Dr. Germain is Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic. She received her PhD in Clinical Psychology from the Université de Montréal in Canada in 2001, and completed her post-doctoral training in clinical sleep research in psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh in 2005, where she then joined faculty.

Dr. Germain’s research program focuses on the assessment and treatment of sleep disorders and sleep disturbances comorbid with stress-related psychiatric disorders, with a special emphasis on nightmares, insomnia, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in returning military troops.   To investigate the psychophysiological and neurobiological correlates of sleep disturbances in PTSD, and well as the pathways underlying sleep treatment response.  To do so, she uses a combination of sleep measurement methods, including validated questionnaires, ambulatory sleep studies, quantitative EEG, pharmacological probes, and neuroimaging techniques.    Her research program also focuses on developing, adapting, and evaluating new cognitive-behavioral approaches for the treatment of nightmares and insomnia comorbid with PTSD and other stress-related difficulties in returning military personnel.

Dr. Germain has published over 40 peer-reviewed papers on sleep. She previously served on SRS and AASM committees, and received a Distinguished Service Award for her service on the SRS Trainee Education and Advisory Committee in 2005.  She currently serves on the Editorial Board of the journal Behavioral Sleep Medicine, and is a regular peer reviewer for specialized journals on sleep, trauma, psychiatry.  Dr. Germain is a scientific reviewer for the Department of Veterans Affairs Merit Review Subcommittee on Mental Health and Behavioral Sciences and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. 

Dr. Robin Gurwitch, a Clinical Psychologist, is a Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. There, Dr. Gurwitch is the Program Coordinator for the National Center for School Crisis and Bereavement. Dr. Gurwitch specializes in work with children, particularly those considered at-risk. She has devoted much time to understanding the impact of trauma and disaster on children and ways to increase resilience, including stressors related to military deployment.  She has served on state and national committees and task forces focusing on trauma, disaster, terrorism, and resilience. Dr. Gurwitch has published numerous scientific articles and book chapters and developed materials on these issues; she has co-authored programs for the American Red Cross, including Coping with Deployment: Psychological First Aid for Military Families. In late 2009, Dr. Gurwitch and colleagues received funding from Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to examine the use of an evidenced-based intervention for young children and their families following deployment. She provides training and consultation services to agencies, schools, and organizations, including federal organizations, across the country and internationally. 

Dr. Gurwitch currently serves as Chair of the APA Presidential Task Force on the Psychological Needs of US Military Service Members and Their Families. Dr. Gurwitch is a member of the National Commission on Children and Disasters, Subcommittee on Human Services Recovery. She serves as a Subject Matter Expert in the area of at-risk populations for the Disaster Mental Health Subcommittee of the National Bio-Defense Science Board and for the Pediatric Preparedness and Response in Public Health Emergencies and Disasters for the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (DHHS/ASPR).

LaMorie, Jill Harrington (MSW, LSW, ACSW)
Director of Professional Education, Tradgedy Assistance Program for Survivors, Washington, DC

Jill Harrington LaMorie is currently the Director of Professional Education at the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), Washington, D.C.  TAPS was founded in 1994 by their Executive Director, Bonnie Carroll, following the tragic death of her husband, Brigadier General Tom Carroll, in an Army C-12 plane crash in 1992.  TAPS provides ongoing emotional help, hope, and healing to all who are grieving the death of a loved one in military service to America, regardless of relationship to the deceased, geography, or circumstance of the death.  TAPS meets its mission by providing peer-based support, crisis care, casualty casework assistance, and grief and trauma resources. 

Ms. LaMorie received her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from The Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C. and her Masters in Clinical Social Work from Adelphi University, Garden City, New York.  She is currently a doctoral student at The University of Pennsylvania School of Social Policy & Practice, Philadelphia, PA.  The focus of her doctoral dissertation is the “Perceived Efficacy of Peer Based Emotional Support in Survivors Affected by the Traumatic Death of a U.S. Armed Services Member”.

Ms. LaMorie has extensive experience working with individuals and families affected by crisis, trauma, grief, loss, life transitions and terminal illness.  She is most noted for her work with children and families affected by the 2001 World Trade Center Attack, an oncology social worker and her work with military surviving families.  She has held positions with the City of Hope Clinical Cancer Research Institute, American Cancer Society, South Shore Guidance Center/Team Project Liberty, The University of Pennsylvania and The Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors.  Ms. LaMorie is a member of The National Association of Social Workers; American Psychological Association, Division 19, Military Psychology; Association for Death Education & Counseling, Military Special Interest Group Co-Chair; Association for Oncology Social Workers; International Society of Traumatic Stress Studies; Naval Academy Alumni Association; and the Navy League.   She is also a surviving family member and the proud mother of two children, Madeline and Alexander.

Dr. Ann Landes is currently a staff psychologist at the Malcom Randall VA in Gainesville, Florida. She earned her doctoral degree in Counseling Psychology at Georgia State University and then went on to receive clinical training at the Audie L. Murphy VA in San Antonio, TX. She is actively engaged in providing individual, couples, and group interventions for veterans and their spouses, as well as program development. Her clinical and research interests include couples and family resilience, posttraumatic stress disorder, positive psychology, and healthy psychology.

Derek McGinnis is from Fremont, California. He is a graduate from Wayland Baptist University with a Bachelor of Science in Health Care Administration. He is currently pursuing a Masters Degree in Social Work at California State University Stanislaus. Derek is an Iraq war combat veteran serving in the Navy as a Hospital Corpsman for eleven years. In November of 2004 he was severely wounded in Fallujah sustaining a Traumatic Brain Injury and an Above Knee Amputation of his left leg. Derek underwent extensive rehabilitation at military and veteran medical facilities. He currently works for the American Pain Foundation advocating for military and veteran initiatives. Derek also works for the Modesto Vet Center as a Readjustment Counselor helping veterans cope with their combat experiences. He is the author of Exit Wounds a Survival Guide to Pain Management for Returning Veterans and Their Families. He is a competitive athlete competing in many triathlon and running races a year as a member of Team Semper Fi.

O'Farrell, Timothy (PhD, ABPP)
Professor of Psychology, Harvard Medical School, Department of Psychiatry

Timothy J. O’Farrell is a Professor of Psychology in the Harvard Medical School Department of Psychiatry at the VA Boston Healthcare System where he directs the Families and Addiction Program and the Counseling for Alcoholics’ Marriages (CALM) Project. His more than 200 publications focus primarily on marital and family therapy in alcoholism and drug abuse treatment and various aspects of substance abusers’ family relationships. He is a Fellow of three divisions (clinical psychology, addictions, and family psychology) of the American Psychological Association. His most recent book is Behavioral Couples Therapy for Alcoholism and Drug Abuse.

Ruocco, Kimberly (LSW)
Director of Suicide Outreach and Education Programs, The Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors

Kim Ruocco has been a social worker for over 19 years providing mental health services in various settings both in the military and civilian communities.  Her husband, Major John Ruocco, U.S. Marine Corps, was a decorated Cobra gunship pilot and father of two sons.  In 2005, Major Ruocco had returned from a tour in Iraq and ten weeks later was preparing for a second tour when he lost his life to suicide.  Kim is currently the Director of Suicide Outreach and Education Programs at The Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors.  In this capacity, with professional skill and personal dedication, Kim provides suicide prevention and postvention programs to military families and personnel throughout the country. 

Dr. Tedeschi received his B.A. in Psychology from Syracuse University, his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Ohio University, and completed  his Clinical Psychology Internship at The University of North Carolina School of Medicine.  Dr. Tedeschi is currently Professor of Psychology and Coordinator  of the Clinical/Community Psychology Graduate Program at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.  At UNC Charlotte he conducts research on trauma and posttraumatic growth, teaches personality psychology and psychotherapy, and supervises graduate practica.  He is a Licensed Psychologist specializing in bereavement  and trauma, and leads support groups for bereaved  parents for a non-profit organization in Charlotte, where he also maintains his private practice.  He has published, together  with his colleague, Lawrence  Calhoun, several books on trauma, bereavement  and posttraumatic growth including the most recent volumes entitled Helping Bereaved Parents ­ (Brunner-Routledge, 2004), and the Handbook of Posttraumatic Growth (Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2006). He is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association, and serves as a consultant to APA in developing materials on trauma and resilience for use by psychologists and the public, and appeared in the APA/Discovery Channel documentary on coping with the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.  He is a consultant for the US Army in developing assessment and training programs in resilience and posttraumatic growth. He has provided workshops on trauma and posttraumatic growth for groups such as police and the military and various universities and professional organizations in psychology

Vanderploeg, Rodney (PhD, APBB-CN)

Dr Vanderploeg is a clinical neuropsychologist in the Brain Injury and Polytrauma Rehabilitation programs at the Tampa VAMC which is part of the multi-site Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center research program where he is a site Co-Principal Investigator at Tampa.  After 20 years, he recently stepped down from serving as the Director of Internship and Postdoctoral Training at the Tampa VAMC .  He is Associate Professor with the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine, as well as the Department of Psychology, at the University of South Florida. He has served on the editorial boards of the Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology, The Clinical Neuropsychologist, Applied Neuropsychology, and Psychological Services; and has over 100 publications in a variety of neuropsychology and rehabilitation journals.