Who We Are

The Penn ADHD Treatment and Research Program was founded in 1999 with a commitment to excellence in both research and clinical service. For over 25 years, we specialized in assessing and treating older adolescents and adults (generally age 18 and older) who have had difficulties related to ADHD. Our faculty has offered diagnostic assessment, consultation and recommendations, specialized treatment, and access to clinical research protocols.

Anthony L. Rostain, MD, MA, and J. Russell Ramsay, PhD, are the co-founders of the Adult ADHD Treatment and Research Program. Together they developed a program for treating adults with ADHD that combines personalized Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) and medication management, which has become the gold standard adult ADHD care internationally. This combined treatment has been shown not only to reduce the core symptoms of ADHD but more importantly, to address and manage the day-to-day impairments of ADHD. Patients usually benefit through an improved quality of life while experiencing fewer difficulties with other psychiatric disorders that often accompany ADHD, such as depression and anxiety.

Drs. Ramsay and Rostain were among the first clinician-researchers to adapt CBT for adult ADHD and they continue to refine the model. Their evidence-supported model for treatment can be modified to the unique needs of each individual. Having both retired from Penn, Dr. Rostain is Chair and Chief of the Department of Psychiatry at Cooper University Health Care, and Dr. Ramsay has transitioned to his solo, completely virtual telepsychology practice at cbt4adhd.com. Drs. Rostain and Ramsay lecture to professional and lay audiences around the world on the topic of ADHD and have written extensively on the subject.

Shazia Savul, MD, oversees pharmacotherapy treatment through the Outpatient Psychiatry Center's ADHD GAP Clinic. She additionally supervises and mentors a select group of psychiatry residents through the University of Pennsylvania's Perelman School of Medicine who complete a year-long specialized training in the diagnostic assessment and medical treatment of adult ADHD. 

Lisa Joy Tuttle, MA, BCC, NBC-HWC, provides CBT-informed coaching and group programs tailored to addressing the needs of ADHD adults. Within the psychosocial treatment domain, her Mindful Self-Management® executive skills coaching groups focus on foundational strategies for managing adult ADHD drawn from a variety of evidence-supported approaches (see Coaching and Group Programs).

Books by Our Founders

Drs. Rostain and Ramsay have published the most recent developments in their approach in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Adult ADHD: An Integrative Psychosocial and Medical Approach (2nd ed.; 2015, Routledge). This book provides valuable guidance for clinicians in assessing and treating patients in an effective and time-efficient manner. The book is also a useful resource for lay readers who would like a better understanding of ADHD and how its difficulties can be remediated.

As a companion to the treatment manual, Drs. Ramsay and Rostain have written a client-oriented coping guidebook designed specifically for ADHD adults, The Adult ADHD Tool Kit: Using CBT to Facilitate Coping Inside and Out (2015, Routledge).  This guide focuses not only on the strategies for managing the effects of ADHD but also on specific tactics for following through on the use of these strategies and overcoming various barriers, and includes itemized take-away reminders to support the use of the skills in daily life.

Dr. Rostain is also co-author of a popular book on college mental health, The Stressed Years of Their Lives: Helping Your Kid Survive and Thrive During Their College Years (2019, St. Martin’s Press, with Dr. B. Janet Hibbs).

Dr. Ramsay is author of Rethinking Adult ADHD: Helping Clients Turn Intentions Into Actions (2020, American Psychological Association), a book for professionals and interested lay readers on the role of thoughts and beliefs in the experience of adults with ADHD and in psychosocial treatment, primarily using CBT. He also has produced a contribution to the APA Psychotherapy Training Video series on CBT for adult ADHD. He also wrote the book, Nonmedication Treatments for Adult ADHD: Evaluating Impact on Daily Functioning and Well-Being (2010, American Psychological Association), which provides a thorough review of the types of adjunctive treatments that are available for adult ADHD as well as the research behind them. This book is a useful resource for understanding a range of available nonmedication options.

Dr. Rostain was interviewed for an article in Live Science on omega-3 supplements and ADHD.
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Dr. Ramsay is interviewed about the role of dopamine on motivation. 
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Dr. Rostain spoke with Attention Talk Radio about addiction and ADHD stimulant medication. 
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Dr. Ramsay is interviewed about assessing ADHD research. 
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Dr. Rostain participated in an "Ask the ADHD Experts" panel discussing the following topics:

Dr. Ramsay is interviewed about his review of the common ADHD treatments in a two-part interview.
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Dr. Ramsay quoted in a story about adult ADHD that appeared in the Monitor on Psychology of the American Psychological Association.
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Dr. Ramsay quoted in a story on ADHD appearing on Huffington Post.
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Dr. Ramsay quoted in a Washington Post story about ADHD among senior adults.
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Dr. Ramsay's 9-minute talk on CBT for Adult ADHD as part of ADHD Awareness Month - October 2014.
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Dr. Ramsay and Dr. Rostain interviewed about their treatment approach:

Dr. Ramsay interviewed about the history of ADHD:

Dr. Ramsay interviewed about nonmedication treatments for adult ADHD:

Dr. Ramsay quoted on the role of cognitive behavioral therapy in the treatment of adult ADHD:

Dr. Ramsay quoted on adult ADHD:

Dr. Ramsay presented on ADHD Coaching and CBT for Adult ADHD: Differences, Similarities, and Benefits —

Lisa Joy Tuttle spoke with The Wavy Brain Podcast about benefits of coaching for ADHD


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