Network Study Principal Investigator: Bethany Brand, Ph.D., from Towson University in Baltimore, Maryland.  

Co-Investigators: Hygge Schielke, Ph.D. (Homewood Health Centre in Guelph, Ontario); Ruth Lanius, M.D., Ph.D. (University of Western Ontario).

Senior Research Consultants: Frank Putnam, M.D.(University of North Carolina and Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center); Richard Loewenstein, M.D. (Sheppard Pratt Health System and University of Maryland Medical School).  

North American Research Consultants: Paul Frewen, Ph.D. (University of Western Ontario); Amie Myrick, L.C.P.C. (Family & Children’s Services of Central Maryland); Kathy Steele, M.N., C.S., Metropolitan Counseling Services.  

European Research Consultants: Suzette Boon, Ph.D., private practice, the Netherlands; Ellen Jepsen, M.D., Ph.D., Research Institute at Modum Bad Psychiatric Center, Norway.

Bethany Brand, Ph.D., Principal Investigator

Bethany Brand, Ph.D., specializes in the assessment and treatment of trauma-related disorders, including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and dissociative disorders (DD). She has over 35 years of clinical experience, including training at Johns Hopkins Hospital, George Washington University Hospital, and Sheppard Pratt Health System's Trauma Disorders Program. She is Professor Emerita at Towson University and conducts research on the assessment and treatment of trauma-related disorders.

Dr. Brand began her career in trauma-related work as a research assistant with Dr. Frank Putnam in 1988. She completed a two-year trauma disorders postdoctoral fellowship at Sheppard Pratt Health System, after which she served as an attending psychologist within the Trauma Disorders Program.

Dr. Brand is the Principal Investigator for the Treatment of Patients with Dissociative Disorders (TOP DD) study series, which culminated in the first randomized controlled trial demonstrating substantial improvements for people living with DD, complex PTSD, and the dissociative subtype of PTSD. This study is regarded as seminal in the trauma disorders field. The treatment program developed through this research is available in two books: Finding Solid Ground: Overcoming Obstacles in Trauma Treatment and The Finding Solid Ground Program Workbook. Dr. Brand also authored The Concise Guide to the Assessment and Treatment of Trauma-Related Dissociation and has published over 140 peer-reviewed journal articles.

Dr. Brand has been awarded numerous research, clinical, writing, and teaching honors, including Lifetime Achievement Awards from both the Trauma Psychology Division of the American Psychological Association and the International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation.

Dr. Brand has served on several national task forces that developed guidelines for the assessment and treatment of trauma-related disorders. She has delivered clinical and research presentations internationally and is sought after for media interviews, including on National Public Radio's Science Friday. Dr. Brand maintains a private practice in Baltimore, Maryland.