Distinguished Contribution Award Address

A Killer By Design

Ann Wolbert Burgess, D.N.Sc., APRN, FAAN

Dr. Burgess is an internationally recognized pioneer in assessing and treating trauma and abuse victims. In 1978 she received a call from the FBI to use her knowledge of sex crimes, victimology, criminal psychology, and research skills to identify, interview, and track down violent offenders and serial killers. She formed a collaboration with the FBI Academy to study serial offenders, and the links between child abuse, juvenile delinquency, and subsequent perpetration. She and FBI special investigator John E. Douglas helped develop a new type of criminal profiling of notorious serial killers and they went on to write the book, Mindhunter: Inside the FBI’s Elite Serial Crime Unit (1995), which was the basis for the fictionalized Netflix hit series Mindhunter (with the character of Wendy Carr being a fictionalized version of Dr. Burgess). Her talk today will focus on her experiences as discussed in her latest book, A Killer By Design.