On July 29, 2011, Edna Foa, PhD, received the inaugural International Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Foundation Outstanding Career Achievement Award. Dr. Foa, professor of Clinical Psychology in Psychiatry and Director of Penn's Center for the Treatment and Study of Anxiety, was given the award for her pioneering work on the treatment and understanding of OCD.
Dr. Foa devoted her academic career to study the psychopathology and treatment of anxiety disorders - primarily obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and social phobia - and is currently one of the world leading experts in these areas.
"This award has special meaning for me because my first professional life has been OCD," said Dr. Foa in her acceptance speech. "In the past 15 years I have become very involved in studying PTSD but I have not stopped my interest or research in OCD."
Dr. Foa has published several books and over 350 articles and book chapters and has lectured extensively around the world. Her work has been recognized with numerous awards and honors including TIME magazine's 100 most influential people in the world in 2010.
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