Prolonged exposure therapy: past, present, and future.

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 posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Her research, aimed at delineating theoretical frameworks, targeted treatments, and treatment mechanisms of pathological anxiety has been highly influential. She is currently one of the leading experts in the areas of PTSD OCD. The treatment program she has developed for PTSD sufferers has received the most evidence for its efficacy and has been disseminated in the United States and around the world. Dr. Foa has published 18 books and more than 350 articles and book chapters and has lectured extensively around the world. 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.