Dr. Ritfeld received her MD and PhD degrees from Leiden University in the Netherlands, while conducting most of her graduate research in laboratories at the Johns Hopkins University and at the University of Pittsburgh. Her research focused on neuroprotective treatment strategies for spinal cord injuries, and was followed by two years of Neurology Residency training in the Netherlands. After moving to the US, she completed a General Psychiatry Residency and Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship at Emory University where she was part of the research track and studied Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders. She recently joined the psychiatry consultation and liaison team at Phoenix Children's Hospital. In addition to her clinical work, she is actively involved in research and has brought her current project investigating the neurobehavioral and physical health outcomes in offspring of individuals with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders to Barrow at Phoenix Children's. She loves to teach medical students, residents and fellows and regularly presents at national and international conferences.