Eating Disorders Research Program

Clinical Outcomes Study

Jennifer Wildes, Ph.D.

To ensure that the treatments provided to individuals with eating disorders are effective, it is important to document clinical outcomes.  As part of this study, participants will be asked to complete questionnaires at the beginning of treatment and once every four weeks during treatment. The information we collect will be used to examine changes in eating disorder symptoms and other mental health problems (e.g., depression) to assess our treatment program’s effectiveness.

Cognitive Flexibility and Eating Disorder Symptoms

Jennifer Wildes, Ph.D.

We are working with investigators at the University of Pittsburgh to learn whether differences in thinking style and brain response help to explain variability in symptom expression across anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. Study assessments are being conducted in Pittsburgh and include computer tasks, functional magnetic resonance imaging, interviews, and questionnaires. We hope the findings from this study will help us understand similarities and differences in the processes underlying particular eating disorder diagnoses that can be used to develop better treatments.

Eating Disorders Research T32

Started in 2009, The Midwest Regional Postdoctoral Training Grant in Eating Disorders Research provides multidisciplinary training to doctoral degree graduates pursuing academic research careers in the field of eating disorders. The program is organized around a series of individual experiences for each trainee based on interactions with a multi-site mentoring team, research projects, and course work.  General T32 experiences include a weekly Didactics Seminar and Journal Club/Research Seminar as well as two in-person team meetings.  In addition, team meetings are informally held at the annual Eating Disorders Research Society and the Academy for Eating Disorders meetings.

To Apply: 

The Midwest Regional Postdoctoral Training Program in Eating Disorders Research is a two- or three-year fellowship. This NIMH-funded postdoctoral T32 fellowship is located at three sites: The University of Chicago, the University of Minnesota, and the Neuropsychiatric Research Institute/University of North Dakota. Postdoctoral training is available in a wide variety of areas of eating disorders research with a diverse group of mentors across the three sites.

Potential applicants are encouraged to contact the Program Director, Scott Crow, M.D., or the individual site directors at the site(s) in which they are most interested:

University of Minnesota
Dr. Scott Crow
612-273-9807
crowx002@umn.edu

University of North Dakota 
Dr. Stephen Wonderlich
701-365-4910
stephen.wonderlich@sanfordhealth.org

University of Chicago
Dr. Jennifer Wildes
773-702-9277
jwildes@uchicago.edu

Applicants should be prepared to furnish the following materials:

  • A letter of intent and statement of interests
  • Curriculum vitae
  • Reprints of prior scientific publications
  • Three letters of reference; one should be from a director of clinical training (if background to date is in psychology), residency training director (if background to date is in psychiatry), or equivalent figure if training is in other disciplines; the other two should be from other academic references

Materials are accepted throughout the year, dependent upon the continued availability of training slots.