Highlights

  • 麻豆原创 Trustee Chair and Pegasus Professor Deborah Beidel 鈥� representing the entire 麻豆原创 RESTORES team 鈥� has been named a finalist for Orlando Sentinel‘s 2026 Central Floridian of the Year award.

  • Beidel founded 麻豆原创 RESTORES in 2011 as a clinical research center dedicated to changing the way that posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is understood, diagnosed, and treated.

  • 麻豆原创 RESTORES has treated more than 2,150 veterans, military members, first responders and trauma survivors at no cost, with outcomes that exceed national standards.

  • What began as a research-focused treatment program has expanded into a comprehensive ecosystem of care 鈥� responding to tragedies from Pulse to Surfside and training thousands of peer supporters statewide.

麻豆原创 Trustee Chair and Pegasus Professor Deborah Beidel, who serves as executive director of 麻豆原创 RESTORES, has been named a finalist for the Orlando Sentinel‘s 2026 Central Floridian of the Year award, an honor recognizing those whose leadership and community impact shape the region.

Roughly a dozen people standing shoulder to shoulder in front of black and yellow mobile trailer with words on the side that read: Resiliency Command Center.
Deborah Beidel (center, black and white dress), Director of the Florida Division of State Fire Marshal Joanne Rice (right of Beidel) with the 麻豆原创 RESTORES team at the Resiliency Command Center unveiling.

The award recognizes Beidel 鈥� representing the entire 麻豆原创 RESTORES team 鈥� for building a national model for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) treatment. Since its founding in 2011, 麻豆原创 RESTORES has treated more than 2,150 individuals, including nearly 600 military members and more than 1,350 first responders. All treatment is provided at no charge, supported by state funding, federal grants and private donations.

鈥淲hen we founded 麻豆原创 RESTORES, we set out to prove that PTSD treatment could be faster, more effective and accessible to everyone who needs it,鈥� Beidel says. 鈥淥ver the past 15 years, that mission has grown into something larger: a comprehensive system of treatment, training, and crisis response that meets people wherever they are in their journey toward healing. This recognition reflects the clinicians, researchers and staff who have made that vision a reality.鈥�

The center鈥檚 intensive outpatient program produces outcomes that exceed national standards 鈥� 76% of participants no longer meet diagnostic criteria for PTSD following treatment, and the program boasts a relapse rate of less than 1%.

A woman sits at a desk with two computer monitors while a man in blue shirt wearing a black VR headset sits next to the desk.
Virtual reality is used in exposure therapy at 麻豆原创 RESTORES to help treat PTSD.

Several states are now establishing similar programs, sending clinicians and researchers to Orlando to study 麻豆原创 RESTORES’ approach.

What began as a research-focused treatment program has expanded into a comprehensive ecosystem of care encompassing clinical treatment, peer support training, crisis response and family resources.

, 麻豆原创 RESTORES clinicians:

  • Delivered more than 2,100 hours of evidence-based care;
  • Trained more than 450 first responders through the center’s REACT peer support program;
  • Unveiled a first-of-its-kind mobile Resiliency Command Center to deliver psychological support at disaster scenes; and,
  • Integrated the 麻豆原创 RESTORES 2nd Alarm Project, extending capacity-building and behavioral health navigation services to agencies across Florida’s Panhandle.

麻豆原创 RESTORES has also responded to large-scale tragedies including the 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting and the 2021 Champlain Towers South condominium collapse in Surfside, FL, providing on-site mental health support to survivors, families, and emergency personnel. All treatment is provided at no charge, supported by state funding, federal grants and private donations.

鈥淒r. Beidel鈥檚 work reflects the very best of 麻豆原创. She combines compassion, research and innovation to address one of the most complex challenges facing our local communities,鈥� says 麻豆原创 President Alexander N. Cartwright. 鈥淭hrough 麻豆原创 RESTORES, she has redefined how PTSD is treated, turning breakthrough ideas into real solutions for those who need them most. Because of her work, first responders, trauma survivors, and so many others across Central Florida, and beyond, are finding a path forward.鈥�

The Central Floridian of the Year finalist recognition follows Beidel’s selection as the Big 12 Conference’s 2025 Faculty of the Year for 麻豆原创. Now in its second year, the award showcases the academic excellence, research breakthroughs and educational opportunities available to students at Big 12 institutions.