For Researchers, Students, and Trainees
On Thursday, July 8th, the International OCD Foundation will host its sixth annual IOCDF Research Symposium virtually over Zoom. The event will provide an exclusive forum for high-level presentations and scientific discussion on OCD and related disorders research.
We’re excited to announce the 2021 Symposium program, which includes three blocks of expert talks followed by Q&A sessions, and two featured presentations from invited speakers Dr. Monnica Williams and Dr. Kate Fitzgerald.
Here are some program highlights:
OCD Research in the Era of Black Lives Matter
Featured Presenter: Monnica Williams, PhD
Associate Professor, University of Ottawa School of Psychology
Despite increased focus on issues of racial justice throughout the US and globally, OCD research continues to focus on the experience of a narrow demographic of patients, limiting what we know about OCD in patients of color. Prior research has shown important differences in symptom presentation and unique barriers to treatment between ethnic and racial groups. Dr. Williams’ talk will review knowledge and progress to date, and make recommendations for future directions in OCD research.
Predicting CBT response in OCD: Functional neural networks for task control
Featured Presenter: Kate Fitzgerald, MD, MS
Academic Director, University of Michigan Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
Dr. Fitzgerald’s talk will take a deep dive into brain function and its relationship to OCD and treatment response, and will explore how neuroimaging can be leveraged to improve patient care. She will cover the links between functional neural networks to OCD symptom expression. Her talk will include reviews of the literature on these topics, new findings implicating task control networks in OCD, and proposed strategies for better integrating neuroscience and imaging into clinical practice.
Live Poster Sessions and Q&A
In addition to these featured presentations, the day will be packed with content including nine additional talks and two interactive poster sessions. Other topics will include:
- The latest research on psychopharmacological treatments for OCD, including early data from an ongoing trial of Psilocybin as a treatment for refractory OCD.
- The relationship between obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (OCPD) and OCD, which Dr. Anthony Pinto will explore through data from a specialize outpatient clinic, and whether clinically significant OCPD can be quickly and accurately identified in patients with OCD.
- How transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) and exposure and response prevention (ERP) interact, and whether tDCS given after ERP could interfere with safety learning.
View the full IOCDF Research Symposium program.
Thanks to our sponsor the Rodan Family Foundation, registration for students and trainees is offered at significantly reduced cost!
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