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Research Efforts
National Eating Disorders Association
Research Efforts
Participating in a research study can help.

If you are seeking treatment for yourself or a loved one, participating in a research study can offer assistance, particularly for those with limited funds. Studies can be an excellent opportunity to further the understanding of eating disorders and to improve the quality of care. Please carefully examine the criteria and other research protocols to make sure a particular research study is right for you.

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Research into eating disorders, focusing on causes, prevention and cures

We are committed to promoting research into the causes, cures and prevention of eating disorders. NEDA first established the Young Investigator Research Grants Program in 2002 in partnership with the Academy for Eating Disorders (AED). The aim of these grants is to expand eating disorders research while drawing promising new scientists into the field.

“NEDA and the Academy for Eating Disorders (AED) partnership began in 2002 and it is exhilarating to support so many young researchers in the field. Together, with your support, we are living up to NEDA’s mission to be a catalyst for prevention, cures and access to quality care.  By investing in the lives of these promising researchers we can make the difference we hope to see in the lives of everyone impacted by an eating disorder.”
    – Jim Mitchell, Research Committee Chair

 

New Eating Disorder Research Findings
Walter Kaye, MD

NEDA also works to keep you informed of important new research through its column, New Eating Disorder Research Findings, authored by Walter Kaye, MD. Dr. Kaye is a member of NEDA’s Board of Directors, is a Professor of Psychiatry and Director of the Eating Disorders Research and Treatment Program at the University of California, San Diego. He served previously as the Research Director of the Eating Disorder Program at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine where he received a NIMH senior scientist award.



Mortality and Eating Disorders
While it is well known that anorexia nervosa is a deadly disorder, the death rate varies considerably between studies. Several recent papers have shed new light on these questions by using large samples followed up over many years.

Read previous columns by Dr. Kaye
Archive coming soon


View Research videos:

    
    Video: Fighting Stigma with Science by Cynthia Bulik, PhD

    Video: Brain Imaging and Eating Disorders by Walt Kaye, MD

    Video: Eating Disorders in Adolescence by Daniel le Grange, PhD

    Video: Cognitive Styles in Eating Disorders by James Lock, MD, PhD

Fighting Stigma with Science: Cynthia Bulik, PhD

Dr. Cynthia Bulik is the Jordan Distinguished Professor of Eating Disorders in the Department of Psychiatry in the School of Medicine at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.  She is also Professor of Nutrition in the School of Public Health and the Director of the UNC Eating Disorders Program.  A clinical psychologist by training, Dr. Bulik has been conducting research and treating individuals with eating disorders since 1982, and is NEDA's 2008 recipient of the Price Family Award for Research Excellence.


Fighting Stigma with Science

Links for more information:
Newsweek, Fighting Anorexia: No One to Blame
UNC Chapel Hill Eating Disorders Program

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Brain Imaging and Eating Disorders: Walt Kaye, MD

Dr. Walter Kaye is a member of the NEDA Board of Directors and of the NEDA Research Committee.  His current research at UC San Diego is focused on exploring the relationship between brain and behavior using brain imaging and genetics, and developing and applying new treatments for anorexia and bulimia nervosa.  He is the principal investigator for an international, multi-site collaboration on the genetics of anorexia and bulimia nervosa.  He has an international reputation in the field of eating disorders and is the author of more than 300 articles and publications.


Brain Imaging and Eating Disorders

Links for more information:
Scientific American, Addicted to Starvation: The Neurological Roots of Anorexia
Anorexia and Bulimia Research: Brain Imaging Studies 
New Insights into Symptoms and Neurocircuit Function of Anorexia Nervosa
USCD Eating Disorders Program

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Eating Disorders in Adolescence: Daniel le Grange, PhD

Dr. le Grange serves on the clinical and scientific advisory council of the National Eating Disorders Association and is a Professor of Psychiatry in the Department of Psychiatry, Section for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and Director of the Eating Disorders Program at The University of Chicago. He was a member of the team who developed the "Maudsley Approach" as a treatment for early onset anorexia nervosa and is the author or co-author of more than 150 research and clinical articles, books, book chapters, and abstracts. 


Eating Disorders in Adolescence.

Links for more information:
Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Clinics of North America, Family Interventions in Anorexia Nervosa
Archives of General Psychiatry, A Randomized Controlled Comparison of Family-Based Treatment and Supportive Psychotherapy for Adolescent Bulimia Nervosa
University of Chicago Eating Disorders Program


Cognitive Styles in Eating Disorders: James Lock, MD, PhD

James Lock, MD, PhD serves on NEDA's Clinical and Scientific Advisory Council and is Professor of Child Psychiatry and Pediatrics in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University School of Medicine where he also serves as Director of the Eating Disorder Program for Children and Adolescents. Dr Lock has published more than 150 articles, abstracts, and book chapters. He is the co-author of Treatment Manual for Anorexia Nervosa: A Family-Based Approach, Help Your Teenager Beat an Eating Disorder and Treating Bulimia in Adolescents: A Family-Based Approach. He has lectured widely in the US, Canada, South America, Europe, and Australia. He has been funded by the NIH to conduct treatment research in eating disorders continuously since 1997.


Links for more information:
Stanford's Cognitive Remediation Research
A Systemic Review and Meta-analysis of Set-shifting Ability in Eating Disorders
Weak Central Coherence in Eating Disorders: A Step Towards Looking for an Endophenotype of Eating Disorders

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