Executive Director’s Message

It is hard to believe that the National Center for PTSD has been in operation for over 15 years. The enthusiasm and vision with which our consortium began in 1989 have not only been sustained but have grown significantly. Our durable structure as a virtual center, the stability of our leadership, the creativity of our talented staff and the dynamism of our field have all fortified our collective dedication to our mission.

The experience of the past years has supported the notion "If you build it, they will come." As our annual reports attest, establishment of the National Center has fostered important, ambitious, exciting, and relevant collaborations with colleagues in VA as well as with scholars and clinicians from the National Institutes for Health. Department of Defense, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, and major academic establishments, and the international community.

Over the years we have learned much during the past decade about what needs to be done and how to do it. It is our hope with this website that we will continue to provide accurate, empirically-driven, timely, and authoritative information on PTSD and the aftereffects of trauma for our wide constituency of interested audiences. Fortified by our collaborations, research, and clinical and consultation experience, we look forward to more effectively carrying out our congressionally mandated educational mission via this website.