About Thomas R. Verny

Thomas R. Verny MD, DHL (Hon), DPsych, FRCPC, FAPA

is a psychiatrist, writer and academic. He has previously taught at Harvard University, University of Toronto, York University, Toronto, St. Mary’s University, Minneapolis, Minnesota and the Santa Barbara Graduate Institute. In 1983 Verny founded the Pre- and Perinatal Psychology Association of North America (PPPANA, renamed APPPAH in 1995), and served as its president for eight years. In 1986 he launched the Association's Journal (Human Sciences Press, New York), which he edited from its inception until 1990. In 2013 he became once again Editor-In-Chief of the Journal (JAPPPAH).

Verny's many books (8) including the international best seller, The Secret Life of the Unborn Child now published in 26 countries, professional publications (46) and founding of the PPPANA and the Pre- and Perinatal Journal, have established him as one of the world's leading authorities on the effect of the prenatal and early postnatal environment on personality development. In 2004 Mothering Magazine, in recognition of Verny’s contributions to the field of parenting and child rearing, named him one of their “living treasures.” In 2005 the Santa Barbara Graduate Institute bestowed on Verny a Doctorate of Humane Letters (DHL).

Verny lives with his wife in Stratford, Canada. He is Associate Editor of the Journal of Pre and Perinatal Psychology Association and Health (JOPPPAH) and member of the Ontario Review Board (ORB) as well as Editor Emeritus for “The International Journal of Prenatal & Life Sciences.”

Verny’s most recent book, The Embodied Mind, was published by Pegasus, New York, NY in Oct. 2021