BINGHAMTON, NY – "Virtual Reality Goes to War: Clinical Applications for the Prevention, Assessment and Treatment of Post-Traumatic Stress" will be the topic of the Binghamton University Forum breakfast program on Tuesday, March 17. A breakfast buffet will begin at 7:30 a.m., and the formal program will start at 8 a.m., at the Binghamton Club, 83 Front St., Binghamton.

Guest speaker Albert "Skip" Rizzo PhD ‘91, director of medical virtual reality for the University of California’s Institute for Creative Technologies and research professor in USC’s Department of Psychiatry and School of Gerontology, will discuss some of the recent advances in the world of virtual reality-based exposure therapy.

Rizzo is a psychologist and distinguished alumnus who received his PhD in Clinical Psychology from Binghamton University in 1991. He is conducting research on the design, development and evaluation of virtual reality (VR) systems that target the areas of clinical assessment, treatment rehabilitation and resilience.

Rizzo is working on ways to apply virtual reality-based research to help prepare service members for the stresses of combat. Rizzo is also working on designing VR game systems to address social and vocational interaction in person with autistic spectrum disorder.

Recognized for his significant research contributions, Rizzo received the American Psychological Association’s 2010 Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Treatment of Trauma for his work using virtual reality-based exposure therapy.

The Binghamton University Forum is a membership organization comprised of business, professional and community leaders that brings nationally known authorities to speak at functions throughout the year. For more information, call the Forum office at (607) 777-5801.