2013 Recipients
Daniel LeGrange, PhD, The University of Chicago
“Family Based-Treatment Without Borders: Utilizing Telemedicine to Deliver Family-Based Therapy (FBT).”
This innovative study aims to address families’ need in remote, rural or underrepresented parts the United States by delivering Family-Based Therapy (FBT) via telemedicine (FBT-TM). FBT has been shown to be effective for adolescents with Anorexia Nervosa. However, accessing FBT has proven challenging for the many families who do not reside near an FBT therapist. This study will determine whether FBT can be conducted via telemedicine right in a patient’s home.
Denise Wilfley, PhD, Washington University in St. Louis
“Harnessing Technology for Training Therapists to Deliver Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT)”.
Researchers will aim to develop an online training platform for IPT and conduct a pilot study to evaluate the feasibility and accessibility of this approach. This study will examine whether the power of the internet can be utilized to train therapists to deliver a proven interpersonal psychotherapy for Bulimia Nervosa and Binge Eating Disorder.
2014 Recipients
Christina Wierenga, Ph.D., University of California, San Diego
“An Innovative Family Based Treatment for Adults with Anorexia Nervosa Using Insights from Neurobiology”.
This innovative study aims to develop a treatment for severe anorexia nervosa that targets the core neurobiologically based mechanisms that maintain the disorder to improve eating behavior, reduce symptoms and improve family function for patients and their families. This pilot study will measure the effectiveness of a novel experiential family-based treatment for adults with anorexia nervosa, integrating neurobiological insights on temperament, cognition and eating.
Joanna Steinglass, M.D., Colombia University Medical Center
“Changing Habits in AN: A Novel Approach”.
Researchers will develop the Regulating Emotions and Changing Habits (REACH) program. This is a novel treatment that will directly target maladaptive behaviors in anorexia nervosa. Researchers will conduct a small randomized controlled trial that will assess the utility of the intervention amont outpatients, collect data for a larger scale trial, and assess the impact of the intervention on the proposed mechanism of habit.
2015 Recipients
Adrienne Juarascio, PhD, Drexel University
“Outside the Therapy Office: Enhancing Integrative-Cognitive Affective Therapy With Ecological Momentary Interventions to Improve Treatment for Bulimia Nervosa”.
This project aims to develop a smartphone application that will deliver “in-the-moment” interventions based on principles of integrative-cognitive affective therapy to patients with bulimia nervosa. This approach could enhance the efficacy of this therapy method by providing access to skills during moments of negative affect and urges to use eating disordered symptoms that occur in between therapy sessions. The team will develop this system and assess the feasibility and acceptability of this novel approach to treatment. It would also provide valuable pilot data to support a future randomized clinical trial.
S. Bryn Austin, ScD, Boston Children’s Hospital
“The Economic Case for Eating Disorders Prevention and Early Detection: A Comparative Cost‐Effectiveness Analysis of Six Intervention Strategies”.
The goal of this study is to conduct a comparative cost-effectiveness analysis of six intervention strategies to advance primary prevention and early detection of eating disorders. The overall aim is to estimate the potential reductions in morbidity, mortality and healthcare costs due to prevention and early detection of eating disorders. The research team will evaluate a school health promotion program, school- and clinic-based screenings for early detection and several policy interventions to restrict youth access to diet pills on the consumer market. The team will also develop a microsimulation model to project the impact that primary prevention and early detection will have on the long-term health of adolescents and young adults.
2016 Recipients
James Lock, MD, PhD, Stanford University School of Medicine
“Treating Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorders (AFRID) Using Family-Based Treatment: A Randomized Controlled Crossover Trial”.
This project will test the feasibility and acceptability of a novel intervention, Family-Based Treatment of Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (FBT-ARFID) for patients ages 5-12 years old. Although ARFID was formally introduced in DSM-5, no specialized intervention has yet been empirically studied. This disorder afflicts a non-traditional eating disorders patient population, including younger patients, more males, and patients with greater co-occurring anxiety. As such, patients with ARFID need an intervention that relies on a strong, evidence-based foundation, which can be adapted to the qualities of this new patient group.
Allegra Broft, MD, Colombia Center for Eating Disorders
“Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation as a New Treatment for Anorexia Nervosa”.
Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a disorder for which much remains to be learned about neurobiology of the illness. Novel treatment strategies, including biologically-based treatments, are sorely needed. The proposed study will examine whether repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) can alter eating-related behavior in AN, as demonstrated by its ability to move the needle on a neurocognitive task that has previously been shown to be of direct relevance to the maladaptive restrictive eating behavior of AN.
2016 Eating Recovery Foundation Early Career Investigator Recipient
Jocelyn LeBow, PhD, University of Minnesota
“Integrative Cognitive-Affective Therapy for Adolescent Eating Disorders”.
Recently, Integrative Cognitive-Affective Therapy (ICAT), a novel intervention for bulimia nervosa (BN) and binge eating disorder (BED) that targets emotion regulation deficits, has shown promise in reducing eating disorder symptoms as well as improving emotion regulation capacities in adults. However, this treatment has not yet been investigated in an adolescent sample. The aim of this study is to adapt the existing adult ICAT treatment for adolescents with clinically significant binge eating (ICAT-A) and to evaluate the extent to which ICAT-A is helpful in reducing binge eating and associated eating disorder symptoms in a younger sample.