicals
• Combustion or Fire Toxicolog
• General and Inhalation Toxicology
• Pesticides, and Pharmaceuticals (pharmacology)

Professional Affiliations:

• American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists
• British Toxicology Society
• Society of Toxicology
• Editorial Boards of Inhalation Toxicology and Journal of Fire Sciences

Leonard J. Weiss, MD, is a Forensic Psychiatrist with unparalleled qualifications, Board-Certified physician in 5 distinct and complementary disciplines applied to Medical-Legal questions:

Dr. Weiss has more than 40 years of experience as a physician. He has been in practice for more than 20 years as a Board-Certified Psychiatrist, Forensic Psychiatrist and Addiction Psychiatry specialist, preceded by more than 2 decades in Internal Medicine.

As an Addiction Psychiatry specialist, Dr. Weiss developed and served as Chief of the first Dual Diagnosis (Addiction) program at Michael Reese Hospital of the University of Chicago. He has served as Medical Director of Austin Lakes Hospital.

Before pursuing his interest in psychiatry, Dr. Weiss practiced Internal Medicine in Michigan where he maintains a Medical License. He has treated patients in psychiatric practice in Chicago and Atlanta. In 2013 he relocated to Austin, Texas where he has a private clinical psychiatric practice, Psychiatry Austin.

Dr. Weiss graduated from Wayne State University Medical School and MIT (Mathematics), with residency training in Internal Medicine, Fellowship in Clinical Nutrition, and Psychiatry at, respectively, the University of Michigan Henry Ford Hospital, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York (Fellow) and Michael Reese Hospital in Chicago.

Litigation Support: Dr. Weiss has special training and experience in the application of psychiatric knowledge to legal issues, and works in areas where Mental Health and the Legal System overlap, such as Medical Malpractice and Standard of Care. He offers objective evaluations and psychiatric consultation in a wide variety of legal matters, including expert testimony, as well as clinical work with perpetrators and victims.

Dr. Weiss provides IMEs and expert opinions on mental health questions via written report, deposition, or courtroom testimony. He works with attorneys, courts, and other parties involved in actual or potential litigation. His research and assessment and his clinical practice cover areas such as:

Areas of Expertise:

Dr. Pia Quimson-Guevarra is Board-Certified in Psychiatry and Forensic Psychiatry by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. She has expertise in psychiatric issues in civil litigation, employment matters, and criminal cases. She also has additional and extensive experience with diagnosis and treatment of depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, and severe psychotic disorders both as a treating physician and as possible features in a medical-legal case as a forensic consultant. Psychiatric conditions can impact judgment, clarity of thought, and even criminal responsibility. In the case of psychotic disorders, symptoms may include hallucinations and delusions. She opines about medication or drug impact on behavior.

Dr. Pia Quimson-Guevarra has conducted over 20 competency assessments: competency to stand trial and criminal responsibility evaluations. She is a Certified Forensic Evaluator in Oregon.

Her work is divided between clinical and forensic/expert witness work. Dr. Quimson-Guevarra conducts medical and legal records review as a Forensic Psychiatrist, and medico-legal Independent Medical Evaluations by video and face-to-face, as appropriate. Her assessments are thorough and inform thoughtful and objective expert opinions issued by written report and testimony

Dr. Quimson-Guevarra has a clinical practice, Quimson Behavioral Health, providing psychiatric patient care, medication management, and psychotherapy, for patients who suffer from mental disorders such as Anxiety, Depression, ADHD, and PTSD. She is based in the greater Portland, Oregon Metropolitan Area.

At Cascadia Behavioral Healthcare, Dr. Quimson-Guevarra worked on an Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) team, a method to deliver an intensive level of services to patients in the local community. Her patients consisted of individuals who suffer from severe and persistent mental illness. Her expertise in treatment of Bipolar Disorder and Schizophrenia is applied to patients with these medical conditions. At Cascadia, she also treated patients with a history that includes forensic medical-legal issues.

Previously, Dr. Quimson-Guevarra treated patients who suffered from anxiety, mood, and psychotic disorders at Cedar Hills Hospital, Multnomah County Detention Center, Washington County Jail, Snake River Correctional Institute, and the Portland Veteran's Administration.

She continues to use her expertise in psychopharmacology to treat mental health conditions in the context of medically complex cases.

Dr. Quimson-Guevarra has served as a forensic consultant for the Washington County mental health court in Oregon. She also has worked in the forensic evaluation service department at the Oregon State Hospital where she performed competency to stand trial and criminal responsibility evaluations to patients at the Oregon State Hospital or defendants located in various jails.

David E. Saintsing, MD, is a board certified, residency trained, highly experienced Emergency Medicine Physician. Serving as chief resident during residency, he has been a leader for years - including in his current practice. 

For 20+ years, Dr. Saintsing has also been an educator of medical students, physician assistants, and residents. He currently serves on the physician assistant education faculty in a group of 200 ER doctors.  In addition he is on faculty as an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Rocky Vista University.   This has helped hone his skills as a concise and clear communicator - critical ingredients to enhancing efficiency and knowledge of the legal team.  Serving on his practice's professional peer review committee furthers Dr. Saintsing's exposure to standard of care conversations and enhances his insight as an expert witness. Additionally, he is on the board of directors of his large multi-specialty physician owned corporation. 

Litigation Support - Dr. Saintsing offers expert witness services to attorneys representing plaintiff and defendant. He has reviewed approximately 20 cases and has been deposed 3 times.  

Areas of Expertise:

Services include:

Mohan Nair, MD, trained at the University of California (Irvine) and Harvard and is board certified in:

Dr. Nair brings his extensive training, clinical experience, and formal board certifications to provide in-depth and nuanced medico-legal analysis of cases for both adults and children involving brain injury, frequently and tragically combined with chronic pain and severe psychological trauma (PTSD). He is committed to comprehensive and accurate forensic examinations, quality neuropsychological assessment, and the use of the most up-to-date technology available in the field.

Dr. Nair has provided extensive trial testimony in defense and plaintiffs' cases. He provides and coordinates medical, psychological, neuropsychological, toxicological, and imaging experts for complex civil litigation. Dr. Nair has been on cases involving:

• TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY: TBI, Mild TBI, CTE, Concussions, Chronic Pain
• SCHOOL DISTRICT CASES: Discrimination, Personal Injury, Willful Misconduct, Sexual Misconduct, and other abuse
• ADULT-ADOLESCENT-CHILD PSYCHIATRY: Neurocognitive Assessment, Neuropsychological Testing, Anxiety Disorders, Depressive Disorders, Malingering, Police Violence, Psychosomatic Disorders, Trauma Evaluations, Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD)
• ELDER MATTERS: Abuse, Dementia, Testamentary Capacity, Undue Influence
• MEDICAL TOXICOLOGY: Lead Exposure, Carbon Monoxide Poisoning, Mold
• STANDARD OF CARE: Psychiatric/Psychological / Psychotherapeutic Malpractice, Wrongful Death from Prescribing Psychiatric Medication

EDUCATION/TRAINING:

• 1970-75 Doctor of Medicine, University of Bombay
• 1981-83 Clinical Fellow in Child Psychiatry, Harvard University; McLean Hospital / Massachusetts General Hospital
• 1978-81 University of California at Irvine: Residency in Psychiatry

CERTIFICATIONS/LICENSES:

Dr. Nair is board certified by the American Board of Medical Specialties in Brain Injury Medicine, Psychiatry, Child Psychiatry, Forensic Psychiatry, and Addiction Medicine. Additionally, he is board-certified in Pain Medicine, Psychopharmacology, and Behavioral Neurology / Neuropsychiatry. He currently holds medical licenses in California and Hawaii.

William Santoro, MD is Board Certified in Addiction Medicine and Family Medicine. In addition to being the Chief of the Section of Addiciotn Medicine at Tower Health and Medical Director at the Reading Hospital & Medical Center detoxification/rehabilitation program, Dr. Santoro is also the Medical Director at New Directions, Methadone Treatment center where he is responsible for all admission physical exams and for prescribing methadone to approximately 950 opiate dependant patients.

Dr. Santoro is the Addictionist on staff at The Reading Hospital & Medical Center within the Department of Psychiatry. He is consulted by hospitalists to care for patients admitted to the hospital with addiction complicating their condition. Dr. Santoro runs a Medication Assisted Recovery Clinic, an outpatient program treating over 200 patients with buprenorphine (Suboxone) or Vivitrol maintenance. With an interest in Sports Medicine in 2001, he served as a volunteer physician for the U.S. Olympic Training Team in Lake Placid, New York.

Dr. Santoro has been deposed more than a dozen times in the past several years. He has testified in court numerous times on behalf of the plaintiff as well as for the defense. He has testified in Federal Court and been involved in cases concerning the pharmaceutical industry.

Areas of Expertise:

• All aspects of Addiction Medicine
• Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT)
  • Buprenorphine
  • Naltrexone
  • Methadone
• Dual Diagnosis Pain/Addiction

View Dr. Santoro's Consulting Profile.

Tracy L. Skaer, PharmD, FASHP, FASCP is a Professor Emeritus of Pharmacotherapy with over 30 years of pharmaceutical experience; 5 years as an expert witness. She is a licensed pharmacist in California, Idaho, and Washington. Dr. Skaer is a Fellow of the American Society of Health-Systems Pharmacists, the American Society of Consultant Pharmacist, and a Member of the American College of Clinical Pharmacist's (ACCP) Pain and Palliative Care Practice and Research Network (PRN).

Dr. Skaer's research interests include chronic pain, comorbid mental illness in chronic disease, depression, anxiety disorders, insomnia, mindfulness, complementary and alternative medicine, and pharamcoeconomics and pharmacoepidemiology. Her research has been supported by over $3.2 million in grants from foundations and pharmaceutical industry.

Litigation Support - Dr. Skaer has completed several expert cases across the United States. Her services are available to attorneys representing plaintiff and defendant and include record review, written reports, deposition, and trial testimony. Dr. Skaer's cases involve:

View Dr. Skaer's Consulting Profile.