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Education

University of Central Florida

04/13/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 04/13/2026 08:16

Central Floridian of the Year Finalist: UCF’s Deborah Beidel

Highlights

UCF Trustee Chair and Pegasus Professor Deborah Beidel - representing the entire UCF RESTORES team - has been named a finalist for Orlando Sentinel's 2026 Central Floridian of the Year award.
Beidel founded UCF RESTORES in 2011 as a clinical research center dedicated to changing the way that posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is understood, diagnosed, and treated.
UCF 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 - responding to tragedies from Pulse to Surfside and training thousands of peer supporters statewide.

UCF Trustee Chair and Pegasus Professor Deborah C. Beidel, who serves as executive director of UCF 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.

Deborah Beidel (center, black and white dress), Director of the Florida Division of State Fire Marshal Joanne Rice (right of Beidel) with the UCF RESTORES team at the Resiliency Command Center unveiling.

The award recognizes Beidel - representing the entire UCF RESTORES team - for building a national model for PTSD treatment. Since its founding in 2011, UCF 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.

"When we founded UCF RESTORES, we set out to prove that PTSD treatment could be faster, more effective, and accessible to everyone who needs it," Beidel says. "Over 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."

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

Virtual reality is used in exposure therapy at UCF RESTORES to help treat PTSD.

Several states are now establishing similar programs, sending clinicians and researchers to Orlando to study UCF 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.

In 2025 alone, UCF 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 UCF RESTORES 2nd Alarm Project, extending capacity-building and behavioral health navigation services to agencies across Florida's Panhandle.

David Rozek (left), Amie Newins (center) and Deborah Beidel (right) of UCF RESTORES provided psychological first aid to the search and rescue teams on site at Surfside, Florida.

UCF 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.

"Dr. Beidel's work reflects the very best of UCF. She combines compassion, research and innovation to address one of the most complex challenges facing our local communities," says UCF President Alexander N. Cartwright. "Through UCF 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."

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