Barry David Rosenfeld is a clinical psychologist known for his research regarding psychological distress among terminally ill patients and immigrants, and stalking.
[5] Rosenfeld began his career in 1991 as a pre-doctoral intern for the Kirby Forensic Psychiatry Center at New York University, where he continued to work as a post-doctoral fellow from 1992-1994.
His first academic position was at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, where he served as Assistant Professor for the Department of Psychology from 1996-1997.
[2] Rosenfeld conducts competency and risk assessments and consults as an expert witness for criminal and civil cases.
Notable cases Rosenfeld has worked on include U.S. v. Osama Bin Laden following the 1998 U.S. Embassy bombings,[7] Bowen v. Ruben, in which medical surgeries were performed on mentally disabled individuals who claimed the procedures were unnecessary,[8] and Celikgogus v. Rumsfeld,[9] the first of several lawsuits filed by former Guantanamo Bay detainees Rosenfeld would work on.
[11] A key area of Rosenfeld's research is psychological distress in terminally ill HIV/AIDS and cancer patients.
Rosenfeld has conducted several studies examining factors that increase the risk of a stalking offender using violence or committing homicide against their victim.
[19] In another study published a month later, Rosenfeld found that time spent detained is correlated to the severity of PTSD symptoms exhibited by asylum seekers in the U.S.[20] A 2007 study by Rosenfeld found that rape is the largest predictive factor for PTSD among male and female refugees in the U.S.[21] Rosenfeld has also worked with undocumented immigrants, and a study by him found that although undocumented immigrants are more likely to experience traumatic events, the likelihood they develop PTSD remains low and depends on if they perceive the event as life-threatening.
[3] The MDAS consists of ten items assessing patient's cognition, psychomotor activity, arousal, and consciousness, and disturbances within these domains.