February WKW Frontiers in Neuroscience Lecture Series: Dr. Helen Blair Simpson

Dr. Helen Blair Simpson - February 4, 2025

"Bridging the Research to Practice Gap for Individuals with OCD"

William K. Warren, Jr.  Frontiers in Neuroscience Lecture 
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm     Program in the LPCH auditorium  

Helen Blair Simpson, MD, PhD, is Professor of Psychiatry at Columbia University Medical Center and Director of Center for Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders (columbia-ocd.org). She is also the Director of the Anxiety Disorders Clinic at the New York State Psychiatric Institute. Dr. Simpson's research program focuses on how to improve treatments for people with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and related disorders so that these people can live productive lives. Her research is interdisciplinary. It ranges from treatment development studies to clinical trials examining the effects of medication and cognitive-behavioral therapy to brain imaging studies exploring the brain mechanisms of OCD to animal studies in collaboration with basic scientists. Her work has been funded by the National Institutes of Mental Health and private foundations like the Obsessive Compulsive Foundation and NARSAD. She was a member of the workgroup that developed the first Practice Guidelines for the Treatment of Patients with OCD for the American Psychiatric Association. She is an advisor to the World Health Organization for OCD and related disorder.
Dr. Simpson graduated from Yale College with a BS in biology. She then completed the MD-PhD program at The Rockefeller University/Cornell University Medical College. Her PhD focused on the brain pathways underlying learned versus unlearned vocalizations in songbirds. She then completed the internship and residency in psychiatry at the Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center/New York State Psychiatric Institute.

Learning objectives:  

1. Describe signs and symptoms of OCD.
2. Describe brain circuits implicated in OCD.
3. Describe evidence-based treatment for OCD.

For Physicians: Saint Francis Health System is accredited by the Oklahoma State Medical Association to provide continuing medical education for physicians.
Saint Francis Health System designates this live activity for a maximum of 1 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™.  Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
 
For Psychologists: The Oklahoma State Board of Examiners of Psychologists, the American Psychological Association and the Oklahoma Psychological Association recognize AMA PRA Category 1  credit™. Saint Francis Health System is accredited by the OSMA
 
For Social Workers: The Oklahoma State Board of Licensed Social Workers has approved this event for 1 hour Category 1 Clinical. (20240007)

For CADCs and LADCs Saint Francis Health System is accredited as a provider of continuing education programs for CADCs and LADCs through the Oklahoma Board of Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselors.      (1 hour)
 
The LPC/LMFT This event as been approved by the State Board of Behavioral Health Licensure (BBHL) for 1 hour of CE.  

For questions, email:  Ally Deatherage at [email protected]