Faculty and Research

Psychology

Biography

Deborah C. Beidel, Ph.D., ABPP is Trustee Chair and Pegasus Professor of Psychology and Medical Education and Executive Director of UCF RESTORES at the University of Central Florida. UCF RESTORES is a clinical research center dedicated to changing the way that posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is understood, diagnosed, and treated. Dr. Beidel received her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Pittsburgh and completed a post-doctoral fellowship in clinical research at Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic. She holds Diplomates in Clinical Psychology and Behavioral Psychology from the American Board of Professional Psychology and is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association and the Association for Psychological Science. She is the author of over 350 scientific publications including journal articles, book chapters and books on the treatment of anxiety disorders and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and has been the recipient of over $31 million dollars in research funding throughout her career. Her recent work focuses on utilizing technology to develop, translate and disseminate efficacious treatments for post-traumatic stress disorder into standard clinical practice. Currently, she is the principal investigator of a Department of Defense funded research program conducting a randomized controlled trial for the treatment of combat-related post-traumatic stress disorders with active duty military personnel on three military installations, and a Department of Defense funded research program developing a new virtual reality tool to provide treatment for veterans, active duty personnel, and first responders with PTSD. Along with her faculty colleagues in UCF RESTORES, Dr. Beidel leads “bench to bedside” clinical and research initiatives that impact the lives of veterans, active duty military personnel, first responders, survivors of sexual assault, and survivors of mass shootings.

*CV available upon request

Publications

* indicates a graduate student author from the UCF Anxiety Disorders Clinic.

Beidel, D.C., Frueh, B.C., Neer, S.M., Bowers, C.A., Trachik, B., Uhde, T.W., Grubaugh, A. (2019).  Trauma Management Therapy with virtual-reality augmented exposure therapy for combat-related PTSD: A randomized controlled trial. Journal of Anxiety Disorders. 61, 64-74.

Frueh, B.C., Madan, A., Fowler, J.C., Stomberg, S., Bradshaw, M., Kelly, K., Weinstein, B., Luttrell, M., Danner, S.G., & Beidel, D.C. (2020). “Operator Syndrome”: A unique constellation of medical and behavioral healthcare needs of military special operations forces.  The International Journal of Psychiatry in Medicine, 55, 281-295 http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0091217420906659.

Beidel, D.C., Tuerk, P.W., Spitalnick, J., Bowers, C.A., & Morrison. K.I. (2021).  Treating childhood social anxiety disorder with virtual environments and serious games: A randomized trial.  Behavior Therapy, 52, 1351-1363 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.beth.2021.03.003

Beidel, D.C., Rozek, D.C., Bowers, C.A., Newins, A.R. & Steigerwald, V.L. (2023). After the fall: Responding to the Champlain Towers building collapse. Frontiers in Public Health https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2022.1104534

Winch, A.T., Alexander, K.A., Bowers, C., Straub, F., & Beidel, D.C. (2024). An evaluation of completed and averted school shootings. Frontiers in Public Health, Section on Injury and Control, 11, doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1305286

Current federally funded research programs include:

Beidel, D.C., Bowers, C.A., Neer, S.M., & Newins, A. (Principal Investigator). Effectiveness of Trauma Management Therapy and Prolonged Exposure Therapy for the Treatment of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in an Active Duty Sample: A Comparison Study. Joint Warfighters Medical Research Program (JWMRP), $10,572,866, 2018-2024. 

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