Dr. Beidel Named 2013 Pegasus Professor

President Hitt presents Dr. Deborah Beidel the Pegasus Professor medallion at Founders Day. Dr. Beidel is a Professor of Psychology in the College of Sciences. She was recognized for her exceptional contributions to the treatment of anxiety in children and veterans. 

She has developed novel approaches for using virtual reality and distinct smells to help veterans returning from service in Iraq and Afghanistan who may be experiencing Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Her research has earned more than $7 million of grant funding in just six years.

Her reputation has led multiple law enforcement agencies to ask her to provide their officers with training in dealing with hostage negotiations and hostile individuals with anxiety issues. Aside from running innovative research projects that have drawn international attention, Beidel also runs several clinics at UCF that help her students learn and give community residents the opportunity to receive mental health services. She is Director of Clinical Training for the APA Accredited Clinical Psychology Ph.D. Program.In addition, she runs the UCF PTSD Clinic and UCF’s Anxiety Disorders Clinic. Several of her former students wrote letters of recommendation for Beidel, noting her teaching excellence and no-nonsense approach as reasons why they are thriving in their own careers.

“Dr. Beidel’s contributions to the university community in her six years at UCF far exceed what most professors in any university in the country can ever hope to achieve in a life time,” said Dr. Wendy Silverman, a fellow scholar and the director of Yale Child Study Center Program for Anxiety Disorders at the Yale University School of Medicine.