The Scientific Committee serves as the executive committee of the scientific area of ISSTD – advising the Board and other committees on all matters of science, research, and further development of theory and clinical practice guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of complex trauma and dissociative disorders. We are involved in all strategic endeavors and help uphold the reputation of the society.
After serving as Chair of the Scientific Committee for almost three years, Lauren Lebois recently moved into the Past Chair position. During Lauren’s tenure, she successfully built structures and systems within ISSTD to make it more of a ‘home’ for researchers and to enhance communication with the broader membership of ISSTD. The committee has expanded and thrived under her leadership! Stepping in to fill her large shoes is Milissa Kaufman, who served as Chair-Elect during Lauren’s tenure. Matt Robinson now serves as Chair-Elect.
This past year, our committee members continued to lead annual and virtual conference talks and panels, including Ruth Blizard, Bethany Brand, Jonathan Cleveland, Jennifer Gomez, Heather Hall, Mary-Anne Kate, Milissa Kaufman, Lauren Lebois, Matthew Robinson, and Michael Salter. In addition, Jonathan Cleveland, Sherain Harricharan, and trainee Juliann Purcell continued leading the Research Special Interest Group (SIG), which is now in its second year and open to all ISSTD members. The goal of the Research SIG is to cultivate a space for research discussion, sharing of findings, sponsorship/mentorship, and networking.
Other tasks tackled by the committee this past year included:
- Reviewing abstract submissions for the annual and virtual conferences
- Overseeing the review of research-related recruitment advertising requests
A special upcoming task for committee members will be to serve as reviewers for each section of the updated ISSTD Treatment Guidelines.
Our current membership includes the following individuals (click on each name to learn more):
Chair: Milissa Kaufman, MD, PhD
Chair elect: Matthew Robinson, PhD
Past Chair: Lauren Lebois, PhD
Ruth Blizard, PhD
Bethany Brand, PhD
Jonathan Cleveland, PhD
Paul Dell, PhD
Martin Dorahy, PhD
Negar Fani, PhD
Jennifer Gómez, PhD
Heather Hall, MD
Sherain Harricharan, PhD
Mary-Anne Kate, PhD
Marilyn Korzekwa, MD
Christa Kruger, MD
Andreas Laddis, MD
Warwick Middleton, MD
Shae Nester, MA
Cori Palermo, MA
Matthew Robinson, PhD
Dana Ross, MD
Adah Sachs, PhD
Michael Salter, PhD