Subject Experts

Dr. Donald Fidler brings over thirty years of experience as a psychiatrist, actor, educator, screenwriter, playwright and filmmaker to Symptom Media. Don built his reputation as the cutting edge leader in utilizing clinical training vignettes to teach the behavioral sciences, combining his unique skill set as a psychiatrist, playwright, screenwriter, actor, and teacher to create accurate, realistic portrayals of psychiatric symptoms and disorders. Don’s expertise and background is the cornerstone of this unique collaboration between professional filmmakers and mental health professionals.

Dr. Donald Fidler has lectured and taught throughout the United States as well as in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Israel, and Oman. Don served as President of the Association for Academic Psychiatry, Chair of the Video Committee for the American Psychiatric Association, and was awarded the Life Time Achievement Award for the Association for Academic Psychiatry.

Dr. Donald Fidler is Professor Emeritus at West Virginia University where he served as the Farnsworth Endowed Chair of Educational Psychiatry and as the Director of the WVU Health Sciences Teaching Scholars Program. He continues to be an Adjunct Professor of Theatre at West Virginia University. He graduated from the School of Medicine and completed his Psychiatry Residency both at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He served on the Psychiatry Faculty at both the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and West Virginia University as well as serving as a psychiatrist in Australia and New Zealand. He is an Honorary Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland. He teaches playwriting at MTPockets Theatre in Morgantown, West Virginia and consulted and appeared for educational programs with psychiatric content for PBS, HBO and FOX. He is the composer/author of over 50 produced educational clinical films, 12 major plays, and three musicals.

Visit his website at https://www.dcfidler.com/

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He has authored books and articles on behavioral health topics ranging from <span>ADHD to Violence Prediction and Borderline Personality Disorder.  Dr. Paltin has specialization in pediatric mental health diagnosis and treatment, sleep disorders, and has helped design systems of care delivery in pediatric, adult, and educational settings.

From 2013 to 2022, Kirby served in nursing academia, teaching across undergraduate and graduate programs with a focus on psychiatric nursing and mental health. Her commitment to empowering the next generation of PMHNPs led her to create supportive spaces that blend clinical guidance with professional growth.

In 2019, she founded the Black PMHNP Collective of Virginia—a grassroots initiative aimed at addressing the unique challenges faced by Black psychiatric nurse practitioners and fostering a community of empowerment and connection.

Kirby is also the co-founder of the Society of Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioners of Color, a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing equity, education, and leadership among psychiatric NPs of color.

As the owner of Beacon Behavioral Health and Consulting, her private practice in Virginia, she provides psychiatric care to adults with a focus on accessible, person-centered treatment.

Her passion for mentorship and teaching inspired her to launch The PMHNP Source, LLC, an education and professional development company. Through this venture, she offers digital tools, events, and a mentorship community designed to support new psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioners as they build confidence and navigate the early stages of their careers.

education for healthcare professionals. She creates and teaches courses that support the well-being of caregivers, focusing on practical tools and brain-based learning strategies. She combines clinical insight with a passion for transformational education to improve the caregiver’s experience of work and the client’s experience of care. She holds bachelor’s degrees in public relations and nursing as well as a master’s degree in nursing education. She also maintains certification in nursing professional development.

Karen’s expertise is in Mental Health and Psychiatric Nursing and she has served in psychiatric units, as well as crisis centers. Karen is tri-lingual (English, Portugese, and Spanish) and a co-founder of SOBEF (Sociedade Brasileira de Enfermagem Forense) in Brazil. She is a much sought-after speaker at conferences, hospitals, and universities.

She earned her associate degree in nursing from Fort Scott College in 1996. She earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Pittsburg State University in 1998, master’s degree from the University of Missouri-Kansas City in 2002 and earned her Doctorate in Nursing Practice from Maryville University in St. Louis in 2017. Previously, she developed and directed a comprehensive forensic program in the Midwest. She is the President and Owner of Johnson Legal Nurse Consulting, LLC, and a professor at the University of Tennessee and Maryville University.

Over the last 20 years, Jennifer has continued to advance forensic nursing through publication of forensic related topics and educating law enforcement, attorneys and health care providers on the importance of the medical forensic examination and the role of the forensic nurse examiner.  She is an appointed member of several professional and governmental organizations related to forensic nursing, including the National Institute of Standards and Technology/National Institute of Justice Evidence Management Project, and a Co-Founder of the Academy of Forensic Nursing.

Aaron has a master’s degree in science, currently works as a faculty member in a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Master’s program in San Francisco, CA, and maintains a clinical practice in Oakland and Santa Rosa, CA with individuals with severe and chronic mental illness.