Central Floridian of the Year Finalist:

UCF’s Deborah Beidel

April 13, 2026
A group of people poses in front of a large black and yellow Resiliency Command Center vehicle with UCF Restores branding and palm trees in the background.
Beidel and the UCF RESTORES team are joined by Joanne Rice, Director of the Florida Division of State Fire Marshal, for the 2025 unveiling of the UCF RESTORES Resiliency Command Center.


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.

ORLANDO, FL (April 13, 2026) — 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.

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.

“This recognition reflects the clinicians, researchers, and staff who have made that vision a reality.”

“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.

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%. 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.

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.

“Because of her work, first responders, trauma survivors, and so many others across Central Florida, and beyond, are finding a path forward.”

“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.”

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.

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About UCF RESTORES

Established in 2011, UCF RESTORES has grown from a clinical research program into a comprehensive ecosystem of trauma-focused care – encompassing treatment, training, peer support, crisis response, and family resources. The Rosengren Trauma Clinic at 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. All services are supported by state funding, federal grants, and private donations. Explore the UCF RESTORES 2025 Annual Report and learn more at ucfrestores.com.

Media Contact:
Liz Lytle, Brass Communications
liz@brasscommunications.com
727.254.8859