Edna B. Foa

Professor of Clinicial Psychology in Psychiatry

Edna B. Foa, Ph.D., is a Professor of Clinical Psychology in Psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania and Director of the Center for the Treatment and Study of Anxiety. Dr. Foa devoted her academic career to study the psychopathology and treatment of anxiety disorders, primarily obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Her research activities included the formulation of theoretical frameworks for understanding the mechanisms underlying these disorders, the development of targeted treatments for these disorders, and elucidating treatment mechanisms that can account for their efficacy. The treatment program she has developed for PTSD sufferers has received the highest evidence for its efficacy and has been widely disseminated in the US and around the world. Dr. Foa has published 18 books and over 350 articles and book chapters. Her work has been recognized with numerous awards and honors, among them the Distinguished Scientific Contributions to Clinical Psychology Award from the American Psychological Association; Lifetime Achievement Award presented by the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies; Lifetime Achievement Award presented by the Association for Behavior and Cognitive Therapies; TIME 100 most influential people of the world; 2010 Lifetime Achievement in the Field of Trauma Psychology Award from the American Psychological Association; and the Inaugural International Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Foundation Outstanding Career Achievement Award.