Brief Biographies
Wade Berrettini, M.D., Ph.D.
Wade Berrettini, M.D., Ph.D., is the Karl E. Rickels Professor of Psychiatry and director of the Center for Neurobiology and Behavior at the University of Pennsylvania Medical School. The center is a group of interdisciplinary investigators who study biologic influences on behavior, including human behavioral disorders and relevant animal models. Dr. Berrettini is one of the world's authorities on genetic susceptibility to bipolar disorder. His group has several projects designed to identify susceptibility genes for common behavioral disorders, including bipolar disorder, idiopathic epilepsy, anorexia nervosa and heroin dependence.
Harry A. Brandt, M.D.
Harry A. Brandt, M.D., is head of the department of psychiatry and director of the Center for Eating Disorders at St. Joseph Medical Center in Towson, Md. He is clinical associate professor at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and is responsible for the educational curriculum in eating disorders for medical students and residents. He has served as principal or co-principal investigator of several clinical research studies in eating disorders and is former director of both the NIMH Unit on Eating Disorders and the Mercy Center for Eating Disorders. Dr. Brandt is past president of the Maryland Psychiatric Society, a distinguished fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and is listed in “The Best Doctors in America.”
Cynthia Bulik, M.D.
Cynthia Bulik, M.D., will be assuming the position of the William R. Jordan Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry and the director of the eating disorders program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in July 2003. She is a clinical psychologist who has been researching and treating eating disorders for the past 20 years. Her primary research focus has been eating disorders and weight regulation, which she has approached from a variety of perspectives including laboratory studies, clinical trials, genetic epidemiology and molecular genetics. She completed internships and post-doctoral fellowships at Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic in Pittsburgh. Dr. Bulik received her B.A. from the University of Notre Dame and her M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of California at Berkeley.
Steven F. Crawford, M.D.
Steven F. Crawford, M.D., is associate director of the Center for Eating Disorders at St. Joseph Medical Center in Towson, Md. He coordinates the inpatient and day treatment programs at the center, and is director of the postgraduate fellowship program in eating disorders at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. He has been principal or co-principal investigator of a number of studies assessing psychological and pharmacological treatment of patients with eating disorders. Dr. Crawford serves as chair of continuing medical education for the Maryland Psychiatric Society and is a distinguished fellow of the American Psychiatric Association.
Bernie Devlin, Ph.D.
Bernie Devlin, Ph.D., is currently an associate professor of psychiatry and human genetics at the University of Pittsburgh. His research interests include development of statistical methods for research in genetic epidemiology and the application of cutting-edge statistical methods to understand the genetic basis of complex disease, especially psychiatric disease.
Manfred M. Fichter, M.D.
Manfred M. Fichter, M.D., is professor of psychiatry in the department of psychiatry at the University of Munich. He is also director of the research unit on psychiatric epidemiology and evaluation in the department of psychiatry, University of Munich and medical director of the Roseneck Hospital for Behavioral Medicine in Prien, Germany. Dr Fichter is a board-certified psychiatrist and neurologist, as well as a psychotherapist, and is recognized as a supervisor for behavioral therapy. He is a member of the medical faculty of the Ludwig-Maximilians-University in Munich, Germany and received his residency training at the Max-Plank-Institute of Psychiatry in Munich, Germany. His main areas of research are eating disorders and psychiatric epidemiology. Dr. Fichter studied medicine and psychology at the universities of Heidelberg, Innsbruck and Cologne (Germany) and worked more than a year as a post-doctoral fellow at the University of California, Los Angeles.
Katherine A. Halmi, M.D.
Katherine A. Halmi, M.D., is a professor of psychiatry at Cornell University and director of the eating disorder program. The program includes a 20-bed hospital unit, an outpatient department and a partial hospitalization program. For the past 20 years, Dr. Halmi has received continuing research support from the National Institute of Mental Health, private foundations and industry. Her research has primarily focused on eating behavior and the disorders of anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. Dr. Halmi is a past president of the American Psychopathological Association and past president of the Society of Biological Psychiatry. She obtained her B.A. degree and medical training at the University of Iowa, Iowa City, where she also completed residencies in pediatrics, psychiatry and child psychiatry. She is board certified in both pediatrics and psychiatry. Dr. Halmi began her eating disorder research career while on the faculty of the department of psychiatry at the University of Iowa and later moved to Cornell University Medical College and The New York Hospital - Westchester Division in 1979.
Craig Johnson, Ph.D.
Craig Johnson, Ph.D., is founder and director of the eating disorders program at Laureate Psychiatric Hospital. He is a professor of clinical psychology at the University of Tulsa, associate professor of psychiatry at the University of Oklahoma Medical School and is currently president of the National Eating Disorders Association. He was the founding editor of the International Journal of Eating Disorders, a founding member of the Academy of Eating Disorders and the Eating Disorder Research Society. Dr. Johnson formerly held faculty appointments at the University of Chicago and Northwestern University Medical Schools. He has authored two books, over 70 scientific articles and has been the recipient of several distinguished contribution awards.
Ian Jones, M.D.
Ian Jones, M.D., is a senior lecturer in psychiatry and honorary consultant psychiatrist at the University of Birmingham. After graduating from St. Georges Hospital Medical School, London, he trained in general medicine and psychiatry in South Wales and on obtaining membership of the Royal College of Psychiatrists began research training in the neuropsychiatric genetics group at the University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff. He was awarded a Wellcome Trust Training Fellowship to study the genetics of puerperal psychosis under the supervision of Professor Nick Craddock in Birmingham and as part of the training fellowship spent a year with Professor Ken Kendler’s group in Richmond, Va. Clinically, he provides a consultation liaison service to the obstetric teams at Birmingham’s Women’s Hospital, which has over 6,000 deliveries a year.Allan S. Kaplan, M.Sc., M.D., FRCP(C) Allan S. Kaplan M.Sc., M.D., FRCP(C), is currently the Loretta Anne Rogers chair in Eating Disorders and head of the program for eating disorders at the University Health Network, Toronto General Hospital. He is also the director of postgraduate education and professor of psychiatry at the University of Toronto. Dr. Kaplan is the immediate president of the Academy for Eating Disorders and is currently a National Institute of Mental Health principal-funded investigator on two studies, one related to the genetics of anorexia nervosa and the other on relapse prevention treatment strategies for anorexia nervosa. He has worked in the field of eating disorders since 1980 and has published over 70 peer-reviewed papers, over 30 book chapters and has edited two books. He also has lectured nationally and internationally on various aspects related to anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. Dr. Kaplan received his medical and psychiatric training from the University of Toronto and did graduate work in nutrition and endocrinology at the School of Graduate Studies, University of Toronto, where he received his master of science degree.
Walter H. Kaye, M.D.
Walter H. Kaye, M.D., is a professor of psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and is research director of the eating disorder program. He has been on the faculty of the University of Pittsburgh since 1986 and has received a NIMH senior scientist award. His current research is focused on exploring the relationship between brain and behavior using brain imaging and investigating new treatments in anorexia and bulimia nervosa. Dr. Kaye is also 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 200 articles and publications. He attended Ohio State Medical School, trained in neurology at the University of Southern California and trained in psychiatry at the University of California, Los Angeles. Dr. Kaye was then a fellow and research physician at the National Institute of Mental Health for 7 years where he conducted research on appetite regulation, behavior and treatment for disorders.
Kelly L. Klump, Ph.D.
Kelly L. Klump, Ph.D., is an assistant professor in the department of psychology at Michigan State University where she maintains an active program of twin, family and genetic research aimed at understanding genetic and environmental contributions to eating disorders. In addition, she currently serves on both the editorial board and statistical core of the Price Foundation Genetic Studies of Anorexia and Bulimia Nervosa, and is also a co-investigator on the NIMH-funded follow-up studies of these datasets. She received her Ph.D. in clinical psychology in 1998 from the University of Minnesota. Dr. Klump also completed a one-year pre-doctoral clinical internship at McLean Hospital, Harvard University School of Medicine, and a two-year postdoctoral NIMH research fellowship at Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.
Lisa Lilenfeld, Ph.D.
Lisa Lilenfeld, Ph.D., has been an assistant professor of psychology at Georgia State University in Atlanta since 1998, where she conducts research on risk factors (particularly personality traits and family psychopathology) for eating disorders. She also directs the eating disorders treatment program in the department, where she supervises doctoral students in their clinical work and research. Dr. Lilenfeld received her B.S. in human development from Cornell University in 1990 and her Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Minnesota in 1995. She then completed a three-year post-doctoral fellowship at Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine from 1995 to 1998.
David R. Mitchell, M.D.
David R. Mitchell, M.D., is currently the medical director for the Laureate Eating Disorders Program in Tulsa, Okla. He is a member of the American Psychiatric Association. His professional licensure and certification include Oklahoma State Board of Medical Licensure & Supervision, Diplomate of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology and Diplomate of the National Board of Medicine. Dr. Mitchell is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma and the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine. He also was a resident in psychiatry at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital and the consultation-liaison psychiatry fellow at the Thomas Jefferson University Hospital both in Philadelphia.
James E. Mitchell, M.D.
James E. Mitchell, M.D., is currently the NRI/Lee A. Christofferson, M.D., professor and chair of the department of neuroscience at the University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences and president and scientific director of the Neuropsychiatric Research Institute. He is past-president of the Academy for Eating Disorders and past-president of the Eating Disorders Research Society. He is on the editorial board of the International Journal of Eating Disorders and the Eating Disorders Review. He has published more than 200 articles in the scientific literature, most focusing on the area of eating disorders. Dr. Mitchell completed his undergraduate education at Indiana University and medical school at Northwestern University. Following an internship in internal medicine, he completed his residency in psychiatry and a fellowship in consultation/liaison psychiatry at the University of Minnesota. After entering academics, he focused his activities primarily on research in the area of eating disorders and obesity.
Michael Strober, Ph.D.
Appointed to the faculty of the department of psychiatry at the UCLA School of Medicine in 1975, Michael Strober, Ph.D., now holds the rank of full professor, and is director of the eating disorders program and the adolescent mood disorders program at the UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute and Hospital. Dr. Strober's primary research activities center on the long-term course and outcome, psychopathology and genetics of eating disorders. He has authored over 125 scientific papers and has served on numerous national advisory boards. In addition, Dr. Strober is editor-in-chief of the The International Journal of Eating Disorders. He received his Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Pittsburgh in 1975.
Blake Woodside, M.D., FRCP(C)
Blake Woodside, M.D., FRCP(C), is associate professor of the department of psychiatry at the University of Toronto and director of the inpatient eating disorders program at Toronto General Hospital. He also is currently president of the Canadian Psychiatric Association. Dr. Woodside has been involved with the Price Foundation collaboration since 1995 and is interested in males with eating disorders, family issues in eating disorders and outcome of treatment for severe anorexia nervosa.