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After received his Ph.D. from Stanford University in 1983, Dr. Telch completed a post-doctoral fellowship in behavioral medicine and cardiovascular epidemiology in the Department of Psychiatry and the Center for Disease Prevention at Stanford University School of Medicine. Dr. Telch joined the clinical psychology faculty at the University of Texas at Austin in 1986 where he is currently Professor and founding director of the Laboratory for the Study of Anxiety Disorders and former Director of Clinical Training. He is a fellow of the Association for Psychological Science and the Association for the Advancement of Preventative Psychology. Dr. Telch is internationally recognized for his scientific research on the nature and treatment of panic, phobias and anxiety-related disorders. He has served as a scientific advisor to the National Institute of Mental Health’s Anxiety Disorders Education Program and the National Institute of Mental Health’s Panic Disorder Program. His published work has tackled a broad range of questions related to the nature and treatment of pathological fear across the full spectrum of anxiety disorders, and have utilized multiple research strategies including clinical trials, prospective longitudinal risk studies, experimental psychopathology, and controlled laboratory manipulations of cognitive, behavioral, and pharmacological strategies during exposure therapy. In addition, many of the graduate students that Dr. Telch has trained have gone on to make significant contributions to the field of anxiety disorders.

CONFERENCE ABSTRACT
New Developments in Exposure-Based treatments for Anxiety Disorders
Exposure therapy is a well-established set of psychotherapeutic strategies that have stood the test of time in demonstrating robust effects across the full spectrum of anxiety disorders. Over the past four decades, research on exposure therapy has shifted from demonstrating therapeutic efficacy to the study of change mechanisms and augmentation strategies to improve short-term efficacy and reduce return of fear. During this invited talk Professor Telch will present an overview of his research program investigating a variety of approaches for enhancing the effects of exposure therapy. The following exposure augmentation approaches will be reviewed: (a) cognitive/attentional strategies; (b) physiologic feedback strategies; (c) safety behavior fading strategies; (d) incorporation of of antagonistic actions; (e) pre-exposure fear network reactivation; and (f) post-session administration of cognitive enhancing medications. Clinical Implications will also be discussed.