Joseph R. Scotti, professor of psychology in West Virginia Universitys Eberly College of Arts and Sciences, has been presented with the Outstanding Psychologist Award by NAMI West Virginia, a state affiliate of the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill.
p. Scotti is the director of undergraduate training in the WVU Department of Psychology and has been recognized for his commitment to public service by being named the Eberly Family Professor for Outstanding Public Service. His teaching, research, and public service interests are in the areas of child clinical psychology and posttraumatic stress disorder, with a focus on civilian trauma.

Scottis recent research efforts have involved working with local police and fire departments and the WVU Forensic Science Initiative to develop stress management programs and the identification and treatment of stress-related disorders that police and fire fighting professionals may experience when responding to traumatic events in the line of duty. Scotti and some of his students also have been investigating the effects of motor vehicle crashes on children and their families to develop effective treatments following these common events.

Scotti received his B.S. degree in psychology with a minor in biology from Syracuse University in 1977. After graduating he became a direct care staff member at the Syracuse Developmental Center, where he worked with adults with mild to severe developmental disabilities.

He returned to graduate school in 1978 and earned a masters degree in psychology in 1980 from Bradley University in Peoria, Ill.

In 1982, he returned to upstate New York to work as a psychologist at Broome Developmental Services, where he led treatment planning that focused on children and adults with severe challenging behaviors, mild to profound mental retardation and severe physical disabilities.

At the same time, he began his doctoral work in clinical psychology at the State University of New York (SUNY) at Binghamton where he studied implosive therapy. His dissertation research focused on physiological reactivity to threat cues.

He joined the WVU faculty as an assistant professor in 1990, and was promoted to the rank of full professor in 2002. He is the associate editor for the journal Mental Retardation and is on the editorial boards of the American Journal on Mental Retardation, Education and Treatment of Children and the Journal of Traumatic Stress.

Each year, NAMI West Virginia recognizes the outstanding contributions of a psychologist to increasing the understanding of mental illness in the state. NAMI is a nonprofit, grassroots, support and advocacy organization. Founded in 1979, the organization now has more than 210,000 members who seek services for people inflicted with severe mental illness.

Working on the national, state and local levels, NAMI provides education about severe brain disorders, supports increased funding for research and advocates for adequate health insurance coverage.