Gene G. Abel, M.D.
Medical Director

Dr. Abel is a distinguished board-certified psychiatrist with a national and international reputation for diagnosing and treating sexual problems. He is considered by many of his colleagues to be the leading psychophysiology researcher in studies of sexual behavior problems in the United States.

Known for his innovative research, Dr. Abel is the inventor of the Abel Assessment for sexual interest™, a diagnostic test that discriminates between people who have a high sexual interest in children and adolescents, and those who do not. Designed for large-scale screening, the test is both portable and noninvasive.

He has directed six National Institute of Mental Health research projects that have uncovered new information about the evaluation of sexual problems. Through these federal research projects he has developed effective treatment methods. Dr. Abel has published over 130 medical articles in scientific journals.

In addition, Dr. Abel is a Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, who was for many years a professor at Columbia University School of Medicine, and currently teaches at both Morehouse School of Medicine and at Emory University School of Medicine. He is a past president of the Society of Behavioral Medicine, a Fellow of the Academy of Behavioral Medicine Research, and a Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association. Dr. Abel was honored with the 1990 Society for Sex Therapy and Research Masters and Johnson Award and the Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abuser's 1991 Significant Achievement Award.

Candice Osborn, M.A.
Director of the Sexual Disorder Program

In addition to having over 20 years experience as a therapist specializing in sexual behavior problems, Ms. Osborn was project manager for a federal grant to evaluate and treat child molesters at the University of South Florida, and was supervisor of the Sexual Behavior Laboratory at Atascadero State Hospital in California.

Before joining the Behavioral Medicine Institute team in 1990, she had worked with Dr. Abel on research grants devoted to treating sexual behavior problems at the University of Tennessee and at Columbia University.

Ms. Osborn has had seventeen scientific articles published and has presented papers at scientific conferences regarding the evaluation of and treatment of individuals with sexual problems.

Sarah Gregg, R.N., C.A.R.N.

Sarah Gregg, RN, CARN is a registered nurse and certified in the treatment of addictions. She has 17 years experience working with medical and psychiatric patients.

Ms. Gregg has worked extensively with patients who have multiple medical problems or long-term chronic illnesses compounded by behavioral problems and a high degree of resistance to following doctor's orders. She has eleven years experience working with Dr. Abel and specializing in the treatment of sexual behavior problems.

She is very knowledgeable about the use of medications, the treatment of alcohol, drug and sexual addictions, and behavioral management.

Kenneth A. Hosier, M.S., N.C.C., L.P.C.

A National Certified Counselor, Kenneth Hosier is a specialist in the treatment of juvenile sex offenders. He holds a Master of Science in professional counseling from Georgia State University and has more than twelve years of experience working with sex offenders.

Before joining Behavioral Medicine Institute, Mr. Hosier worked for five years as a juvenile court probation officer, supervising adolescents who committed sexual offenses, and for two years at Hillside Therapeutic Foster Care, specializing in the treatment of adolescents with sexual behavioral issues.

He is a member of the Licensed Professional Counselors Association of Georgia and the Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers.

Markus Wiegel, Ph.D.

Markus Wiegel, Ph.D. is a therapist at the Behavioral Medicine Institute of Atlanta. Dr. Wiegel received his Ph.D. from Boston University, and his dissertation focused on the characteristics of female sexual abusers of children. He has worked with the Jump Start Juvenile Sex Offender program at the UMDNJ University Behavioral Healthcare. Previously, he contributed to research on the pharmacological treatment of sexual dysfunction at the UMDNJ Robert Wood Johnson Medical School Department of Psychiatry. He also completed a practicum at New England Forensic Associates in Boston, MA. Dr. Wiegel was the Assistant Director of the Sexuality Research and Treatment Program at the Center for Anxiety and Related Disorders at Boston University. He has conducted therapy and research as well as published in the areas of child sexual abusers, sexual dysfunction, and anxiety disorders. Currently, Dr. Wiegel is also a research associate at Abel Screening, Inc.