The International OCD Foundation (IOCDF) is proud to announce the recipients of this year’s IOCDF Awards — individuals whose dedication, advocacy, and leadership have left a lasting mark on the OCD and related disorders community.
Each of this year’s honorees has gone above and beyond to advance our mission: to ensure that no one affected by OCD or a related disorder suffers alone. Their contributions inspire hope, build community, and move us closer to a world where everyone has access to effective support and care.
This year’s winners are:
Illumination Award: Zane Gonzalez (NFL kicker)
Recognizes the impact of media on stigma and celebrates an individual in the media who is making a difference in how the general public views OCD.
Zane had his OCD thrust into the spotlight during a dramatic playoff game against the Detroit Lions in January 2025. Televised to more than 34 million people and viewed by millions more in social media clips, Gonzalez’s pre-kick compulsions sparked a nationwide conversation on the misconceptions and stigma of obsessive compulsive disorder. Gonzalez and his family embraced the high-profile opportunity to help provide education and normalcy around OCD and have influenced how people view and respond to those with OCD and other mental health disorders. In recognition of his impact, the International OCD Foundation is proud to honor Zane Gonzalez with the 2025 Illumination Award.
Hero Award: Molly Fishback and Morgan Rondinelli (co-founders of Not-Alone-Notes)
Recognizes an individual with lived experience, family member, or loved one who has embodied putting concern for others in need above one’s self either through a series of activities or a significant one-time contribution in the past year.
Molly Fishback (she/her) is a co-founder of the OCD nonprofit Not Alone Notes. She currently works at McLean Hospital’s therapeutic high school as the Milieu Manager while pursuing her Masters in Public Health. Molly enjoys being a mental health advocate through Not Alone Notes, where they mail free, handwritten letters to others with OCD and related disorders (notalonenotes.org). She is also proud creator of the two OCD workbooks – Color Your Fears: A Workbook Using Exposures to Combat Your OCD Obsessions, and Exposures by Number: A Dot-to-Dot Workbook Using Exposures to Combat Your OCD Obsessions.
Morgan Rondinelli (she/her) is co-founder of the nonprofit, Not Alone Notes, which mails free, handwritten notes of encouragement to others with OCD (NotAloneNotes.org). It started as an idea in her college dorm room, to build connection among the OCD community. By day, Morgan is a public librarian and a writer. Her writing has been published on Healthline, The Mighty, and OC87 Recovery Diaries, in addition to her own mental health-focused blog over the past decade (MyOCDVoice.com). Morgan also enjoys all things musical theater and dance. @MorganRondo
Youth Hero Award: Caitlin Yantsos
Presented by UNSTUCK, this award recognizes a young person who exemplifies the spirit of those who created and participated in the film by providing education, honesty and hope to other young people through their actions, words or art.
Caitlin Yantsos, a rising senior at Suffern High School, is honored to be the recipient of the IOCDF Youth Hero Award presented by UNSTUCK. Having been diagnosed with OCD in the 5th grade, Caitlin pursues her journey on conquering her OCD by working with a specialized OCD therapist. Caitlin is a founder and the president of the Student Wellness Club at Suffern High School and also presented her story with OCD to the school community. Caitlin shared her story in a JCK Foundation interview- a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting mental health awareness to youth and their communities. She is also an active participant in the IOCDF Young Adult Special Interest Group and is doing an AP Art portfolio on depicting OCD as all consuming/controlling. In her spare time, Caitlin enjoys training to obtain her black belt in karate, boxing, and creating art. Caitlin strives to advocate for OCD since she understands how debilitating it can be, specifically breaking the stigma against “taboo” themes. She is considering a career path in psychology to become an OCD therapist.
Career Achievement Award: H. Blair Simpson, MD, PhD
Started in 2011 as an inaugural award to Dr. Edna Foa to honor a member of the IOCDF Scientific and Clinical Advisory Board for their contributions to the OCD clinical community.
Helen Blair Simpson, MD, PhD, is Professor of Psychiatry in the Department of Psychiatry at Columbia University Irving Medical College and Director of the Center for the OCD and Related Disorders at the New York State Psychiatric Institute. Funded by the National Institute of Mental Health since 1999, she uses clinical trials to identify the best treatments for obsessive-compulsive disorder, and partners with neuroscientists to elucidate how the brain produces anxiety, obsessions, and compulsions, with the goal of transforming care for individuals with OCD. Past advisor to the World Health Organization on the classification of OCD and author of the American Psychiatric Association’s Practice Guidelines for OCD, Dr. Simpson currently serves as Associate Editor of JAMA-Psychiatry and is the current President of the Anxiety and Depression Association of America.
Patricia Perkins Service Award: Darlene Davis Goodwine, PhD.
This award is intended to honor any professional or IOCDF member who has stood out as a long-time (10+ years) and active contributor to the IOCDF in multiple ways.
Dr. Darlene M. Davis Goodwine is a long-standing leader within the IOCDF community, known for her pioneering work on OCD in Black Americans. As Co-Chair of the DEI Action Council, she champions inclusive care, clinician education, and community engagement. A clinician, researcher, and educator, she founded Aidan Behavioral Health and leads a research lab focused on culturally competent OCD treatment. Her contributions—including leading forums and mentoring future clinicians—have advanced the IOCDF’s mission by promoting equity, expanding access, and centering culture in clinical care and advocacy.
This year’s honorees will be celebrated at the 30th Annual OCD Conference, sponsored by Sheppard Pratt, this summer in Chicago. Join us by registering at iocdf.org/ocdcon.
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