Darold A. Treffert, M.D.

(Note from Tim Brunson DCH: Dr. Treffert is the psychiatrist who worked with Kim Peek, the autistic savant, who was portrayed by Dustin Hoffman in the hit movie Rain Main. He is included here due to his work on the concept of the "accidental savant." He is a pioneer in the concept that we all have hidden abilities that are waiting to emerge.)

Dr. Treffert graduated from the University of Wisconsin Medical School in 1958, interned in Eugene, Oregon, and then completed a Residency in Psychiatry at University Hospitals in Madison, Wisconsin. In 1962 he joined the staff of Winnebago Mental Health Institute where he developed the Child-Adolescent Unit. In 1964 he was named Superintendent of the Institute, a position he held for 15 years. In 1979 he left that position to divide his time between the private practice of Psychiatry and a position as Executive Director of the Fond du Lac County Health Care Center. During that time he was also Medical Director of the Alcoholism Rehabilitation Unit of St. Agnes Hospital in Fond du Lac. In 1991 he retired from those positions and now combines private practice with writing and lecturing.

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