Expert in Psychopathology and Treatment of Anxiety Disorders, Edna B. Foa to Lecture at Adelphi

Internationally renowned expert in psychopathology and treatment of anxiety disorders, Edna B. Foa, Ph.D., will deliver the annual Lindemann Lecture in Human Development organized by Adelphi University’s Derner Institute of Advanced Psychological Studies on Friday, April 5 at 7:00 p.m. The event, free and open to the public, will take place in Adelphi University’s Performing Arts Center (AUPAC), Olmsted Theatre, 1 South Avenue, Garden City, NY.

Dr. Foa is one of the world-leading experts in psychopathology and the treatment of anxiety disorders, primarily obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Dr. Foa is a professor of clinical psychology in psychiatry in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and director of the Center for the Treatment and Study of Anxiety. She received her Ph.D. in clinical psychology and personality from University of Missouri, Columbia.  Dr. Foa’s career has been devoted to the understanding of the psychopathology of anxiety disorders and the development of short-term, evidenced-based treatments for these disorders, including obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Her theoretical and empirical work has been highly influential among researchers and clinicians in the world.

PTSD is an anxiety disorder that can develop after exposure to a terrifying event or ordeal in which grave physical harm occurred or was threatened. The disorder frequently occurs after violent personal assaults such as rape, mugging, or domestic violence; military combat; terrorism; natural or human-caused disasters; and accidents. Dr. Foa is the lead investigator studying PTSD for military personnel serving in and returning from combat in Iraq and Afghanistan as part of multidisciplinary and multi-institutional research consortium funded by the U.S. Department of Defense’s Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury Research Program. Dr. Foa’s treatment for PTSD, called Prolonged Exposure (PE), has been disseminated among mental health professionals in Veterans Affairs, the U.S. military and around the world.

She is also leading  clinical trials for individuals in the community who suffer from  OCD and PTSD. Studies are underway at the Penn Center for the Treatment and Study of Anxiety for patients with OCD who are partial responders to medication, smokers with PTSD, as well as adolescents suffering from sexual trauma.

She has authored more than 20 books that have been translated into multiple languages, including Spanish, German, Japanese and Chinese; published more than 300 articles, and has lectured extensively around the world. Her expertise won her an array of awards, including TIME magazine’s100 most influential people of the world in 2010; Lifetime Achievement Award from International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies and from the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies; Outstanding Career Achievement Award presented by International OCD Foundation; and Annual Signature Service Award from Women Organized Against Rape. She has also been honored for her contributions by the American Psychological Association, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and the Philadelphia Society of Clinical Psychologists.

For more information about the event and Adelphi University’s Derner Institute, please visit derner.adelphi.edu.