Dr. John Piacentini is a Professor in the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the UCLA Semel Institute, and Director of the UCLA Child OCD, Anxiety, and Tic Disorders Program.  Prior to his time at UCLA, he was Director of the Adolescent Suicide Disorders Clinic at Babies Hospital/Columbia University in NYC.  Dr. Piacentini specializes in the development and testing of effective treatments for children, adolescents and their families.  Over his career, he has led or co-led multiple landmark studies demonstrating the benefits of behavior therapy, medication, and family intervention for children with anxiety, OCD, tics, and suicidal behavior.  Dr. Piacentini is a Scientific Advisory Board member for the Anxiety Disorders Association of America and the Trichotillomania Learning Center, Chair of the Tourette Syndrome Association Behavioral Sciences Consortium, and President-Elect for the Society of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology.  He has published close to 200 scientific articles and book chapters and lectures all over the world on topics related to child psychology and psychiatry.