Dr. Sameer Sheth is currently Associate Professor, Cullen Foundation Endowed Chair, Vice-Chair of Research, and McNair Scholar in the Department of Neurosurgery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX. He also holds joint appointments in the Department of Neuroscience and Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences at Baylor, and is an Adjunct Associate Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Rice University. He graduated summa cum laude from Harvard University with a degree in Physics and Astronomy.

James Cowart is a psychologist, with a PhD in Applied Behavior Analysis from Western Michigan University and an MSW degree from the University of Michigan School of Social Work, in Socio-behavioral practice. As a part of his training at the University of Michigan, he honed his skills in treating patients using Systematic Desensitization in actual fear-provoking situations (later called Exposure Therapy). After receiving his Ph. D., he was Director of several large, non-profit outpatient clinics and co-founded an anxiety self-help group.

Dr. Erica Simon is a licensed clinical psychologist in Northern California, with 15 years of experience treating adults and couples. She completed her Ph.D. at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas; her clinical and research fellowship at UCLA; her clinical internship at Long Beach VA Medical Center; and her post-doctoral residency at the San Diego VA. Dr. Simon’s expertise includes  health psychology, medical anxiety, and needle anxiety.

Dr. Alicia E. Meuret, Ph.D., is a Licensed Psychologist and the Director of the Anxiety and Depression Research Center at Southern Methodist University.  Dr. Meuret is a leading researcher in the field of anxiety and mood disorders.  She has published over 90 scientific publications and authored over 150 presentations at scientific conferences. She is a member of the Scientific Advisory Board of ADAA.

Alexander Gorbis obtained his master’s degree in Clinical Psychology with an emphasis in Marriage and Family Therapy from Pepperdine University and is a BBS registered Associate Marriage and Family Therapist (AMFT 123454). He received his Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Economics from the University of California, Davis. As a student, he volunteered at Sandy Segal Youth Health Center providing mental health services to youth and teens suffering from anxiety, depression, and grief. Concurrently, Mr.

Dr. Dowd is the Vice Chair of Faculty Affairs in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago (RUMC). Her research began with studying Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) for treatment-resistant depression. This work contributed to its approval by the FDA in 2008. She continues to grow a successful TMS program treating depression, OCD, and more recently PTSD.

Dr. Dawson is a Core Investigator with the South Central Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center and the Houston Center of Innovation for Quality, Effectiveness, and Safety at the Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center and Instructor in the Department of Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, TX. His research promotes health equity in mental health treatment among minoritized populations. Specifically, his work aims to increase access and initiation of tobacco cessation treatment for African American Veterans.

Miriam Elizabeth (Beth) Bowman is an assistant professor in the Master of Social Work Program within the Social Work Department at Gallaudet University. She is a former District of Columbia Child Welfare Social Worker and Supervisor for nearly 10 years.

I first became an ADAA member many years ago when I submitted a proposal to present a workshop on body dysmorphic disorder at one of the annual conferences. As an individual who has lived with BDD himself, and as a therapist who treats it, I was acutely aware of how few clinicians there were who specialized in it at the time. That was just the first of several presentations on BDD I have given at those conferences.