Christine Naber, PhD

Bio

I was born in Des Planes, Illinois, the youngest of four children, and the first to be born in the United States. My parents met while my mother was studying nursing as a foreign exchange student at Marquette University in Wisconsin. They became engaged, and after completing college, moved back to my mother's home in Bogota, Colombia.

One could say my interest in helping others has deep roots, for of 10 children in my mother's family, all but 2 became nuns or priests. Catholicism in South America is steeped in a sense of social justice and working for the poor. My parents carried this philosophy with them back to the United States, and raised me to believe that I needed to give back to the community. My earliest interest in geriatrics in fact stems from my first volunteer experience. At the age of 8, I began volunteering at the Little Sisters of the Poor, helping care for the elderly residents.

I grew up mainly in Fairfax, Virginia and ultimately attended the University of Virginia, where I double majored in Psychology and Anthropology. I knew I wanted to pursue a Ph.D. and ultimately decided on a degree in clinical psychology, because I felt it was the best way to wed my scientific interests and desire to help others.

Initially my research and treatment interests focused on victimization of women, but my early experiences with the elderly began to pull me in a different direction. After my brother sustained a severe head injury, this pull became irresistible, and I began to pursue a career as a neuropsychologist.

As a result I completed an internship at the Southwest Consortium in Albuquerque and postdoctoral training at the University of Missouri, Colombia and North Coast Health Care Centers in Santa Rosa. I have been practicing at Kaiser since 1999, and have been impressed by the focus on innovation and patient-centered care. As a neuropsychologist at Kaiser I have been involved in the creation of the vestibular rehabilitation program in Head and Neck surgery, the inpatient neuropsychological consulting service in the hospital, and most recently the outpatient neuropsychological service in Neurology.

I married my husband, Dan, in 1998, and have two sons, Aidan, born in 2002, and Declan, born in 2007. My husband is a mechanical engineer with the heart of an artist. We live on the Russian River in Healdsburg with our dog, Maddie, and 1 cat, Cloe. Our family can be seen canoing most spare weekends. The rest of the time, I serve on the Board of Directors for Soroptimist International Healdsburg, sing, do pottery, and scrapbook.

My Medical Specialty

More details about my specialty:

As a neuropsychologist, I specialize in brain behavior relationships, particularly focusing on people who have neurologic problems (e.g., stroke, dementia, brain injury, etc.). Unlike many neuropsychologists who focus only on diagnosing brain dysfunction, I chose to receive additional training in rehabilitation.

As a child I remember being at the Little Sisters of the Poor and feeding an 80 year old woman with Alzheimer's disease who had lost the ability to use eating utensils. This image and images of many other old folk with the disease made a lasting impression on me. When I chose the specialty of neuropsychology, I didn't want to simply diagnose these illnesses, but wanted to provide individuals and families better ways to compensate for their problems.

This is the most rewarding thing about being a neuropsychologist. Having patients and their families say, "Finally, someone that gets this disease and can help."

My specialty interests and affiliations within my field:

Geriatric Neuropsychology
Traumatic Brain Injury
Forensic Neuropsychology
Rehabilitation
Vestibular Dysfunction

Member, National Academy of Neuropsychology
Member, Americal Psychological Association, Division 40 (Neuropsychology)
Member, Redwood Psychological Association

Current projects or research:

I am currently doing research on migraine prodromes in the Department of Neurology and the effectiveness of an interdisciplinary treatment program for vestibular symptoms, through the Neurotology Department.

Great health resources that I refer to:

www.brainsource.com
http://www.neuroskills.com/

Interests

Currently reading:
Brain, Child: A Magazine for Thinking Mothers

My favorite book or author:
A Tale of Two Cities; Don't Shoot The Dog

Great movie:
When Harry Met Sally; The Station Agent

Hobby Photos & Links:

The family canoeing (8/2003)

Soroptimist International Healdsburg
Clicker Training

Family & Friends

People in my life:

I met my husband at the age of 19, when I was visiting my cousin and sister in California from Virginia. He worked with my cousin, and she suggested we meet because we were "perfect" for each other. We met after a company softball game, and he proposed after I correctly answered 3 questions about Japanese filmmaking, Elvis Costello, and English literature. It took 12 years, but we eventually married in 1998.

Dan works as a mechanical engineer. When he isn't working, he is working on our house or paddling on the river.

My children and people I care about:

My son, Aidan, was born in 2002. We taught him sign language as a baby and he started signing and talking at one year of age. We joke that he started talking at a year and hasn't stopped since, because he is very verbal. Current interests are knights and weapons -- it's a boy thing. He also is deciding between whether to be an archeologist, arborist, or singer when he grows up.

Our second child, Declan, was born in 2007. He also started signing at 9 months, but pretty much lets his older brother do his talking for him. He is a very active and happy baby!

Photos of my Family & Friends:

The weekend we met, circa 1986

I have an labradoodle named Maddie, whom we adopted in September of 2005. I had 2 cats, Cloe and Toonces, but Toonces passed away in 2006, at the ripe old age of 16. Cloe is still active and happy at 17, and tolerant of our silly dog.

Pet Photos:

Toonces and Cloe

Madagascar (Maddie) the Labradoodle

Travel

An adventure I've had:

One of my favorite places to travel to is Colombia. My family hasn't been back since the late 70s because of the political situation, but some of my fondest memories include visits to this country. One of my strongest memories involves picking coffee beans at a coffee plantation and then riding "Juan Valdez" donkey. It was true--the donkey I got to ride was the one used in the American commercials for Colombian coffee!

Favorite place in the world:

I can't really pick one favorite place to travel to, but in general my husband and I love to go to places known for ecotourism and/or ruins. For our honeymoon in 1998, we did a self-guided tour of stone circles and ruins in England and joked that we only visited one building with a roof the whole trip--the airport! We have been to ruins and/or ecotourist settings in Belize, France, Italy, Guatemala, and parts of the US (the Southwest and Hawaii, for instance). We'd like our next trip to be visiting the pyramids in Mexico.

One of my recent trips:

Since my 1st son was born in 2002, we hadn't traveled much, other than to visit family in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. However, in December of 2005, we took our first real vacation and went to Disneyland. My husband and I took our son and met up with another couple and their two kids. I had never been to Disneyland before and learned why it is called "the magic kingdom." There is nothing like seeing the wonder in your child's eyes. And who knew that the adults would have as much fun as the kids!

Travel Photos:

My uncle, Celico, petting "Juan Valdez's" donkey (8/1972)

A Photo of One of My Favorite Places:

View of Temple II in Tikal, Guatemala (3/2001)

Trip Photos:

Our family with Winnie the Pooh (12/2006)

Other Links & Photos