IRA J. CHASNOFF, M.D., an award-winning author, researcher and lecturer, is president of NTI Upstream and a Professor of Clinical Pediatrics at the University of Illinois College of Medicine in Chicago. He is one of the nation’s leading researchers in the field of child development and the effects of maternal alcohol and drug use on the newborn infant, child, and adolescent. His research projects include multiple studies of the long-term cognitive, behavioral and educational developmental effects of prenatal exposure to alcohol, marijuana, and illicit drugs; strategies for screening pregnant women for substance use; the effects on birth outcome of prenatal treatment and counseling for pregnant women who misuse or abuse alcohol and other drugs; innovative treatment approaches for children affected by prenatal exposure to alcohol or illicit drugs, and effective policy development that benefits children, families, and society as a whole. Dr. Chasnoff led the development and operation of a laboratory preschool classroom to develop specific interventions for children prenatally exposed to alcohol and other drugs and developed a model Head Start Family Service Center for children and their families at risk from drugs and the drug-seeking environment. In addition, Dr. Chasnoff directed one of five national sites conducting research into the integration of behavioral health interventions into primary health care services for high-risk children and their families, and through this project studied the impact of concurrent planning on permanency placement for children in the foster care system. Since 2002, Dr. Chasnoff has been leading cutting edge research into innovative treatment for children with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) and served as principal investigator for the development of a treatment intervention that has been recognized as an evidence-based model of therapy for children with FASD.